Intelligent Movement | Robotics and Physical AI with Marko Bjelonic

In this captivating episode, we sit down with Marko Bjelonic, CEO & Co-Founder of RIVR (formerly Swiss-Mile), whose groundbreaking wheeled-quadruped robots are transforming last-mile delivery. From his early days as a PhD researcher at ETH Zurich to securing backing from Jeff Bezos and establishing partnerships with Chinese robotics companies, Marko shares his journey of building a global robotics company from Switzerland. We explore how his immigrant background shaped his entrepreneurial vision, the technological innovations behind RIVR's robots, and how the company navigates the complex dynamics between Western and Chinese robotics ecosystems.Key Topics:From PhD Project to Jeff Bezos Backing: How a Swiss startup captured the attention of the world's top investorsRobots with the Best of Both Worlds: The engineering breakthrough of combining wheels and legs in quadruped robotsEast Meets West: Navigating the diplomatic dance of Chinese partnerships while maintaining global ambitionsThe Switzerland of Robotics: Leveraging European neutrality to build bridges in an increasingly divided tech worldBeyond the Last Mile: RIVR's vision for advancing physical AI across industries and continents