Serve Robotics to Acquire Diligent Robotics, Expanding Physical AI Beyond the Sidewalk

Serve Robotics announced a definitive agreement to acquire Diligent Robotics in an all-stock transaction valued at approximately $29 million. This acquisition represents a major strategic shift for the sidewalk delivery company as it expands its Physical AI platform beyond last-mile logistics. The deal includes potential earn-out payments of up to $5.3 million if specific performance milestones are achieved through the end of 2026.

By absorbing Diligent, Serve gains access to the healthcare market through Moxi, an autonomous robot designed to support hospital staff. Moxi is currently deployed in more than 25 facilities across the United States and has completed over 1.25 million autonomous deliveries. Each hospital deployment is expected to generate between $200,000 and $400,000 in annual recurring revenue for the company.

The merger leverages a common technology stack based on the NVIDIA Jetson platform and NVIDIA Isaac simulation tools. This technical alignment allows both companies to merge their data flywheels and accelerate the development of autonomous navigation models. The goal is to create a single operating system capable of managing robots in both unstructured city streets and dense hospital corridors.

Diligent Robotics will continue its operations as a wholly owned subsidiary of Serve Robotics. Andrea Thomaz, the social roboticist who co-founded Diligent, will lead the subsidiary and report into the broader Serve ecosystem. This arrangement ensures that the healthcare-focused expertise remains intact while benefiting from the scale and resources of a publicly traded parent company.

This consolidation occurs as the robotics industry moves toward multi-modal platforms that operate in both indoor and outdoor settings. While Diligent had previously raised over $100 million in venture capital, the acquisition price reflects a strategic consolidation of high-value intellectual property. Serve is positioning itself to solve the last 50 feet of delivery by mastering indoor manipulation alongside sidewalk navigation.

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2026, subject to customary closing conditions. With this move, Serve Robotics transitions from being a specialized delivery startup into a diversified infrastructure provider for autonomous labor. The combined entity will focus on scaling Moxi deployments and refining the shared autonomy stack for broader commercial applications.