Kellerhals Carrard advising RIVR Technology AG and its shareholders on the acquisition by Amazon
From ETH Zurich's robotics lab to Amazon's global delivery network in under three years. This is what Swiss deep tech looks like at its very best.
The last hundred yards of parcel delivery have long been the hardest to solve. Elevators, staircases, narrow corridors — the final stretch to a customer's door remains stubbornly human. RIVR Technology AG, is a Zurich-based autonomous robotics startup spun out of the Robotic Systems Lab of Professor Marco Hutter at ETH Zurich, set out to change that with a four-legged wheeled robot designed precisely to navigate complex, unpredictable environments that have defeated conventional delivery automation.
Amazon has now acquired RIVR, integrating the company’s technology into its ambition to bring autonomous doorstep delivery to global scale.
RIVR had raised a total of USD 25 million, including a USD 22.2 million seed round led by Bezos Expeditions and HongShan (Sequoia's Chinese arm), with co-investment from Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund, Armada Investment (Zurich), and Linear Capital (Shanghai). The investor lineup, spanning Silicon Valley, China, and Europe, spoke volumes about RIVR's global ambition from day one.
RIVR's story has every element that puts the Greater Zurich Area on the global deep-tech map — and we are proud to have been part of writing it.
Kellerhals Carrard acted as legal counsel to RIVR and its shareholders, advising on all Swiss law aspects of the acquisition. Ours is not a deal-only relationship: we have been RIVR's legal partner since its inception — from pre-seed financing through to this exit. A continuity that made a real difference in transaction quality and speed. A shout-out also to Goodwin Procter LLP for their excellent support on all US law aspects of the deal.
The transaction also required close coordination across multiple areas of expertise, including corporate/M&A, tax, IP, employment and data privacy. A key strength was the support of our China Desk, led by our Shanghai office: with HongShan and Linear Capital among RIVR’s investors and Chinese operations in scope, their on-the-ground expertise ensured a smooth handling of the relevant legal and regulatory aspects.
The Kellerhals Carrard core team comprised of:
- Karim Maizar (Lead, Partner, VC/M&A)
- Umberto Milano (Partner, VC/M&A)
- Michele Remund (Partner, Tax)
- Luana Stämpfli (Partner, VC/M&A)
- Cheng Chen (China Desk, Counsel, VC/M&A)
- Rehana Harasgama (Partner, Data Privacy)
- Norbert Schenk (Senior Associate, VC/M&A)
- Celine Schmid (Counsel, Employment)
- Vera Vallone (Senior Associate, Intellectual Property)
- Klara Weismann (Legal Advisor VC/M&A)
- Melissa Wiss (Paralegal)
Congratulations to the executive founding team Marko Bjelonic, Alexander Reske, Giorgio Valsecchi, Lorenz Wellhausen and the whole RIVR team for their visionary leadership and inspiring journey — it has been a privilege to support you along the way. And to Amazon for their commitment to driving innovation in the logistics industry.