Serve Robotics (SERV) S-1/AIPO registration (amended)

As filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on April 12, 2024.

Registration Number 333-277809

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549

Amendment No. 2

to

FORM S-1

REGISTRATION STATEMENT

UNDER

THE SECURITIES ACT OF 1933

Serve Robotics Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

730 Broadway

Redwood City, CA 94063

(818) 860-1352

(Address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of registrant’s principal executive offices)

Ali Kashani

Chief Executive Officer

730 Broadway

Redwood City, California 94063

(818) 860-1352

(Name, address, including zip code, and telephone number, including area code, of agent for service)

Copies to:

Approximate date of commencement of proposed sale to the public: As soon as practicable after the effective date of this registration statement.

If any of the securities being registered on this Form are to be offered on a delayed or continuous basis pursuant to Rule 415 under the Securities Act of 1933, check the following box. ☐

If this Form is filed to register additional securities for an offering pursuant to Rule 462(b) under the Securities Act, please check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(c) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

If this Form is a post-effective amendment filed pursuant to Rule 462(d) under the Securities Act, check the following box and list the Securities Act registration statement number of the earlier effective registration statement for the same offering. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company,” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 7(a)(2)(B) of the Exchange Act. ☐

The registrant hereby amends this Registration Statement on such date or dates as may be necessary to delay its effective date until the registrant shall file a further amendment which specifically states that this Registration Statement shall thereafter become effective in accordance with Section 8(a) of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or until this Registration Statement shall become effective on such date as the Securities and Exchange Commission, acting pursuant to said Section 8(a), may determine.

The information in this preliminary prospectus is not complete and may be changed. We may not sell these securities pursuant to this prospectus until the registration statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission becomes effective. This preliminary prospectus is not an offer to sell these securities and is not soliciting offers to buy these securities in any jurisdiction where the offer or sale is not permitted.

SUBJECT TO COMPLETION, DATED APRIL 12, 2024

PRELIMINARY PROSPECTUS

$40,000,000

Common Stock

This is a public offering of shares of common stock by Serve Robotics Inc. We are offering 8,888,889 shares of our common stock (based upon the assumed public offering price of $4.50 per share (the closing price of our common stock on April 5, 2024 on the OTCQB)).

Our common stock is currently quoted on the OTCQB Market operated by OTC Markets Group Inc. under the symbol “SBOT”. On April 5, 2024, the closing price of our common stock on the OTCQB was $4.50 per share. In connection with this offering, we have applied to list our common stock on The Nasdaq Stock Market, LLC (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “SERV”. Accordingly, we expect our common stock to begin trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on or around the date of this prospectus, at which point our common stock will cease to be traded on the OTCQB Market.

We are an “emerging growth company” and a “smaller reporting company” as defined under the federal securities laws and, as such, are eligible for reduced public company reporting requirements. See “Prospectus Summary — Implications of Being an Emerging Growth Company and a Smaller Reporting Company.”

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. Before making an investment decision, please read “Risk Factors” on page 13 of this prospectus.

Certain of our stockholders and their affiliates have indicated an interest in purchasing shares of common stock in this offering with an aggregate value of approximately $4.5 million at the assumed public offering price. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the underwriter may determine to sell more, fewer or no shares in this offering to any of these parties, or any of these parties may determine to purchase more, fewer or no shares in this offering. The underwriter will receive the same underwriting discount on any shares purchased by these parties as they will on any other shares sold to the public in this offering.

We have granted the underwriter an option for a period of 45 days after the closing date of the offering to purchase up to an additional 1,333,333 shares of our common stock (based upon the assumed public offering price of $4.50 per share (the closing price of our common stock on April 5, 2024 on the OTCQB)) at the assumed public offering price, less the underwriting discounts and commissions, solely to cover over-allotments, if any.

Neither the Securities and Exchange Commission nor any state securities commission has approved or disapproved of these securities or determined if this prospectus is truthful or complete. Any representation to the contrary is a criminal offense.

The underwriter expects to deliver the shares of common stock to purchasers on or about            , 2024.

Aegis Capital Corp.

Prospectus dated                  , 2024.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

ABOUT THIS PROSPECTUS

Through and including               , 2024 (the 25th day after the date of this prospectus), all dealers effecting transactions in these securities, whether or not participating in this offering, may be required to deliver a prospectus. This delivery requirement is in addition to a dealer’s obligation to deliver a prospectus when acting as an underwriter and with respect to an unsold allotment or subscription.

We and the underwriter have not authorized anyone to give you any information other than the information contained in this prospectus, the information incorporated by reference herein, any applicable prospectus supplement or any free writing prospectus filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”). We and the underwriter take no responsibility for, and can provide no assurances as to the reliability of, any other information that others may give you. Neither we nor the underwriter have authorized anyone to provide you with additional information or information different from that contained in this prospectus filed with the SEC. This prospectus is an offer to sell only the shares offered hereby, but only under circumstances and in jurisdictions where it is lawful to do so. You should assume that the information appearing in this prospectus, the applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus is accurate only as of the respective dates of those documents. Our business, financial condition, results of operations and prospects may have changed since those dates.

For Non-U.S. Investors

Neither we nor the underwriter have done anything that would permit this offering or possession or distribution of this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus filed with the SEC, in any jurisdiction where action for that purpose is required, other than in the United States. Persons outside the United States who come into possession of this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus must inform themselves about, and observe any restrictions relating to, the offering of the shares of common stock and the distribution of this prospectus, any prospectus supplement or free writing prospectus outside the United States.

INDUSTRY AND OTHER DATA

This prospectus contains industry, market and competitive position data from our own internal estimates and research as well as industry and general publications and research surveys and studies conducted by independent third parties. Industry publications, studies and surveys generally state that they have been obtained from sources believed to be reliable. Our internal data and estimates are based upon information obtained from trade and business organizations and other contacts in the markets in which we operate and our management’s understanding of industry conditions. Management is responsible for the accuracy of our internal company research and believes such information is reliable and the market definitions are appropriate. The industry in which we operate is subject to a high degree of uncertainty and risk due to a variety of factors, including those described in “Risk Factors”. These and other factors could cause results to differ materially from those expressed in the estimates made by the independent third parties and by us.

RISK FACTORS

Investing in our common stock involves a high degree of risk. In addition to the other information set forth in this prospectus, you should carefully consider the risk factors discussed below when considering an investment in our common stock and any risk factors that may be set forth in the applicable prospectus supplement, any related free writing prospectus, as well as the other information contained in this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus. If any of the following risks occur, our business, financial condition, results of operations, and prospects could be materially and adversely affected. In that case, the market price of our common stock could decline, and you could lose some or all of your investment. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we currently deem immaterial also may impair our business operations. 

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Because we are an early-stage company with minimal revenue and a history of losses and we expect to continue to incur substantial losses for the foreseeable future, we cannot assure you that we can or will be able to operate profitably.

We are an early-stage company. We were formed and commenced operations in January 2021. We face all the risks faced by newer companies, including significant competition from existing and emerging competitors, some of which are established and have better access to capital. In addition, as a new business, we may encounter unforeseen expenses, difficulties, complications, delays and other known and unknown factors. We will need to transition from an early-stage company to a company capable of supporting larger scale commercial activities. If we are not successful in such a transition, our business, results and financial condition will be harmed.

We have not been profitable to date, and we expect operating losses for the near future. During the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we generated revenue of $0.21 million and $0.11 million, respectively, and we incurred net losses of approximately $24.81 million and $21.86 million, respectively. There can be no assurance that we will not continue to incur net losses in the future. We may not succeed in expanding our customer base and product offerings and even if we do, may never generate revenue that is significant enough to achieve profitability. Even if we do achieve profitability, we may not be able to sustain or increase profitability on a quarterly or annual basis. Furthermore, we may not be able to control overhead expenses even where our operations successfully expand. Our failure to become and remain profitable would depress our value and could impair our ability to raise capital, expand our business, diversify our product offerings or even continue our operations.

We have a limited operating history, which may make it difficult to evaluate our business and prospects.

We face the risks associated with businesses in their early stages, with limited operating histories and whose prospects are hard to evaluate. Any evaluation of our business and our prospects must be considered in light of the uncertainties, delays, difficulties and expenses commonly experienced by companies at this stage, which generally include unanticipated problems and additional costs relating to the development and testing of products, product approval or clearance, regulatory compliance, production, product introduction and marketing and competition. For example, we have incurred losses for each of the past few years, driven mainly by our investments in research and development costs. Many of these factors are beyond the control of our management. In addition, our performance will be subject to other factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions and conditions in the robotics industry. Accordingly, our business and success face risks from uncertainties faced by developing companies in a competitive environment. There can be no assurance that our efforts will be successful or that we will ultimately be able to attain profitability. 

Our auditor has issued a “going concern” opinion.

Our auditor has issued a “going concern” opinion on our financial statements, which means they are not sure that we will be able to succeed as a business without additional financing. For the year ended December 31, 2023, the date of our last audited financial statements, we generated $0.21 million in revenue, and we sustained a net loss of $24.81 million. We had an accumulated deficit of $68.33 million as of December 31, 2023. Our ability to continue as a going concern until we reach profitability is dependent upon our ability to generate cash from operating activities and to raise additional capital to fund our operations. While we were successful in raising a cumulative total of approximately $5.0 million in debt financing through February 23, 2024, our ongoing operational expenses are now approximately $1.7 million per month without yet generating any material corresponding revenue. Our failure to raise additional capital could have a negative impact on not only our financial condition but also our ability to execute our business plan.

