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Draft:Serve Robotics

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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
Headquarters
Redwood City, United States
Key people
  • Ali Kashani, CEO
ProductsAutonomous delivery robots
RevenueIncrease $207,545[1]
Number of employees
69[2]
Websitewww.serverobotics.com

Serve Robotics is an American technology company that designs, develops, and operates autonomous delivery robots.[3][4] The company originated as the robotics division of Postmates.[5] Following Uber’s acquisition of Postmates in 2020, the robotics division was spun out as an independent company.[5]

History

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In 2017, Postmates acquired Lox, a robotics startup founded by Ali Kashani.[6] Kashani then launched an internal robotics division within Postmates called Postmates X.[7] In December 2018, Postmates X debuted a yellow, box-shaped delivery robot called Serve.[4] In 2019, Serve robots began making deliveries in Los Angeles.[8] By the end of 2020, Serve had completed more than 10,000 commercial deliveries.[9]

In July 2020, Uber acquired Postmates for $2.65 billion.[10] In March 2021, Postmates X was spun out as an independent company and rebranded as Serve Robotics.[5] Uber invested $50 million in the new company, making it a minority stakeholder.[11] Ali Kashani continued as leader of the startup.[12]

In January 2022, Serve began deploying robots capable of completing commercial deliveries without human supervision under certain conditions.[13] In March 2022, Nvidia invested $10 million in Serve Robotics.[14] In September 2022, Serve partnered with Pizza Hut for a pilot delivery project in downtown Vancouver.[15] Over the next two years, similar partnerships were announced with 7-Eleven, Uber Eats, and Shake Shack in Los Angeles.[16][17][18]

In August 2023, Serve went public through a reverse merger with Patricia Acquisition Corp, a public corporation based in Delaware.[9][19] As a result of the deal, Serve became a subsidiary of Patricia while Patricia changed its name to Serve Robotics.[19] 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.[9] A company representative told Quartz that Serve hoped to reduce the cost per delivery by increasing the number of robots in operation.[9] In April 2024, the company finalized a partnership with Magna International to manufacture these additional robots.[1]

In May 2024, a Serve robot nicknamed Saymo had a recurring role on the Netflix series John Mulaney Presents: Everybody's in LA.[20]

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.[21][22]

Operations

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Serve Robotics designs, develops, and operates autonomous delivery robots.[23][24] Serve was previously the robotics division of Postmates.[5] In 2020, following Uber’s acquisition of Postmates, the robotics division was spun out as an independent company and rebranded as Serve Robotics.[5]

The company is headquartered in Redwood City, California.[25] Ali Kashani is the CEO and co-founder.[2] As of December 31, 2023, Serve has 59 employees in the United States and 10 employees in Canada through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Serve Robotics Canada.[2]

Technology

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Serve Robotics’ delivery robots are designed to navigate sidewalks and urban environments autonomously.[21] The robots navigate using cameras, light detection. and ranging sensors called lidar.[26] Serve robots use the Nvidia Jetson platform to facilitate AI computing and autonomous movement.[14] Serve characterizes its robots as possessing Level 4 autonomy, meaning they can navigate solely using onboard capabilities.[3][27] The robots still require human logistical and troubleshooting support.[3][27]

References

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  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ a b c "Form S-1". Securities and Exchange Commission. July 31, 2024. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Bellan, Rebecca (January 13, 2022). "Serve Robotics' new autonomous sidewalk delivery robots don't require human assist". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Wiggers, Kyle (December 13, 2018). "Postmates' Serve is a robot that delivers your food, refreshments, and more". VentureBeat. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e Korosec, Kirsten (March 2, 2021). "Uber spins out delivery robot startup as Serve Robotics". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ Upton, Nicholas (December 15, 2021). "Serve Robotics Raises $13M After Uber Spinoff". Food on Demand. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  8. ^ "Postmates Rolls Out Robots in Los Angeles as It Preps for IPO". The Wall Street Journal. September 23, 2019. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d 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.
  10. ^ Isaac, Mike; Griffith, Erin; Satariano, Adam (July 5, 2020). "Uber Buys Postmates for $2.65 Billion". The New York Times. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  11. ^ Bonifacic, Igor (March 2, 2021). "Uber spins out Postmates' robot delivery division into a separate company". Engadget. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  12. ^ 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.
  13. ^ Bellan, Rebecca (January 13, 2023). "Serve Robotics' new autonomous sidewalk delivery robots don't require human assist". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Bellan, Rebecca (March 8, 2022). "Nvidia invests $10M in sidewalk robot delivery company Serve Robotics". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  15. ^ Aziz, Tahmina (September 24, 2022). "This electric, self-driving delivery robot can bring pizza to your door". CTV News Channel. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Heier, Bernadette (February 9, 2023). "7-Eleven Rolls Out Self-Driving Delivery Robots". Food on Demand. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  17. ^ McFarland, Matt (May 13, 2022). "Uber to test delivering food with robots". CNN. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  18. ^ Sophia, Deborah (August 14, 2024). "Shake Shack, Serve Robotics roll out autonomous sidewalk robot delivery in Los Angeles". Reuters. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  19. ^ a b Kaiser, Tom (August 11, 2023). "In Complex Deal, Serve Robotics Nabs $30M, Goes Public". Food on Demand. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  20. ^ Walker, Rob (May 17, 2024). "How John Mulaney's robot stole the spotlight on his Netflix talk show". Fast Company. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ Womack, Brian (October 1, 2024). "Sidewalk robots are teaming with drones for Dallas food deliveries". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  23. ^ Mlot, Stephanie (May 31, 2023). "Uber Eats to Deploy 2,000 Autonomous Delivery Robots". PCMag. Ziff Davis. Retrieved October 1, 2024. Founded in 2017 as the robotics division of Uber-owned food delivery service Postmates, Serve Robotics designs, develops, and operates zero-emissions bots.
  24. ^ Pimentel, Joseph (May 31, 2023). "Serve Robotics, UberEats to deploy thousands of sidewalk delivery robots in LA and other markets". Spectrum News 1. Charter Communications. Retrieved October 1, 2024. The growth of Serve Robotics, which develops and operates autonomous sidewalk robots, highlights the demand for alternative food, grocery, or last-mile deliveries[.]
  25. ^ 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.
  26. ^ Korosec, Kirsten (July 24, 2019). "Postmates' self-driving delivery rover will see with Ouster's lidar". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
  27. ^ a b Hawkins, Andrew J. (October 31, 2023). "A day in the life of a delivery robot". The Verge. Retrieved October 1, 2024.
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