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User:ServeAduke/Serve Robotics draft

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  • Comment: Hi there, User:Theroadislong. It looks like you declined this draft a few minutes after I submitted it, which took me by surprise since it was so quick. I really tried to take my own biases into account and draft something that would reflect a neutral point of view and be objectively a contribution to the Wikipedia community... so I want to understand how to fix this. Do you think Serve meets Wikipedia's notability requirements overall? Is it just the writing in my draft that needs to be improved?
    Your rejection note states that the "submission appears to read more like an advertisement than an entry in an encyclopedia." Can you point to specific passages that feel like advertising so I can fix them?
    You also said I need to "refer to a range of independent, reliable, published sources, not just to materials produced by the creator." Serve is profiled in several top tier media sources (TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Bloomberg, The Verge, and Quartz etc) and I tried hard to draw from these national publications for the draft. I made sure to exclude sources that come from Serve itself (our broadcast interviews on CNBC/CNN/Bloomberg/Fox Biz, interviews with our founder etc), since I know those aren't valid independent sources… so I thought I was careful here. Do some of these publications fail to meet the criteria for Wikipedia verifiability policy (national publications with high editorial standards)? If so, can you let me know which publications you think I need to exclude?
    I tried hard to meet Wikipedia's verifiability policy and Wikipedia's notability policy, using only articles that cover Serve in detail and convey the company's significance. I'm bummed if I missed the mark. Can you expand on your feedback with some specifics of what isn't working from what I've provided? ServeAduke (talk) 21:20, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: Hello, I've put this draft together on behalf of Serve Robotics, where I work as the head of communications. As the citations indicate, Serve Robotics is a prominent robotics company that has been profiled in outlets like TechCrunch, VentureBeat, Bloomberg, The Verge, and Quartz. The company is notable for its autonomous delivery robots, which have attracted widespread press coverage even beyond the profile examples above, and for its technological advancements and partnerships with brands like 7-Eleven, Shake Shack, and Wing. Serve's robots are already mentioned in Wikipedia articles for Last mile transportation, Delivery robots, and Uber Eats. I also found an image of one of Serve's robots on Wikimedia Commons and included it in this draft. ServeAduke (talk) 16:15, 22 October 2024 (UTC)
Serve Robotics Inc.
SERV
Company typePublic
IndustryRobotics
Founded2017 (2017)
Founders
  • Ali Kashani
[1]
Headquarters
Redwood City, United States[2]
Key people
  • Ali Kashani, CEO
ProductsAutonomous delivery robots
RevenueIncrease $207,545[3]
Number of employees
69[1]
Websitewww.serverobotics.com

Serve Robotics is an American technology company that designs, develops, and operates autonomous delivery robots.[4][5] The company originated as the robotics division of Postmates.[6]

History

[edit]

In 2017, Postmates acquired Lox, a robotics startup founded by Ali Kashani.[7] Kashani launched an internal robotics division within Postmates called Postmates X.[8] During the development of the delivery robot, the Postmates X team worked on several different designs before developing their final prototype. The initial designs were too small to be safely seen, or they found that the public had negative associations with the design as it looked too much like a bomb-defusing robot.[9] In December 2018, Postmates X debuted a yellow, box-shaped delivery robot called Serve.[5] According to Kashani, the robot had to be able to navigate sidewalks and be visible, and also had to be positively perceived by drivers and pedestrians. Due to this, the final design incorporated anthropomorphic elements, including eyes that blink.[9] Postmates tested the robots by having them pick up items from restaurants and deliver them to Postmates drivers who completed the delivery to the customer. The robots were under remote supervision by Postmates employees who could take control if needed.[9]

In 2019, Serve robots began making deliveries in Los Angeles.[10] In December 2020, it deployed three robots for a three-month test in West Hollywood, delivering groceries for Pink Dot, a delivery-based grocery market.[11] By the end of 2020, Serve had completed more than 10,000 commercial deliveries.[12]

In July 2020, Uber acquired Postmates for $2.65 billion.[13] In March 2021, Postmates X was spun out as an independent company and rebranded as Serve Robotics.[6] Uber invested $50 million in the new company, making it a minority stakeholder.[14] Ali Kashani continued as leader of the startup.[15]

In January 2022, Serve began testing autonomous delivery robots in Los Angeles. In areas where Level 4 autonomous testing was allowed, the robots were capable of operating autonomously without continuous human oversight, although the robot could request human remote control in case of error.[16] In March 2022, Nvidia invested $10 million in Serve Robotics.[17] In September 2022, Serve partnered with Pizza Hut for a pilot delivery project in downtown Vancouver.[18] Over the next two years, similar partnerships were announced with 7-Eleven, Uber Eats, and Shake Shack in Los Angeles.[19][20][21]

In August 2023, Serve went public through a reverse merger with Patricia Acquisition Corp, a public corporation based in Delaware.[12][22] Following the merger, Serve became a subsidiary of Patricia, which subsequently rebranded as Serve Robotics.[22] The company also announced that it had raised $30 million in a new financing round and planned to expand to new markets and deploy 2,000 new sidewalk robots through its partnership with Uber Eats.[12] In April 2024, the company finalized a partnership with Magna International to manufacture these additional robots.[3]

In May 2024, a Serve robot nicknamed Saymo was given a recurring role on the Netflix series John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA.[23] Saymo continued to appear in the second season of the show.[24]

In October 2024, Serve and drone delivery startup Wing announced a partnership to deliver restaurant orders through a combination of air-and-land delivery in Dallas.[25][26]

As of April 2025, the company had launched its delivery robots in Los Angeles, Miami and Dallas—Fort Worth.[27]