If we fail to effectively manage our growth, we may not be able to design, develop, manufacture, market and launch new generations of our robotic systems successfully.

We intend to invest significantly in order to expand our business. Any failure to manage our growth effectively could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. We intend to expand our operations significantly. We expect our expansion to include:

Should achieved market penetration warrant, we intend to continue to hire a significant number of additional personnel, including engineers, design, production, operations personnel and service technicians for our robotic systems and services. Because of the innovative nature of our technology, individuals with the necessary experience may not be available to hire, and as a result, we will need to expend significant time and expense, to recruit and retain experienced employees and appropriately train any newly hired employees. Competition for individuals with experience designing, producing and servicing robots and their software is intense, and we may not be able to attract, integrate, train, motivate or retain additional highly qualified personnel. The failure to attract, integrate, train, motivate and retain these additional employees could seriously harm our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. 

Our revenues and profits are subject to fluctuations.

It is difficult to accurately forecast our revenues and operating results, and these could fluctuate in the future due to a number of factors. These factors may include adverse changes in companies’ interests in our robotic delivery and branding services, companies’ available dollars to invest on our services, general economic conditions, our ability to market our company to companies, headcount and other operating costs and general industry and regulatory conditions and requirements. Our operating results may fluctuate from year to year due to the factors listed above and others not listed. At times, these fluctuations may be significant and could impact our ability to operate our business.

A significant portion of our revenue is concentrated with one customer.

A significant portion of our revenue is concentrated with one customer, Uber. For the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, sales to Uber accounted for 71% and 50% of our total revenue, respectively. There are inherent risks whenever a large percentage of total revenues are concentrated with a limited number of customers. If Uber were to breach, cancel or amend our agreement to produce our robots, it may have an outsized effect on our revenue, cash on hand and profitability. In addition, we may have an increased interest in accepting less favorable terms of any amendment as a result.

We are dependent on general economic conditions.

Our business model is dependent on companies purchasing our robotic delivery and branding services. Our business model is thus dependent on national and international economic conditions. Uncertain economic conditions have created volatility in the U.S. Such adverse national and international economic conditions may reduce the future availability of dollars companies have to spend on our services, which would negatively impact our revenues and possibly our ability to continue operations. For example, rising labor costs in recent years have led to increased interest in last-mile automation, while higher interest rates have resulted in a decrease in investment activity and overall capital allocation to hardware startups. The worsening of global economic conditions has in the past adversely affected, and could in the future, adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations, and the worsening of economic conditions in certain specific regions of the country could impact the expansion and success of our businesses in such areas.

Our directors may be engaged in a range of business activities that could result in conflicts of interest.

We may be subject to various potential conflicts of interest because some of our officers and directors may be engaged in a range of business activities. In addition, our executive officers and directors may devote time to their outside business interests, so long as such activities do not materially or adversely interfere with their duties owed to us. In some cases, our executive officers and directors may have fiduciary obligations associated with these business interests that interfere with their ability to devote time to our business and affairs and that could adversely affect our operations. These business interests could require significant time and attention of our executive officers and directors. In addition, we may also become involved in other transactions which conflict with the interests of our directors and the officers who may from time-to-time deal with persons, firms, institutions or companies with which we may be dealing, or which may be seeking investments similar to those desired by us. The interests of these persons could conflict with our interests. For example, one of our directors, James Buckley Jordan, currently serves as a director, officer, or advisor to multiple companies, including Miso Robotics and Vebu Labs, that compete in our industry, robotics and automation.

Unfavorable changes in interest rates and foreign currency exchange rates may adversely affect our financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. 

Fluctuations in interest rates and foreign exchange rates may negatively impact our business. These rates are highly sensitive to many factors beyond our control, including general economic conditions, both domestic and foreign, and the monetary and fiscal policies of various governmental and regulatory authorities. Any of such widespread economic conditions could negatively impact our supply chain partners and the industry as a whole, which could materially decrease our profits and cash flow. We have experienced increased costs in acquiring parts for our robots as a result of the global semiconductor industry facing shortages in supply as well as inflation and increased interest rates. We, or our supply chain partners, could continue to increase prices as a result of other adverse macroeconomic conditions.

The inability of our supply chain to deliver certain key electrical components, such as semiconductors, could materially adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Certain highly complex components used to manufacture our robots are obtained from single or limited sources that we may have to compete for with other participants in the robotics, consumer electronics, and automotive markets. If our supply chain fails to deliver products to us in sufficient quality and quantity on a timely basis, we will be challenged to meet our target production and development timelines and could incur significant additional expenses for expedited freight and other related costs. Our supply chain may also be adversely impacted by events outside of our control, including macroeconomic events, trade restrictions and economic recessions. For example, throughout 2022, we experienced delays in supply chain deliveries, extended lead times and shortages of key components. Supply chain disruptions may delay the timing of production and maintenance of our robots, which in turn could negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our robots are reliant on semiconductors. In recent years, there has been an ongoing shortage of semiconductors. The semiconductor supply chain is complex, with capacity constraints occurring throughout. We have and will continue to work closely with our suppliers to minimize any potential adverse impacts of the global semiconductor chip shortage and monitor the availability of semiconductor chips and other key components and any other supply chain inefficiencies that may arise. In an effort to mitigate these risks, in some cases, we may have to incur higher costs due to investment in supply chain resiliency and to secure available inventory or make non-cancellable purchase commitments with semiconductor suppliers, which introduce inventory risk if our forecasts and assumptions prove inaccurate. Furthermore, if we are not able to mitigate the impact of the semiconductor chip shortage, any direct or indirect supply chain disruptions may have a material adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Our failure to attract and retain highly qualified personnel in the future could harm our business.

We are an innovative technology company. We may not be able to locate or attract qualified individuals for important positions, such as software engineers, robotics engineers, machine vision and machine learning experts and others, which could affect our ability to grow and expand our business. We may also face intense competition for qualified individuals from numerous other companies, including other similarly situated technology companies, many of whom have greater financial and other resources than we do.

In addition, new hires often require significant training and, in many cases, take significant time before they achieve full productivity. For example, we recently appointed a new Chief Financial Officer, effective on or around April 29, 2024, and there may be future changes to our executive management team resulting from the hiring or departure of executives, which could disrupt our business. We may incur significant costs to attract and retain qualified personnel, including significant expenditures related to salaries and benefits and compensation expenses related to equity awards, and we may lose new employees to our competitors or other companies before we realize the benefit of our investment in recruiting and training them. Moreover, new employees may not be or become as productive as we expect, as we may face challenges in adequately or appropriately integrating them into our workforce and culture. If we are unable to attract, integrate and retain suitably qualified individuals who can meet our technical, operational and managerial requirements, on a timely basis or at all, our business, results of operation and financial condition could be adversely affected.

Litigation or legal proceedings could expose us to significant liabilities, occupy a considerable amount of our management’s time and attention and damage our reputation.

We may, from time to time, be a party to various litigation claims and legal proceedings. We will evaluate these claims and proceedings to assess the likelihood of unfavorable outcomes and estimate, if possible, the amount of potential losses. Claims made or threatened by our suppliers, distributors, customers, competitors or current or former employees could adversely affect our relationships, damage our reputation or otherwise adversely affect our business, financial condition or results of operations. The costs associated with defending legal claims and paying damages could be substantial. Our reputation could also be adversely affected by such claims, whether or not successful.

Our future revenue plans rely on partnering with third-party delivery platforms, brand sponsors and/or direct sales to merchants.

Our largest stream of projected revenue comes from maximizing utilization of our robots to perform deliveries. We may be unable to maximize utilization due to a variety of reasons, including insufficient merchant participation, platform partner matching algorithms, failure to deliver a commercial grade product and a lack of product acceptance by merchants and/or delivery recipients. To date, we have been able to continually increase our robot utilization in our partnership with Uber driven by the continued improvement in our integration, high merchant participation and widespread product acceptance by users of the Uber platform. We have not yet achieved such levels of utilization with our other partners because those integrations are less complete. To best achieve profitability, we would need to continue to improve our utilization targets with Uber above current levels and maintain those levels with other partners as well. As this requires cooperation by third parties, there is no guarantee that it will be achieved within a specific timeframe. 

Our financial projections also anticipate generating revenues from brand sponsors who would pay to place their branding on our robots as a form of out-of-home (“OOH”) branding. OOH branding on robots is a new phenomenon and as such, an unproven model. To date, for our limited number of robots, we have been able to run periodic OOH advertising campaigns with several brands in varying sectors including real estate, fashion and entertainment, with 22% and 50% of our revenues for the years ended December 31, 2023 and December 31, 2022, respectively, coming from OOH advertising. In the future, if we are unable to realize these sales, our business model and go-to-market strategy will be jeopardized.

Failure of our service providers or disruptions to our outsourcing relationships may negatively impact our ability to conduct our business.

Certain of our remote piloting services are currently provided by third-party vendors, and sometimes from service centers outside of the United States. Services provided pursuant to arrangements with these third-party vendors could be disrupted due to events outside of their control such as power failures, cybersecurity incidents, internet traffic congestion or increased latency or deterioration in their economic condition. Similarly, the expiration of agreements associated with such arrangements or the transition of services between providers could lead to loss of institutional knowledge or service disruptions. While we have not experienced material impact of such disruptions to date, our reliance on others as service providers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows in the future. 

Our robots operate in public spaces and any errors caused by human supervisors, network connectivity issues, third-party software or automation may adversely affect our commercial relationships.

