From ETH Lab to Amazon Acquisition: The RIVR Story
What does it take to build a globally leading robotics company out of Europe and what happens when a technology giant comes knocking?
Kellerhals Carrard and Goodwin invite you to a fire-side chat with the co-founders of RIVR (formerly Swiss-Mile), one of the most closely watched deep tech success stories to emerge from Switzerland in recent years. Born out of ETH Zurich, RIVR pioneered autonomous doorstep delivery robots powered by Physical AI, ultimately attracting strategic interest from Amazon and completing a landmark acquisition.
This is a rare opportunity to hear directly from the people who built it, scaled it, and exited it. This session covers the full arc from research spin-off to global M&A transaction.
What we'll cover
The founding story: spinning out of ETH Zurich and allocating roles within the team
Achieving product-market fit in last-mile delivery and scaling from Switzerland
Structuring US operations
How Amazon first became interested and when a transaction became a real possibility
Navigating a cross-border M&A process: key differences between US and Swiss/European deal standards
Obtaining stakeholder buy-in: investors, employees, and clients
Post-acquisition integration: what was planned, what wasn't, and what's next
Agenda
5-5.30pm: Welcome & Opening
5.30-6.30pm: Fire-side chat
6.30-8pm: Apéro & Networking