Avride Partners with Grubhub to Expand Food Delivery Robots on U.S. Campuses

Autonomous technology startup Avride has announced a partnership with food delivery company Grubhub to expand its fleet of food delivery robots across U.S. college campuses. The initiative aims to address labor shortages, lower delivery costs, and reduce reliance on cars for short-distance food transport.

Avride has already deployed its first fleet of 100 robots at Ohio State University, where it also plans to introduce its next-generation models. The university now relies exclusively on robot deliveries and also utilizes robots from other startups, such as Cartken.

“Campuses are almost ideal environments for introducing automation in delivery. They are relatively small areas with a high density of orders, which is where robots perform best,” Avride CEO Dmitry Polishchuk told Reuters. He also noted strong interest from other universities in adopting robotic delivery solutions.

Avride joins a growing number of companies, including Serve Robotics, in partnering with ride-hailing and delivery platforms to scale autonomous food delivery. In October, Avride announced a partnership with Uber for food delivery and robotaxi services, further expanding its presence in the autonomous mobility sector.

Founded in 2017 and headquartered in Austin, Texas, Avride has completed over 200,000 deliveries across five countries. The company was previously part of Yandex’s self-driving division but became independent following a corporate restructuring last year.