Our ability to attract and retain customers (including merchants, platform partners and brand sponsors) is heavily dependent on our ability to provide a safe and reliable service. Our safety and security track record have been instrumental in helping us attract and retain our existing customers. Because we operate on public sidewalks, the performance of our robots is highly visible and we have to maintain the highest standards for public safety. Our operating procedures and automated systems are designed to ensure that our robots yield the right of way to vehicles, pedestrians, and other sidewalk and road users. Examples include only crossing controlled intersections during a pedestrian “walk” signal and slowing down or stopping if a pedestrian approaches the robot from any direction. Our partners, such as Uber, require timely reporting of any material safety incidents, and if they are not able to ascertain our ability to maintain safe operations, our commercial relationships may be jeopardized. To date, we have not experienced material safety incidents nor have our partners raised any concerns about our safety standards and track record. However, any actual or perceived public safety incidents that may be caused by our human supervisors, network connectivity issues, third-party software or automation may put our commercial relationships and financial viability at risk.

Our robots rely on sophisticated software technology that incorporate third-party components and networks to operate, and the inability to maintain licenses for software technology, errors in the software we license or the terms of open-source licenses could result in increased costs or reduced service levels, which would adversely affect our business.

Our robots require certain third-party software and networks to function safely and effectively, and our business relies on certain third-party software obtained under licenses from other companies. We anticipate that we will continue to rely on such third-party software in the future. Although we believe that there are commercially reasonable alternatives to the third-party software we currently license, this may not always be the case, or it may be difficult or costly to replace. In addition, integration of new third-party software may require significant work and require substantial investment of our time and resources. Our use of additional or alternative third-party software would require us to enter into license agreements with third parties, which may not be available on commercially reasonable terms or at all. Many of the risks associated with the use of third-party software cannot be eliminated, and these risks could negatively affect our business. Furthermore, performance degradation or lack of access to such software and networks can result in poor delivery performance or even grounding of our entire fleet until it is resolved, which can adversely impact our ability to continue our operations.

Additionally, the software powering our technology systems incorporates software covered by open-source licenses. The terms of many open-source licenses have not been interpreted by U.S. courts, and there is a risk that the licenses could be construed in a manner that imposes unanticipated conditions or restrictions on our ability to operate our systems. In the event that portions of our proprietary software are determined to be subject to an open-source license, we could be required to publicly release the affected portions of our source code or re-engineer all or a portion of our technology systems, each of which could reduce or eliminate the value of our technology systems. Such risk could be difficult or impossible to eliminate and could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

The benefits to customers of our products could be supplanted by other technologies or solutions or competitors’ products that utilize similar technology to ours in a more effective way.

The benefits to customers of our products could be supplanted by other technologies or solutions or competitors’ products that utilize similar technology to ours in a more effective way. We cannot be sure that alternative technologies or improvements to artificial intelligence, industrial automation or other technologies, processes or industries will not match or exceed the benefits of our products or be more cost effective than our products. The development of any alternative technology that can compete with or supplant our products may materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results, including in ways we do not currently anticipate. Any failure by us to develop new or enhanced technologies or processes, or to react to changes in existing technologies, could materially delay our development and introduction of new and enhanced products, which could result in the loss of competitiveness of our robotic systems and solutions, decreased revenue and a loss of market share to competitors. Our research and development efforts may not be sufficient to adapt to new or changing technologies. While we plan to upgrade and adapt our robotic systems and solutions as we or others develop new technology, our robotic systems and solutions may not compete effectively with alternative products if we are not able to source and integrate the latest technology into our systems and solutions.

We have limited experience commercializing our products at a large scale and may not be able to do so efficiently or effectively.

We have limited experience commercializing robotic systems at a large scale and may not be able to do so efficiently or effectively. A key element of our long-term business strategy is the continued growth in sales, marketing, training, customer service and maintenance and servicing operations, including hiring personnel with the necessary experience. Managing and maintaining these operations is expensive and time consuming, and an inability to leverage such an organization effectively or at all could inhibit potential sales or subscriptions and the penetration and adoption of our products into new markets. In addition, certain decisions we make regarding staffing in these areas in our efforts to maintain an adequate spending level could have unintended negative effects on our revenues, such as by weakening the sales, marketing and maintenance and servicing infrastructures or lowering the quality of customer service.

We are substantially reliant on our relationships with suppliers and service providers for the parts and components in our robots, as well as for the manufacture of our robots. If any of these suppliers or service partners choose to not do business with us, we would have significant difficulty in procuring and producing our robots and our business prospects would be significantly harmed. 

Our robots contain hundreds of components which are assembled by third-party manufacturing partners. Collaboration with third parties for the manufacturing of robots is subject to risks with respect to operations that are outside our control. Global supply chain problems directly impact our ability to obtain these components cost-effectively. We could experience delays to the extent our current or future partners do not continue doing business with us, meet agreed upon timelines, experience capacity constraints or otherwise are unable to deliver components or manufacture robots as expected. For example, we have had to delay increasing the number of robots in our fleet due to previous third-party supply restraints. Serve has an agreement with a leading LIDAR vendor to purchase LIDARs at highly competitive prices within a limited timeframe. Failure to leverage this agreement, or secure similar supplier agreements for components that may face availability constraints due to supply chain disruptions can result in higher prices for those components, which in turn increases the cost of manufacturing robots and result in an adverse financial impact to our delivery economics.

There is risk of potential disputes with partners, and we could be affected by adverse publicity related to our partners whether or not such publicity is related to their collaboration with us. Our ability to successfully build a premium brand could also be adversely affected by perceptions about the quality of our partner manufacturers’ robots or other robots manufactured by the same partner. In addition, although we intend to be involved in material decisions in the supply chain and manufacturing process, given that we also rely on our partners to meet our quality standards, there can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain high quality standards.

We may in the future enter into strategic alliances, including joint ventures or minority equity investments, with various third parties to further our business purpose. These alliances could subject us to a number of risks, including risks associated with sharing proprietary information, non-performance by the third party and increased expenses in establishing new strategic alliances, any of which may materially and adversely affect our business. 

The evolving regulations around personal delivery devices (“PDDs”) could materially impact our business and growth prospects in new markets.

Sidewalk robots, as opposed to autonomous vehicles operating on public streets, are not by default prohibited from operations in most jurisdictions. But there is no guarantee that the current permissive environment will not change in the future, especially as more sidewalk robots get deployed. While we currently have the requisite permits and support from local municipalities in areas we operate, any change in regulations or permit requirements could adversely impact our business. Therefore, we proactively engage with lawmakers, academics, standards-setting organizations, urban planning nonprofits, disability rights advocates, senior citizen organizations and regional bicycle coalitions to anticipate and mitigate potential regulatory challenges. 

Over a dozen states across the United States have enacted legislation regulating PDDs, using a definition that includes sidewalk robots such as ours. While these regulations have been largely industry-friendly and intended to streamline the rollout of PDDs in those jurisdictions, they are not yet uniform and may present some challenges as we seek to deploy in new markets. For example, Washington State and the District of Columbia have a 100 lbs. unladen weight restriction and the City of Santa Monica prohibits the operation of autonomous devices on sidewalks, that would require amending in order for us to expand into those jurisdictions. 

Furthermore, the cellular network and radio systems contained in our robots are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission (the “FCC”), which allocates cellular and wireless bandwidth to ensure minimal conflict between operators. And the battery packs within our robots use custom lithium-ion cells. The transportation and effective storage of lithium-ion batteries is tightly regulated by the U.S. Department of Transportation and other regulatory bodies. Any failure to comply with the Department of Transportation’s storage and transport requirements or the FCC’s regulations on wireless communications could result in fines, loss of permits and licenses or other regulatory consequences, which could limit our ability to manufacture and deliver our robotic systems and negatively affect our business, prospects, financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. 

Defects, glitches, or malfunctions in our products or the software that operates them, failure of our products to perform as expected, connectivity issues or operator errors may result in product recalls, lower than expected return on investment for customers and could cause significant safety concerns, each of which could adversely affect our results of operations, financial condition and our reputation.

The design, manufacture=, and marketing of our products involve certain inherent risks. Manufacturing or design defects, glitches, malfunctions, connectivity issues between the central processing unit and peripheral vehicle subsystems, operator errors, unanticipated use of our robotic systems and inadequate disclosure of risks relating to the use of sidewalk robots, among other inherent risks, can lead to injury, property damage or other adverse events. We conduct extensive testing of our units, in some instances in collaboration with our customers, to ensure that any such issues can be identified and addressed in advance of commercial launch of the products. However, there can be no assurance that we will be able to identify all such issues or that, if identified, efforts to address them will be effective in all cases.

In addition, if the manufacturing of our products is outsourced, we may not be aware of manufacturing defects that could occur. Such adverse events could lead to unexpected failures in our products and could result, in certain cases, in the removal of our products from the market. A product recall could result in significant costs. To the extent any manufacturing defect occurs, our agreement with the third-party manufacturer may contain a limitation on the third-party manufacturer’s liability, and therefore we could be required to incur the majority of related costs. Product defects or recalls could also result in negative publicity, damage to our reputation or, in the event of regulatory developments, delays in new product acceptance.

Our products incorporate sophisticated computer software. Complex software frequently contains errors, especially when first introduced. Our software may experience errors or performance problems in the future. If any part of our products’ hardware or software were to fail, the service mission could be compromised. Additionally, users may not use our products in accordance with safety protocols and training, which could amplify the risk of failure. Any such occurrence could cause delay in market acceptance of our products, damage to our reputation, product recalls, increased service and warranty costs, product liability claims and loss of revenue relating to such hardware or software defects.