Technology

[edit]

The Serve robots have Level 4 autonomous capability, meaning they can navigate using onboard technology without human assistance, under specific conditions.[4][28] The delivery robots are designed to be able to navigate sidewalks and urban environments autonomously[25] within their intended operating areas.[4] The robots use cameras, light detection. and ranging sensors called lidar.[29] According to the company, their third generation robots that launched in 2024 are able to travel at speeds up to 11 miles per hour and have a range of up to 48 miles.[30] As of 2022, the robots had Nvidia Jetson hardware installed that provided AI computing to facilitate autonomous movement.[17] The robots still required human logistical and troubleshooting support.[4][28]

At the end of 2024, the company had a fleet of 100 robots, which were built in Detroit by Magna International.[31]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Form S-1". Securities and Exchange Commission. July 31, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  2. ^ Oitzman, Mike (April 19, 2024). "Serve Robotics raises $40M with IPO to expand Uber Eats deliveries". The Robot Report. WTWH Media. Retrieved October 1, 2024. The Redwood City, Calif.-based company currently has about 100 robots in its fleet and plans to expand that fleet.
  3. ^ a b Wahlberg, Adam (April 24, 2023). "Serve Robotics Hauls In $40M and Prepares to Put 2,000 Robots on Streets". Food on Demand. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c d Bellan, Rebecca (January 13, 2022). "Serve Robotics' new autonomous sidewalk delivery robots don't require human assist". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  5. ^ a b Wiggers, Kyle (December 13, 2018). "Postmates' Serve is a robot that delivers your food, refreshments, and more". VentureBeat. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  6. ^ a b Korosec, Kirsten (March 2, 2021). "Uber spins out delivery robot startup as Serve Robotics". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  7. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (March 2, 2021). "Uber planning to spin out Postmates' delivery robot arm". VentureBeat. Retrieved October 1, 2024. Postmates' exploration into sidewalk delivery bots began in earnest in 2017 after the company quietly acquired Kashani's startup Lox Inc.
  8. ^ Upton, Nicholas (December 15, 2021). "Serve Robotics Raises $13M After Uber Spinoff". Food on Demand. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Pardes, Arielle (December 13, 2018). "Postmates' Quest to Build the Delivery Robot of the Future". Wired. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  10. ^ "Postmates Rolls Out Robots in Los Angeles as It Preps for IPO". The Wall Street Journal. September 23, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Smith, Kevin (December 12, 2020). "Robots will deliver food in West Hollywood from Pink Dot". Los Angeles Daily News. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c Cheng, Michelle (August 11, 2023). "An Uber-backed robot delivery company is going public—but the industry has yet to really deliver". Quartz. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  13. ^ Isaac, Mike; Griffith, Erin; Satariano, Adam (July 5, 2020). "Uber Buys Postmates for $2.65 Billion". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  14. ^ Bonifacic, Igor (March 2, 2021). "Uber spins out Postmates' robot delivery division into a separate company". Engadget. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Chapman, Lizette (March 2, 2021). "Uber Spins Off Robotic Delivery Unit, Takes Stake in New Startup". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 1, 2024. The new startup will be led by Ali Kashani, who runs the robot deliveries unit for Postmates, which Uber acquired last year. Serve Robotics will start with about 60 employees and will be based in San Francisco, operating independently from Uber but retaining close ties with its former parent company.
  16. ^ Bellan, Rebecca (January 13, 2023). "Serve Robotics' new autonomous sidewalk delivery robots don't require human assist". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Bellan, Rebecca (March 8, 2022). "Nvidia invests $10M in sidewalk robot delivery company Serve Robotics". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Aziz, Tahmina (September 24, 2022). "This electric, self-driving delivery robot can bring pizza to your door". CTV News Channel. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  19. ^ Heier, Bernadette (February 9, 2023). "7-Eleven Rolls Out Self-Driving Delivery Robots". Food on Demand. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  20. ^ McFarland, Matt (May 13, 2022). "Uber to test delivering food with robots". CNN. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  21. ^ Sophia, Deborah (August 14, 2024). "Shake Shack, Serve Robotics roll out autonomous sidewalk robot delivery in Los Angeles". Reuters. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Kaiser, Tom (August 11, 2023). "In Complex Deal, Serve Robotics Nabs $30M, Goes Public". Food on Demand. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  23. ^ Walker, Rob (May 17, 2024). "How John Mulaney's robot stole the spotlight on his Netflix talk show". Fast Company. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  24. ^ Maciak, Phillip (March 28, 2025). "Everybody's Live With John Mulaney Is an Ambitious Mess". The New Republic. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  25. ^ a b Skiram, Akash (October 1, 2024). "Serve Robotics ties up with Alphabet's unit for drone deliveries, launching pilot in Texas". Reuters. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  26. ^ Womack, Brian (October 1, 2024). "Sidewalk robots are teaming with drones for Dallas food deliveries". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  27. ^ "Serve Robotics brings autonomous delivery robots to Dallas". The Robot Report. April 6, 2025. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  28. ^ a b Hawkins, Andrew J. (October 31, 2023). "A day in the life of a delivery robot". The Verge. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  29. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (July 24, 2019). "Postmates' self-driving delivery rover will see with Ouster's lidar". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  30. ^ Doll, Scooter (October 16, 2024). "Serve Robotics unveils Gen3 autonomous delivery robots to help scale services across the US". Electrek. Retrieved May 29, 2025.
  31. ^ Root, Al (March 7, 2025). "Serve Robotics Stock Falls on Sale Miss, Adding to Recent Pain". Barron's. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
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