Serve Robotics, the sidewalk delivery specialist backed by Nvidia and Uber, is officially entering the healthcare sector. The Los Angeles-based company announced Tuesday the acquisition of Diligent Robotics, the developer behind “Moxi,” a social-intelligence robot designed to assist hospital staff with logistics, such as transporting lab samples and essential medical supplies. The transaction values Diligent’s common stock at $29 million.
Strategic Expansion Beyond Sidewalk Delivery
This deal marks a significant milestone for Serve Robotics, representing its first expansion beyond food delivery. Originally incubated within Postmates in 2017 and later spun off after Uber’s acquisition of the platform, Serve went public in April 2024 through a reverse merger. While the company has built its reputation on sidewalk navigation, CEO Ali Kashani emphasizes that the move into hospitals is a logical extension of their core mission.
The Synergy of Autonomous Navigation
According to Kashani, the acquisition is rooted in a shared technical challenge: creating robots capable of navigating seamlessly alongside humans. “Once you solve the problem of how to get robots to move among people as autonomous machines, you can bring that technology to a variety of environments,” Kashani stated. The company’s vision centers on the broader utility of robots operating in human-centric spaces, rather than being confined to lab-based testing.
Diligent Robotics: A Proven Track Record
Founded in 2017 by Andrea Thomaz and Vivian Chu, Diligent Robotics has established itself as a leader in healthcare automation. The startup has raised over $75 million in venture capital, including a notable $25 million funding round in 2023.
Kashani noted that the cultural alignment between the two firms was a driving factor, citing a shared philosophy of building technology in “real-life” settings rather than purely experimental environments. Diligent will continue to operate with a degree of independence while integrating Serve’s proprietary software and scaling tools to accelerate its hospital-focused operations.
Future Outlook and Fleet Growth
Despite the new healthcare vertical, Serve Robotics maintains that its primary focus remains its sidewalk-delivery fleet. The company has seen aggressive growth, scaling its fleet from 100 to over 2,000 robots throughout 2025. This expansion is further supported by a high-profile partnership with DoorDash, initiated in October to facilitate deliveries in Los Angeles.
“Our sidewalk business is what’s fueling everything,” Kashani explained. “It is one of the largest autonomous fleets in the world right now, and developing that helps us create everything we need for other applications.” While the company remains open to future partnerships, Kashani clarified that this acquisition is not a pivot, but rather a strategic utilization of their existing autonomous platform.