We anticipate that as part of our ordinary course of business we may be subject to product liability claims alleging defects in the design or manufacture of our products. A product liability claim, regardless of our merit or eventual outcome, could result in significant legal defense costs and high punitive damage payments. Although we maintain product liability insurance, the coverage is subject to deductibles and limitations, and may not be adequate to cover future claims. Additionally, we may be unable to maintain our existing product liability insurance in the future at satisfactory rates or adequate amounts.

Even if our products perform properly and are used as intended, if operators sustain any injuries while using our products, we could be exposed to liability and our results of operations, financial condition and our reputation may be adversely affected.

Our products contain complex technology and must be used as designed and intended in order to operate safely and effectively. While we expect to develop a training, customer service and maintenance and servicing infrastructure to ensure users are equipped to operate our products in a safe manner, we cannot be sure that the products will ultimately be used as designed and intended. In addition, we cannot be sure that we will be able to predict all the ways in which use or misuse of the products can lead to injury or damage to property, and our training resources may not be successful at preventing all incidents. If operators were to cause any injuries or damage to property while using our products, in a manner consistent with our training and instructions or otherwise, we could be exposed to liability and our results of operations, financial condition and our reputation may be adversely affected.

We operate in a competitive industry that is subject to rapid technological change, and competitors may have or attain more resources and/or greater market recognition than we do.

Our competitor base may change or expand as we continue to develop and commercialize our robotic systems in the future. Some of these companies are direct competitors, while others provide adjacent services such as delivery with autonomous vehicles on streets that could impact our market. A number of these companies may have, or may attain, more resources and/or greater market recognition than we do. These or other competitors may develop new technologies or products that provide superior results to customers or are less expensive than our products. Our technologies and products could have reduced competitiveness by such developments.

Our competitors may respond more quickly to new or emerging technologies, undertake more extensive marketing campaigns, have greater financial, marketing, manufacturing and other resources than we do or may be more successful in attracting potential customers, employees and strategic partners. In addition, potential customers could have long-standing or contractual relationships with competitors. Potential customers may be reluctant to adopt our products, particularly if they compete with or have the potential to compete with or diminish the need/utilization of products or technologies supported through these existing relationships. If we are not able to compete effectively, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be negatively impacted.

In addition, because we operate in a new market, the actions of our competitors could adversely affect our business. Adverse events such as product defects or legal claims with respect to competing or similar products could cause reputational harm to the robotics market on the whole and, accordingly, our business.

If we cannot protect, maintain and, if necessary, enforce our intellectual property rights, our ability to develop and commercialize products may be adversely impacted.

Our success, in large part, depends on our ability to protect and maintain the proprietary nature of our technology. We must prosecute and maintain our existing patents and obtain new patents. Some of our proprietary information may not be patentable, and there can be no assurance that others will not utilize similar or superior solutions to compete with us. We cannot guarantee that we will develop proprietary products that are patentable, and that, if issued, any patent will give us a competitive advantage or that such patent will not be challenged by third parties. The process of obtaining patents can be time consuming with no certainty of success, as a patent may not issue or may not have sufficient scope or strength to protect the intellectual property it was intended to protect. We cannot assure you that our means of protecting our proprietary rights will suffice or that others will not independently develop competitive technology or design around patents or other intellectual property rights issued to us. If any of our products or the technology underlying our products is covered by third-party patents or other intellectual property rights, we could be subject to various legal actions. Even if a patent is issued, it does not guarantee that it is valid or enforceable. Any patents that we or our licensors have obtained or obtain in the future may be challenged, invalidated or unenforceable. If necessary, we intend to initiate actions to protect our intellectual property, which will be costly and time consuming, and could have an adverse impact on our business, results of operation and financial condition. 

We may be subject to claims of infringement of third-party intellectual property rights.

Our operating results may be adversely affected if third parties claim that our products infringed their patent, copyright or other intellectual property rights. We cannot assure you that our products do not, or will not in the future, infringe patents held by others. Although there have been no allegations made to this effect, we cannot assure you that we will not receive such correspondence from third parties or competitors in the future. Such assertions could lead to expensive and unpredictable litigation, diverting the attention of management and technical personnel. Litigation may be necessary to enforce our intellectual property rights, to protect our trade secrets, to determine the validity and scope of the proprietary rights of others, or to defend against claims of infringement or invalidity, misappropriation or other claims. Any such litigation could result in substantial costs and diversion of our resources. Moreover, any settlement of or adverse judgment resulting from such litigation could require us to obtain a license to continue to use the technology that is the subject of the claim, or otherwise restrict or prohibit our use of the technology. Any required licenses may not be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all. An unsuccessful result in such litigation could adversely affect our business, including injunctions, exclusion orders and royalty payments to third parties. 

Security breaches and other disruptions could compromise our proprietary information and expose us to liability, which would cause our business and reputation to suffer.

We rely on trade secrets, technical know-how and other unpatented proprietary information relating to our product development and manufacturing activities to provide us with competitive advantages. We protect this information by entering into confidentiality agreements with our employees, consultants, strategic partners and other third parties. We also design our computer systems and networks and implement various procedures to restrict unauthorized access to the dissemination of our proprietary information. 

We face internal and external data security threats. For example, current, departing, or former employees or third parties could attempt to improperly use or access our computer systems and networks to copy, obtain or misappropriate our proprietary information or otherwise interrupt our business. Like others, we are also subject to significant system or network disruptions from numerous causes, including computer viruses and other cyber-attacks, facility access issues, new system implementations and energy blackouts.

Security breaches, computer malware, phishing, spoofing, and other cyber-attacks have become more prevalent and sophisticated in recent years. We do not believe that such attacks have caused us any material damage to date, but because the techniques used by computer hackers and others to access or sabotage networks constantly evolve and generally are not recognized until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate, counter or ameliorate all these techniques. As a result, our and our customers’ proprietary information may be misappropriated, and we cannot predict the impact of any future incident. Any loss of such information could harm our competitive position, result in a loss of customer confidence in the adequacy of our threat mitigation and detection processes and procedures, cause us to incur significant costs to remedy the damages caused by the incident and divert management and other resources. We routinely implement improvements to our network security safeguards, and we are devoting increasing resources to the security of our information technology systems. However, we cannot assure you that such system improvements will be sufficient to prevent or limit the damage from any future cyber-attack or network disruptions.

The costs related to cyber-attacks or other security threats or computer systems disruptions typically would not be fully insured or indemnified by others. As a result, the occurrence of any of the events described above could result in the loss of competitive advantages derived from our intellectual property. Moreover, these events may result in the diversion of the attention of management and critical information technology and other resources, or otherwise adversely affect our internal operations and reputation or degrade our financial results and stock price.

We may be subject to theft, loss, or misuse of personal data by or about our employees, customers or other third parties, which could increase our expenses, damage our reputation or result in legal or regulatory proceedings.

In the ordinary course of our business, we have access to sensitive, confidential, or personal data or information regarding our employees and others that is subject to privacy and security laws and regulations. Therefore, the theft, loss, or misuse of personal data collected, used, stored or transferred by us to run our business, or by our third-party service providers, including business process software applications providers and other vendors that have access to sensitive data, could result in damage to our reputation, disruption of our business activities, significantly increased business and security costs or costs related to defending legal claims. For example, in July 2023, third-party actors attempted to steal one of our robots. We are not aware that any data was obtained during any incident of vandalism or attempted theft.

We are also aware of certain media reports relating to the use of our robots as elements in law enforcement surveillance efforts. As a general policy, we do not share data with law enforcement, except in certain narrow circumstances where (1) we are required to share data when served with a warrant or subpoena or (2) there are insurance claims, active incident investigations, or acts of armed violence or theft attempts involving the Company’s personnel or property.

Global privacy legislation, enforcement, and policy activity in this area are rapidly expanding and creating a complex regulatory compliance environment. For example, the European Union has adopted the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), which requires companies to comply with rules regarding the handling of personal data, including its use, protection and the ability of persons whose data is stored to correct or delete such data about themselves. Failure to meet GDPR requirements could result in penalties of up to 4% of worldwide revenue. In addition, the interpretation and application of consumer and data protection laws in the U.S., Europe and elsewhere are often uncertain and fluid and may be interpreted and applied in a manner that is inconsistent with our data practices. As a result, complying with these changing laws has caused, and could continue to cause, us to incur substantial costs, which could harm our business and results of operations. Further, failure to comply with existing or new rules may result in significant penalties or orders to stop the alleged non-compliant activity. Finally, even our inadvertent failure to comply with federal, state or international privacy-related or data protection laws and regulations could result in audits, regulatory inquiries or proceedings against us by governmental entities or others.

Our business plans require a significant amount of capital. Our future capital needs may require us to sell additional equity or debt securities that may dilute our stockholders or contain terms unfavorable to us or our investors.

We will require significant capital to operate our business and fund our capital expenditures for the next several years. The level and timing of future expenditure will depend on a number of factors, many of which are outside our control. While we expect that we will have sufficient capital to fund our currently planned operations, it is possible that we will need to raise additional capital to fund our business, including to finance ongoing research and development costs, manufacturing, any significant unplanned or accelerated expenses and new strategic alliances or acquisitions. The fact that we have limited experience commercializing our delivery robotic systems on a large scale, coupled with the fact that our products represent a new product category in the commercial and delivery robotic market, means we have limited historical data on the demand for our robotic systems. In addition, we expect our capital expenditures to continue to be significant in the foreseeable future as we continue generational improvements for our commercial products, and that our level of capital expenditures will be significantly affected by customer demand for our robotic systems. As a result, our future capital requirements may be uncertain and actual capital requirements may be different from those we currently anticipate. We may need to seek equity or debt financing to finance a portion of our capital expenditures. Such financing might not be available to us in a timely manner or on terms that are acceptable, or at all, or that such funds, if raised, would be sufficient.

