Kiwibot CEO Felipe Chavez Shares The Journey to Robot.com

Delivery bot startup rebrands and expands ambitions

Delivery robotics startup Kiwibot is expanding its ambitions — moving beyond cute bots on the sidewalk and into warehouses and other new locales. To fit that expanded scope, the company’s rebranding as robot.com; that domain must have cost a pretty penny! In the run-up to the company’s big news, I caught up with company Co-Founder and CEO Felipe Chavez, to learn more about everything else that the company’s been up to lately.

Jonah Bliss: It’s been almost two years since we last checked in with the Kiwibot team – what’s new?

Felipe Chavez: It's been a busy two years! We've achieved some significant milestones, like surpassing 1,000,000 tasks and expanding our operations into new regions (like Dubai, Saudi Arabia). One of the most exciting developments has been our acquisition of Nickelytics, a move that has broadened our horizons by bringing mobile advertising into our service offerings.

And to really drive this new chapter, we've significantly strengthened our leadership team. We recently welcomed J. Kim Fennell as our new Chief Business Officer. Kim brings extensive experience, having previously served as Head of Business Development US & Canada and Global Technology Partnerships at Uber. He will be instrumental in spearheading strategic partnerships, cultivating key commercial relationships, driving corporate development, and boosting revenue growth.

The acquisition of Nickelytics brought a strong leader, Eduardo Iniguez, who is now the CFO of Kiwibot. His experience in scaling high-growth tech companies is invaluable as we integrate Nickelytics and navigate through the pre-IPO round.

Furthermore, in April 2024, Kiwibot acquired AUTO Mobility Solutions, a Taiwan-based company specializing in AI-driven self-driving and robot security chip development. This acquisition strengthens Kiwibot's commitment to cybersecurity and enhances its control over data privacy during delivery operations. AUTO's expertise in AI, IoT, and cybersecurity, along with their portfolio of over 100 patents, adds significant technological innovation to Kiwibot's offerings. This acquisition also facilitates a shift in Kiwibot's robot production supply chain from China to Taiwan.

Of course, we're also continuing to push the boundaries of what's possible with our robotic platforms. We have our new cargo robot designed for larger payloads and more diverse logistics needs, and the Kiwibot Dog, which features advanced AI for enhanced autonomy and more natural human-robot interaction.

Last, but not least, we launched a rent-a-robot service. Did you miss the promo video? Here it is!

Top of mind is your recent acquisition of Nickelytics. How did that come together?

This strategic move not only allows us to offer businesses a unique and engaging way to connect with consumers, but it also perfectly complements our existing expertise in robotics and AI.

We saw a natural synergy between our autonomous delivery platform and Nickelytics' innovative approach to out-of-home advertising. It allows us to offer businesses a unique way to reach consumers while leveraging our existing infrastructure and expertise in robotics and AI.

What’s it been like adding on an OOH advertising firm? Nickelytics sells inventory on other delivery bot brands and different types of vehicles — has that complicated things, or taught you anything unexpected?