Episode 422 | Serve Robotics Turned Delivery Robots Into a Platform Business

Ali Kashani, Co-Founder and CEO of Serve Robotics, joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Serve Robotics scaled its delivery fleet into an operating layer for physical AI.Over the past year, Serve Robotics has grown from roughly 50 robots to 2,000, and in Q1 2026 the company reported $3 million in revenue with 45% coming from recurring software licenses.To achieve that growth, Serve is now selling their stack as modular layers, letting other companies license the connectivity, data infrastructure, or hardware piece by piece rather than build everything from scratch. This includes a freemium version of Autonomy Assist, its version of remote assistance.As the company continues to grow Serve is ramping production of their Gen 3 vehicle, which runs at one-third the cost of Gen 2 while delivering five times the compute, a 48-mile range, four-wheel steering and suspension, and the ability to operate in heavy rain.The vehicles are sub-assembled in Asia with the completed final assembly occurring in with Magna International in Michigan. This give the company the flexibility to manufacture end to end in Asia for markets where US tariffs make domestic production uneconomical. With international expansion underway in Tokyo and Sydney this year and a larger push planned for 2027, Serve is positioning to follow demand across the APAC region and beyond.Episode Chapters0:00 Growing and Scaling Revenue8:51 Licensing the Platform11:17 World Models14:59 The Laundry Vertical16:52 Expanding Internationally22:39 Gen 3 Vehicle26:17 Edge Cases28:43 Future Form Factors30:09 Diligent Robotics Acquisition34:06 The Operating Layer of Physical AI36:21 Future of Serve Robotics36:54 AUTNMY AI--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy.™.Through our podcasts, newsletter, Indices and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth.Join institutional investors and industry leaders who read This Week in The Autonomy Economy every Sunday. Each edition delivers exclusive insight and commentary on the autonomy economy, helping you stay ahead of what's next.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletterFollow The Road to Autonomy IndicesSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.