Our ability to obtain the necessary financing to carry out our business plan is subject to a number of factors, including general market conditions and investor acceptance of our business model. These factors may make the timing, amount, terms and conditions of such financing unattractive or unavailable to us. If we are unable to raise sufficient funds, we will have to significantly reduce our spending, delay or cancel our planned activities or substantially change our corporate structure. We might not be able to obtain any funding, and we might not have sufficient resources to conduct business as projected, both of which could mean that we would be forced to curtail or discontinue our operations.

In addition, our future capital needs and other business reasons could require us to sell additional equity or debt securities or obtain a credit facility. The sale of additional equity or equity-linked securities could dilute our stockholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations.

If we cannot raise additional funds when we need or want them, we may be forced to curtail or abandon our growth plans, which could adversely impact the Company, its business, development, financial condition, operating results or prospects.

We will be required to raise additional capital in order to develop our technology and scale our commercial delivery operations. However, we may be unable to raise additional capital needed to fund and grow our business.

We will need additional capital to develop the next version of the Serve robots and scale our commercial delivery operations. We will not be able to continue product development and our commercial deliveries if we cannot raise additional debt and/or equity financing.

We may not be able to increase our capital resources by engaging in additional debt or equity financings. Even if we complete such financings, they may result in dilution to our existing investors and include additional rights or terms that may be unfavorable to our existing investor base. These circumstances could materially and adversely affect our financial results and impair our ability to achieve our business objectives. Additionally, we may be required to accept terms that restrict our ability to incur additional indebtedness or take other actions (including terms that require us to maintain specified liquidity or other ratios) that would otherwise be in the best interests of our stockholders.

Adverse developments affecting the financial services industry, such as actual events or concerns involving liquidity, defaults or non-performance by domestic and international financial institutions or transactional counterparties, could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. 

Actual events involving reduced or limited liquidity, defaults, non-performance or other adverse developments that affect domestic and international financial institutions or other companies in the financial services industry or the financial services industry generally or concerns or rumors about any events of these kinds, have in the past and may in the future lead to market-wide liquidity problems. For example, on March 10, 2023, Silicon Valley Bank was closed by the California Department of Financial Protection and Innovation, which appointed the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation as receiver. We maintain a banking relationship with Silicon Valley Bank and are required to keep deposits with Silicon Valley Bank pursuant to our Loan and Security Agreement with them. Although we had debt with Silicon Valley Bank at the time of its closure, following the closure, the debt was subsequently assumed by First Citizens Bank & Trust and we have experienced no impacts from the closure. However, investor concerns regarding the U.S. or international financial systems could result in less favorable commercial financing terms, including higher interest rates or costs and tighter financial and operating covenants or systemic limitations on access to credit and liquidity sources, thereby making it more difficult for us to acquire financing on acceptable terms or at all. Any decline in available funding or access to our cash and liquidity resources could, among other risks, adversely impact our ability to meet our operating expenses, financial obligations or fulfill our other obligations or result in breaches of our financial and/or contractual obligations. Any of these impacts, or any other impacts resulting from the factors described above or other related or similar factors not described above, could have material adverse impacts on our liquidity and our current and/or projected business operations, financial condition and results of operations. 

If use of the internet via websites, mobile devices and other platforms, particularly with respect to online food ordering, does not continue, our business and growth prospects will be harmed.

Our business and growth prospects are substantially dependent upon the continued use of the internet as an effective medium of transactions by diners. Internet use may not continue to develop at historical rates, and diners may not continue to use the internet and other online services to order their food at current or increased growth rates or at all, which could adversely impact our business, results of operation and financial condition. In addition, the internet and mobile applications may not continue to be accepted as a viable platform or resource for a number of reasons, including:

Our business depends on discretionary spending patterns in the areas in which the restaurants on our partners’ platforms operate and in the economy at large. Economic downturns or other events (like coronavirus variants or similar widespread health/pandemic outbreaks) impacting the United States and global economy could materially adversely affect our results of operations.

Purchases at restaurants and food and beverage hospitality services locations are discretionary for consumers and we are therefore susceptible to changes in discretionary spending patterns or economic slowdowns in the geographic areas in which restaurants on our partners’ platforms operate and in the economy at large. Discretionary consumer spending can be impacted by general economic conditions, unemployment, consumer debt, inflation, rising gasoline prices, interest rates, consumer confidence and other macroeconomic factors. We believe that consumers generally are more willing to make discretionary purchases, including delivery, dine-in or carryout of restaurant meals during favorable economic conditions. Disruptions in the overall economy (including disruptions due to coronavirus or similar health/pandemic events), including high unemployment, inflation rising gasoline prices, financial market volatility and unpredictability and the related reduction in consumer confidence, could negatively affect food and beverage sales throughout the restaurant industry, including orders through our partners’ platforms. Additionally, merchants on our partners’ platforms may be negatively impacted by general economic conditions, supply chain issues, labor shortages, inflation, or other macroeconomic factors, which could negatively impact their ability to fulfill orders. There is also a risk that if uncertain economic conditions persist for an extended period of time or worsen, consumers might make long-lasting changes to their discretionary spending behavior, including ordering food for delivery, dine-in or carryout less frequently. The ability of the U.S. economy to handle this uncertainty is likely to be affected by many national and international factors that are beyond our control. These factors, including national, regional and local politics and economic conditions, continued impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, disposable consumer income and consumer confidence, also affect discretionary consumer spending. If any of these factors cause restaurants to cease operations or cease using our partners’ platforms, it could also significantly harm our financial results, for the reasons set forth elsewhere in these risk factors. Continued uncertainty in or a worsening of the economy, generally or in a number of our markets, and diners’ reactions to these trends could adversely affect our business and cause us to, among other things, reduce the number and frequency of new market openings or cease operations in existing markets. 

Moreover, inflation also increases the cost of labor and materials needed to build and operate robots. For example, we have observed an increase in cost of labor for managing and maintaining robots in the field in the past year. However, over a longer time horizon, technological improvements continue to reduce the cost of our key components such as sensors, batteries and computers. While the unit cost of labor for operating robots will increase over time with inflation, robotic delivery leverages labor more efficiently than manual courier delivery. As such, we believe labor inflation increases the cost of manual courier delivery and similar alternatives to robotic delivery more than it increases robotic delivery cost. However, we believe improvements in robot autonomy will continue to reduce the rate of labor usage.

Our products and services are disruptive to the delivery services industries, and important assumptions about the market demand, pricing, adoption rates and sales cycle, for our current and future products and services may be inaccurate.

The market demand for and adoption of our delivery robots is unproven, and important assumptions about the characteristics of targeted markets, pricing and sales cycles may be inaccurate. Although we have engaged in ongoing dialogue with potential customers, we have no binding commitments to purchase products and services. Existing or new regulatory or safety standards, or resistance by customer employees and labor unions, all of which are outside of our control, could cause delays or otherwise impair adoption of these new technologies, which will adversely affect our growth, financial position and prospects. Given the evolving nature of the markets in which we operate, it is difficult to predict customer demand or adoption rates for our products or the future growth of the markets we expect to target. If one or more of the targeted markets experience a shift in customer or prospective customer demand, our products may not compete as effectively, if at all, and they may not be fully developed into commercial products. As a result, the financial projections in this prospectus necessarily reflect various estimates and assumptions that may not prove accurate and these projections could differ materially from actual results because of the risks included in this “Risk Factors” section, among others. If demand does not develop as expected or if we cannot accurately forecast pricing, adoption rates and sales cycle for our products, our business, results of operations and financial condition will be adversely affected.

The benefits of our products to customers and projected return on investment have not been substantiated through long-term trials or use.

Our core products’ benefits to customers and projected return on investment have not been substantiated through long-term trials or use. We currently have a limited frame of reference by which to evaluate the performance of our delivery robotic systems upon which our business prospects depend. There can be no assurance that such robotic systems will provide their expected benefit to customers. Our robotic systems may not perform consistently with customers’ expectations or effectively compete with other robotics products which may become available. Any failure of our robotic systems and software to perform as expected could harm our reputation and result in adverse publicity, lost revenue, delivery delays, product recalls, product liability claims and significant warranty and other expenses and could have a material adverse impact on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. Additionally, problems and defects experienced by competitors or others in the delivery robotics market could, by association, have a negative impact on perception and customer demand for our delivery robotic systems.

Even if we successfully market our robotic systems, the purchase or subscription, adoption and use of these systems may be materially and negatively impacted if our customers resist their use and adoption.

We have designed and developed our robotic systems with the goal of reducing operating costs and greenhouse gases. Even if we successfully market our products and services to customers, the purchase, adoption and the use of the products may be materially and negatively impacted if our customers resist or delay the use and adoption of these new technology products and services. Customers may resist or delay the adoption of our products and services for several reasons, including lack of confidence in autonomous and semi-autonomous delivery vehicles. If our customers resist or delay adoption of our robotic delivery services, our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results will be materially and adversely affected.

Our systems, products, technologies and services and related equipment may have shorter useful lives than we anticipate.

Our growth strategy depends in part on developing systems, products, technologies and services. These reusable systems, products, technologies and services and systems will have a limited useful life. While we intend to design our products and technologies for a certain lifespan, which corresponds to a number of cycles, there can be no assurance as to the actual operational life of a product or that the operational life of individual components will be consistent with its design life. A number of factors will impact the useful lives of our products and systems, including, among other things, the quality of their design and construction, the durability of their component parts and availability of any replacement components and the occurrence of any anomaly or series of anomalies or other risks affecting the technology during launch and in orbit. In addition, any improvements in technology may make our existing products, designs or any component of our products obsolete prior to the end of its lifecycle. If our systems, products, technologies and services and related equipment have shorter useful lives than we currently anticipate, this may lead to delays in increasing the rate of our follow on work and new business, which would have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, we are continually learning, and as our engineering and manufacturing expertise and efficiency increases, we aim to leverage this learning to be able to manufacture our products and equipment using less of our currently installed equipment, which could render our existing inventory obsolete. 

Any acquisitions, partnerships or joint ventures that we enter into could disrupt our operations and have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

From time to time, we may evaluate potential strategic acquisitions of businesses, including partnerships or joint ventures with third parties. We may not be successful in identifying acquisition, partnership or joint venture candidates. In addition, we may not be able to continue the operational success of such businesses or successfully finance or integrate any businesses that we acquire or with which we form a partnership or joint venture. We may have potential write-offs of acquired assets and/or an impairment of any goodwill recorded as a result of acquisitions. Furthermore, the integration of any acquisition may divert management’s time and resources from our core business and disrupt our operations or may result in conflicts with our business. Any acquisition, partnership or joint venture may not be successful, may reduce our cash reserves, may negatively affect our earnings and financial performance and, to the extent financed with the proceeds of debt, may increase our indebtedness. Further, depending on market conditions, investor perceptions of us and other factors, we might not be able to obtain financing on acceptable terms, or at all, to implement any such transaction. We cannot ensure that any acquisition, partnership or joint venture we make will not have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

As part of growing our business, we may make acquisitions. If we fail to successfully select, execute or integrate our acquisitions, then our business, results of operations and financial condition could be materially adversely affected, and our stock price could decline.

Failure to successfully identify, complete, manage and integrate acquisitions could materially and adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations and could cause our stock price to decline.

From time to time, we may undertake acquisitions to add new products and technologies, acquire talent, gain new sales channels or enter into new markets or sales territories. In addition to possible stockholder approval, we may need approvals and licenses from relevant government authorities for the acquisitions and to comply with any applicable laws and regulations, and a failure to obtain such approvals and licenses could result in delays and increased costs and may disrupt our business strategy. Furthermore, acquisitions and the subsequent integration of new assets, businesses, key personnel, customers, vendors and suppliers require significant attention from our management and could result in a diversion of resources from our existing business, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our operations. Acquired assets or businesses may not generate the financial results we expect. Acquisitions could result in the use of substantial amounts of cash, potentially dilutive issuances of equity securities and exposure to potential unknown liabilities of the acquired business. Moreover, the costs of identifying and consummating acquisitions may be significant.

Our management team will have broad discretion in making strategic decisions to execute their growth plans, and there can be no assurance that our management’s decisions will result in successful achievement of our business objectives or will not have unintended consequences that negatively impact our growth prospects.

Our management team will have broad discretion in making strategic decisions to execute their growth plans and may devote time and company resources to new or expanded solution offerings, potential acquisitions, prospective customers or other initiatives that do not necessarily improve our operating results or contribute to our growth. Management’s failure to make strategic decisions that are ultimately accretive to our growth may result in unfavorable returns and uncertainty about our prospects, each of which could cause the price of the common stock to decline.

We face risks related to natural disasters, health epidemics and other outbreaks, which could significantly disrupt our operations.

Our facilities or operations or those of any third-party manufacturers or suppliers could be adversely affected by events outside of our or their control, such as natural disasters, wars, health epidemics and other calamities. Our robots are charged overnight and rely on broadband internet connectivity to operate; therefore, power outages and broadband connectivity disruptions would adversely impact our operations. Furthermore, as hardware, our robots can be damaged or irreparably destroyed by the effects of fire, floods, typhoons, earthquakes, power loss, telecommunications failures, break-ins, war, riots, terrorist or malicious attacks or similar events.

We, any manufacturing partners and suppliers may rely on complex machinery for production, which involves a significant degree of risk and uncertainty in terms of operational performance and costs.

We, any third-party manufacturing partners and suppliers may rely on complex machinery for the production, assembly, repair and maintenance of our robotic systems, which will involve a significant degree of uncertainty and risk in terms of operational performance and costs. Our operational facilities, and those of any third-party manufacturing partners and suppliers consist or are expected to consist of large-scale machinery combining many components. These components may suffer unexpected malfunctions from time to time and will depend on repairs and spare parts to resume operations, which may not be available when needed. Unexpected malfunctions of these components may significantly affect the intended operational efficiency. Operational performance and costs can be difficult to predict and are often influenced by factors outside of our or any third-party manufacturing partners’ and suppliers’ control, such as, but not limited to, scarcity of natural resources, environmental hazards and remediation, costs associated with decommissioning of machines, labor disputes and strikes, difficulty or delays in obtaining governmental permits, damages or defects in electronic systems, industrial accidents, fire, seismic activity and natural disasters. Should operational risks materialize, they may result in the personal injury to or death of workers, the loss of production equipment, damage to production facilities, monetary losses, delays and unanticipated fluctuations in production, environmental damage, administrative fines, increased insurance costs and potential legal liabilities, all which could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

We may be unable to adequately control the costs associated with our operations.

We will require significant capital to develop and grow our business, including developing and producing our commercial robotic systems and other products, establishing or expanding design, research and development, production, operations and maintenance and service facilities and building our brand and partnerships. We have incurred and expect to continue incurring significant expenses which will impact our profitability, including research and development expenses, procurement costs, business development, operation and integration expenses as we build and deploy our robotic fleet, and general and administrative expenses as we scale our operations, identify and commit resources to investigate new areas of demand and incur costs as a public company. In addition, we may incur significant costs servicing, maintaining and refurbishing our robots, and we expect that the cost to repair and service our robots will increase over time as they age. Our ability to become profitable in the future will not only depend on our ability to complete the design and development of our robots to meet projected performance metrics, identify and investigate new areas of demand and successfully market our robotic services, but also to sell, whether outright or through subscriptions, our systems at prices needed to achieve our expected margins and control our costs, including the risks and costs associated with operating, maintaining and financing our robots. If we are unable to efficiently design, develop, manufacture, market, deploy, distribute and service our robots in a cost-effective manner, our margins, profitability and prospects would be materially and adversely affected.

Our ability to manufacture products of sufficient quality on schedule in the future is uncertain, and delays in the design, production and launch of our products could harm our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

Our future business depends in large part on our ability to execute our plans to design, develop, manufacture, market, deploy and service our products. We intend to outsource the manufacturing of our robotic systems to a third-party manufacturing partner. While this arrangement may lower operating costs, it may have an adverse effect on our flexibility to respond to changing conditions.

We also plan to retain third-party vendors and service providers to engineer, design and test some of the critical systems and components of our units. While this allows us to draw from such third parties’ industry knowledge and expertise, there can be no assurance such systems and components will be successfully developed to our specifications or delivered in a timely manner to meet our program timing requirements.

Laws, regulations and other legislative efforts related to climate change, environmental concerns and health and safety could result in increased operating costs, reduced demand for our products and services or the loss of future business.

Concerns over environmental pollution and climate change have produced significant legislative and regulatory efforts on a global basis, and we believe this will continue both in scope and in the number of countries participating. These changes could directly increase the cost of energy, which may have an effect on the way we manufacture products or utilize energy to produce our products. In addition, any new regulations or laws in the environmental area might increase the cost of raw materials or key components we use in our products. Environmental regulations may require us to reduce product energy usage and to participate in compulsory recovery and recycling of our products or components. We are unable to predict how any future changes will impact us and if such impacts will be material to our business.

Further, climate change laws, environmental regulations, and other similar measures may have an effect on the operating activities of our customers, which may, in turn, reduce the demand for our products and services. To the extent increasing concentrations of greenhouse gases in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, droughts, floods and other climatic events, such events could have a material adverse effect on the Company and potentially subject the Company to further regulation.

We may become subject to new or changing governmental regulations relating to the design, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, servicing or use of our products, including as a result of climate change, and a failure to comply with such regulations could lead to withdrawal or recall of our products from the market, delay our projected revenues, increase cost or make our business unviable if we are unable to modify our products to comply.

We may become subject to new or changing international, federal, state and local regulations, including laws relating to the design, manufacturing, marketing, distribution, servicing or use of our products. Such laws and regulations may require us to pause sales and modify our products, which could result in a material adverse effect on our revenues and financial condition. Such laws and regulations can also give rise to liability such as fines and penalties, property damage, bodily injury and cleanup costs. Capital and operating expenses needed to comply with laws and regulations can be significant, and violations may result in substantial fines and penalties, third-party damages, suspension of production or a cessation of our operations. Any failure to comply with such laws or regulations could lead to withdrawal or recall of our products from the market.

Climate change laws and environmental regulations could result in increased operating costs and reduced demand for our services.

Concerns over environmental pollution and climate change have produced significant legislative and regulatory efforts on a global basis, and we believe this will continue both in scope and in the number of countries participating. These changes could directly increase the cost of energy, which may have an effect on the way we manufacture robots or utilize energy to deliver our services. In addition, any new regulations or laws in the environmental area might increase the cost of raw materials or key components we use in our robots. Environmental regulations may require us to reduce product energy usage and to participate in compulsory recovery and recycling of our robots or components. We are unable to predict how any future changes will impact us and if such impacts will be material to our business.

Further, climate change laws, environmental regulations and other similar measures may have an effect on the operating activities of our customers, which may, in turn, reduce the demand for our products and services. To the extent increasing concentrations of greenhouse gasses in the Earth’s atmosphere may produce climate changes that have significant physical effects, such as increased frequency and severity of storms, droughts, floods and other climatic events, such events could have a material adverse effect on the Company and potentially subject the Company to further regulation.

Severe weather conditions and climate change could have a material adverse impact on our business by reducing the operating hours of our robots.

Our robots are designed to operate in the common environmental conditions in the markets in which we are deployed. Currently we operate our robots in warm and dry climates, and we do not operate robots under rare or extreme conditions such as strong storms or unusually high or low temperatures. While with each new generation of robots, we plan to continually expand their operating ability (e.g., introducing the ability to manage ice and snow), which we believe in turn could expand our geographic reach, there is no guarantee that our efforts will successfully overcome all severe weather conditions.

We are subject to cybersecurity risks to our operational systems, security systems, infrastructure, integrated software in our products and data processed by us or third-party vendors.

Our business and operations involve the collection, storage, processing and transmission of personal data and certain other sensitive and proprietary data of collaborators, customers, and others. Additionally, we maintain sensitive and proprietary information relating to our business, such as our own proprietary information and personal data relating to our employees. An increasing number of organizations have disclosed breaches of their information security systems and other information security incidents, some of which have involved sophisticated and highly targeted attacks. We may be a target for attacks by state-sponsored actors and others designed to disrupt our operations or to attempt to gain access to our systems or data that is processed or maintained in our business. The ongoing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased security risks due to personnel working remotely.

We are at risk for interruptions, outages and breaches of our: (a) operational systems, including business, financial, accounting, product development, data processing or production processes, owned by us or our third-party vendors or suppliers; (b) facility security systems, owned by us or our third-party vendors or suppliers; (c) transmission control modules or other in-product technology, owned by us or our third-party vendors or suppliers; (d) the integrated software in our units; or (e) customer data that we processes or that our third-party vendors or suppliers process on our behalf. Because techniques used to obtain unauthorized access to or to sabotage information systems change frequently and may not be known until launched against a target, we may be unable to anticipate or prevent these attacks, react in a timely manner, or implement adequate preventive measures, and may face delays in our detection or remediation of, or other responses to, security breaches and other privacy-and security-related incidents. Such incidents could: materially disrupt our operational systems; result in loss of intellectual property, trade secrets or other proprietary or competitively sensitive information; compromise certain information of customers, employees, suppliers or others; jeopardize the security of our facilities or affect the performance of in-product technology and the integrated software in our units. Certain efforts may be state-sponsored or supported by significant financial and technological resources, making them even more difficult to detect, remediate, and otherwise respond to.

We plan to include product services and functionality that utilize data connectivity to monitor performance and timely capture opportunities to enhance performance and for safety and cost-saving preventative maintenance. The availability and effectiveness of our services depend on the continued operation of information technology and communications systems. Our systems will be vulnerable to damage or interruption from, among others, physical theft, fire, terrorist attacks, natural disasters, power loss, war, telecommunications failures, viruses, denial or degradation of service attacks, ransomware, social engineering schemes, insider theft or misuse or other attempts to harm our systems. We intend to use our product services and functionality to log information about each unit’s use in order to aid us in diagnostics and servicing. Our customers may object to the use of this data, which may require us to implement new or modified data handling policies and mechanisms, increase our unit maintenance costs and costs associated with data processing and handling, and harm our business prospects.

Although we are in the process of implementing certain systems and processes that are designed to protect our data and systems within our control, prevent data loss and prevent other security breaches and security incidents, these security measures cannot guarantee security. The IT and infrastructure used in our business may be vulnerable to cyberattacks or security breaches, and third parties may be able to access data, including personal data and other sensitive and proprietary data of us and our customers, collaborators and partners, our employees’ personal data or other sensitive and proprietary data, accessible through those systems. Employee error, malfeasance or other errors in the storage, use or transmission of any of these types of data could result in an actual or perceived privacy or security breach or other security incident.

Moreover, there are inherent risks associated with developing, improving, expanding and updating our current systems, such as the disruption of our data management, procurement, production execution, finance, supply chain and sales and service processes. These risks may affect our ability to manage our data and inventory, procure parts or supplies or manufacture, deploy, deliver and service our units, adequately protect our intellectual property or achieve and maintain compliance with, or realize available benefits under, applicable laws, regulations and contracts. We cannot be sure that these systems upon which we rely, including those of our third-party vendors or suppliers, will be effectively implemented, maintained or expanded as planned. If we do not successfully implement, maintain or expand these systems as planned, our operations may be disrupted, our ability to accurately and timely report our financial results could be impaired, and deficiencies may arise in our internal control over financial reporting, which may impact our ability to certify our financial results. Moreover, our proprietary information or intellectual property could be compromised or misappropriated, and our reputation may be adversely affected. If these systems do not operate as we expect them to, we may be required to expend significant resources to make corrections or find alternative sources for performing these functions.

Any actual or perceived security breach or security incident, or any systems outages or other disruption to systems used in our business, could interrupt our operations, result in loss or improper access to, or acquisition or disclosure of, data or a loss of intellectual property protection, harm our reputation and competitive position, reduce demand for our products, damage our relationships with customers, partners, collaborators, or others or result in claims, regulatory investigations, and proceedings and significant legal, regulatory and financial exposure, and any such incidents or any perception that our security measures are inadequate could lead to loss of confidence in us and harm to our reputation, any of which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. Any actual or perceived breach of privacy or security or other security incident, impacting any entities with which we share or disclose data (including, for example, our third-party technology providers) could have similar effects. We expect to incur significant costs in an effort to detect and prevent privacy and security breaches and other privacy- and security-related incidents and may face increased costs and requirements to expend substantial resources in the event of an actual or perceived privacy or security breach or other incident.

We are subject to evolving laws, regulations, standards, policies and contractual obligations related to data privacy and security laws and regulations, and our actual or perceived failure to comply with such obligations could harm our reputation, subject us to significant fines and liability or otherwise adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

We are subject to or affected by a number of federal, state and local laws and regulations, as well as contractual obligations and industry standards, that impose certain obligations and restrictions with respect to data privacy and security, and govern our collection, storage, retention, protection, use, processing, transmission, sharing and disclosure of personal information, including that of our employees, customers and others. Most jurisdictions have enacted laws requiring companies to notify individuals, regulatory authorities and others of security breaches involving certain types of data. Such laws may be inconsistent or may change or additional laws may be adopted. In addition, our agreements with certain customers may require us to notify them in the event of a security breach. Such mandatory disclosures are costly, could lead to negative publicity, result in penalties or fines, result in litigation, may cause our customers to lose confidence in the effectiveness of our security measures and require us to expend significant capital and other resources to respond to and/or alleviate problems caused by the actual or perceived security breach.

The global data protection landscape is rapidly evolving, and implementation standards and enforcement practices are likely to remain uncertain for the foreseeable future. We may not be able to monitor and react to all developments in a timely manner. For example, California adopted the California Consumer Privacy Act (“CCPA”), which became effective in January 2020. The CCPA establishes a privacy framework for covered businesses, including an expansive definition of personal information and data privacy rights for California residents. The CCPA includes a framework with potentially severe statutory damages and private rights of action. The CCPA requires covered businesses to provide new disclosures to California residents, provide them new ways to opt-out of certain disclosures of personal information, and allow for a new cause of action for data breaches. Additionally, a new privacy law, the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”), was approved by California voters in the November 3, 2020 election. The CPRA creates obligations relating to consumer data beginning on January 1, 2022, with implementing regulations expected on or before July 1, 2022, and enforcement beginning July 1, 2023. The CPRA significantly modifies the CCPA, potentially resulting in further uncertainty. Some observers have noted that the CCPA could mark the beginning of a trend toward more stringent privacy legislation in the United States. Other states have begun to propose and enact similar laws. For example, Virginia has enacted the Virginia Consumer Data Protection Act, which provides for obligations similar to the CCPA, and which will go into effect January 1, 2023. As we expand our operations, the CCPA, CPRA and other laws and regulations relating to privacy and data security may increase our compliance costs and potential liability. Compliance with any applicable privacy and data security laws and regulations is a rigorous and time-intensive process, and we may be required to put in place additional mechanisms to comply with such laws and regulations.

Additionally, as our international presence expands, we may become subject to or face increasing obligations under laws and regulations in countries outside the United States, many of which, such as the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and national laws supplementing the GDPR, as well as legislation substantially implementing the GDPR in the United Kingdom, are significantly more stringent than those currently enforced in the United States. The GDPR requires companies to meet stringent requirements regarding the handling of personal data of individuals located in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). The GDPR also includes significant penalties for noncompliance, which may result in monetary penalties of up to the higher of €20 million or 4% of a group’s worldwide turnover for the preceding financial year for the most serious violations. The United Kingdom’s version of the GDPR, the UK GDPR, which it maintains along with its Data Protection Act (collectively, the “UK GDPR”), also provides for substantial penalties that, for the most serious violations, can go up to the greater of £17.5 million or 4% of a group’s worldwide turnover for the preceding financial year. Many other jurisdictions globally are considering or have enacted legislation providing for local storage of data or otherwise imposing privacy, data protection and data security obligations in connection with the collection, use and other processing of personal data.

We publish privacy policies and other documentation regarding our collection, processing, use and disclosure of personal information and/or other confidential information. Although we endeavor to comply with our published policies and other documentation, we may at times fail to do so or may be perceived to have failed to do so. Moreover, despite our efforts, we may not be successful in achieving compliance, including if our employees, contractors, service providers or vendors fail to comply with our published policies and documentation. Such failures can subject us to potential action by governmental or regulatory authorities if they are found to be deceptive, unfair or misrepresentative of our actual practices. We are also aware of certain media reports relating to the use of our robots as elements in law enforcement surveillance efforts. As a general policy, we do not share data with law enforcement, except in certain narrow circumstances where (1) we are required to share data when served with a warrant or subpoena or (2) there are insurance claims, active incident investigations or acts of armed violence or theft attempts involving our personnel or property. Public perception of our involvement in such surveillance activities could harm our reputation, and consequently, our business prospects and financial condition. Any actual or perceived inability of us to adequately address privacy and security concerns or comply with applicable laws, rules and regulations relating to privacy, data protection or data security or applicable privacy notices, could lead to investigations, claims and proceedings by governmental entities and private parties, damages for contract breach, and other significant costs, penalties and other liabilities. Any such claims or other proceedings could be expensive and time-consuming to defend and could result in adverse publicity. Any of the foregoing may have an adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.

We are subject to U.S. and foreign anti-corruption and anti-money laundering laws and regulations. We can face criminal liability and other serious consequences for violations, which can harm our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results.

We are subject to the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act of 1977, as amended (the “FCPA”), the U.S. domestic bribery statute contained in 18 U.S.C. § 201, the U.S. Travel Act, and other anti-corruption, anti-bribery and anti-money laundering laws in countries in which we conduct activities. Anti-corruption laws are interpreted broadly and prohibit companies and their employees, business partners, third-party intermediaries, representatives and agents from authorizing, promising, offering or providing, directly or indirectly, improper payments or anything else of value to government officials, political candidates, political parties or commercial partners for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or securing an improper business advantage.

We have direct and indirect interactions with foreign officials, including in furtherance of sales to governmental entities in non-U.S. countries. We sometimes leverage third parties to conduct our business abroad, and our third-party business partners, representatives and agents may have direct or indirect interactions with officials and employees of government agencies or state-owned or affiliated entities. We can be held liable for the corrupt or other illegal activities of our employees or these third parties, even if we do not explicitly authorize or have actual knowledge of such activities. The FCPA and other applicable laws and regulations also require that we keep accurate books and records and maintain internal controls and compliance procedures designed to prevent any such actions. While we have policies and procedures to address compliance with such laws, there can be no assurance that all of our employees, business partners, third-party intermediaries, representatives and agents will not take actions in violation of our policies and applicable law, for which we may be ultimately held responsible. Our exposure for violating these laws increases as our international presence expands and as we increase sales and operations in foreign jurisdictions.

Any violations of the laws and regulations described above may result in whistleblower complaints, adverse media coverage, investigations, substantial civil and criminal fines and penalties, damages, settlements, prosecution, enforcement actions, imprisonment, the loss of export or import privileges, suspension or debarment from government contracts, tax reassessments, breach of contract and fraud litigation, reputational harm and other consequences, any of which could adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results. In addition, responding to any investigation or action will likely result in a significant diversion of management’s attention and resources and significant defense costs and other professional fees.

Being a public company can be administratively burdensome and will significantly increase our legal and financial compliance costs.

As a public reporting company, we are subject to the information and reporting requirements of the Securities Act, the Exchange Act and other federal securities laws, rules and regulations related thereto, including compliance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), and the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (the “Dodd-Frank Act”). In addition, the listing requirements of any national securities exchange or other exchange and other applicable securities rules and regulations impose various requirements on public companies. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will significantly increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. Among other things, we are required to:

The costs of preparing and filing annual and quarterly reports, proxy statements and other information with the SEC and furnishing audited reports to stockholders is expensive and much greater than that of a privately-held company, and compliance with these rules and regulations will require us to hire additional financial reporting, internal controls and other finance personnel, and will involve a material increase in regulatory, legal and accounting expenses and the attention of our board of directors and management. In addition, being a public company makes it more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance. In the future, we may be required to accept reduced coverage or incur substantially higher costs to obtain this coverage. These factors could also make it more difficult for us to attract and retain qualified executives and members of our board of directors.

Although the JOBS Act may for a limited period of time somewhat lessen the cost of complying with these additional regulatory and other requirements, we nonetheless expect a substantial increase in legal, accounting, insurance and certain other expenses in the future, which will negatively impact our business, results of operations and financial condition.

Our management as a group has limited experience in operating a publicly traded company.

Our management team may not successfully or effectively manage operating as a public company subject to significant regulatory oversight and reporting obligations under U.S. securities laws. Our executive officers as a group have limited experience in the management of a publicly traded company. Their limited experience in dealing with the increasingly complex laws pertaining to public companies could be a significant disadvantage in that it is likely that an increasing amount of their time may be devoted to these activities which will result in less time being devoted to the management and growth of our company. We may not have adequate personnel with the appropriate level of knowledge, experience and training in the accounting policies, practices or internal control over financial reporting required of public companies. Any failure by us to effectively and efficiently meet our obligations as a publicly traded company could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, financial condition and operating results and/or result in legal liability or other negative consequences.

Risks Related to Ownership of Our Common Stock

Our stock price will likely be volatile and an active, liquid and orderly trading market may not develop for our common stock. As a result you may not be able to resell your shares at or above your purchase price.

Our common stock was quoted and began trading on the OTCQB market in March 2024, and in connection with this offering, we have applied to list our common stock on The Nasdaq Capital Market. Accordingly, we expect our common stock to begin trading on The Nasdaq Capital Market on or around the date of this prospectus, at which point our common stock will cease to be traded on the OTCQB Market. Although have applied for listing, an active trading market for our common stock may not develop or, if it develops, may not be sustained after this offering. The lack of an active market may impair your ability to sell your shares at the time you wish to sell them or at a price that you consider reasonable, which may reduce the fair market value of your shares. Further, an inactive market may also impair our ability to raise capital by selling our common stock and may impair our ability to enter into strategic partnerships or acquire future products or licenses by using our common stock as consideration. We and the underwriter will negotiate to determine the public offering price. The public offering price may be higher than the market price of our common stock after the offering and you may not be able to sell your shares of our common stock at or above the price you paid in the offering. As a result, you could lose all or part of your investment.

The market price of our common stock following this offering may fluctuate substantially as a result of many factors, some of which are beyond our control. These fluctuations could cause you to lose all or part of the value of your investment in our common stock. Factors that could cause fluctuations in the market price of our common stock include the following:

In addition, the stock market in general has experienced significant price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to operating performance of individual companies. These broad market factors may adversely affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our operating performance. In the past, following periods of volatility in the market price of a company’s securities, securities class action litigation has often been instituted. A securities class action suit against us could result in significant liabilities and, regardless of the outcome, could result in substantial costs and the diversion of our management’s attention and resources.

See “Principal Stockholders” below for more information regarding the ownership of our outstanding common stock by our principal stockholders.

Following this offering, our principal stockholders will continue to own a significant percentage of our stock and be able to exert significant control or significant influence over matters subject to stockholder approval.

Following this offering, our executive officers, directors, and greater than 5% stockholders, in the aggregate, will continue to own a significant portion of our outstanding common stock. As a result, such persons or their appointees to our board of directors, acting together, will have the ability to significantly influence all matters submitted to our board of directors or stockholders for approval, including the appointment of our management, the election and removal of directors and the approval of any significant transaction, as well as our management and business affairs. In addition, certain of our existing principal stockholders have indicated an interest in purchasing up to an aggregate of approximately $4.5 million in shares of our common stock in this offering at the assumed public offering price. If such principal stockholders were to purchase all of the shares they have indicated an interest in purchasing in this offering, the ability of such persons, acting together, to control or significantly influence such matters will increase. This concentration of ownership may also have the effect of delaying or preventing a change of control of our company or discouraging others from making tender offers for shares of our common stock, which could prevent our stockholders from receiving a premium for their shares. The interests of our principal stockholders may not always coincide with the interests of other stockholders and they may act in a manner that advances their best interests and not necessarily those of other stockholders, including seeking a premium value for their common stock.

Investors purchasing common stock in this offering will experience immediate and substantial dilution.

The assumed public offering price of shares of our common stock is substantially higher than the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value per outstanding share of our common stock. You will incur immediate and substantial dilution of $(0.12) per share in the pro forma as adjusted net tangible book value of shares of our common stock, based upon the assumed public offering price of $4.50 per share (the closing price of our common stock on April 5, 2024 on the OTCQB). As a result of the dilution to investors purchasing shares in this offering, investors may receive significantly less than the purchase price paid in this offering, if anything, in the event of liquidation. In addition, we have outstanding options and warrants with exercise prices significantly below the public offering price. To the extent outstanding options and warrants are ultimately exercised, there will be further dilution of the common stock sold in this offering. See “Dilution” below for more information.

Participation in this offering by certain of our existing stockholders would reduce the available public float of our shares.

Certain of our existing stockholders, including stockholders who own 5% or more of our outstanding capital stock, have indicated an interest in purchasing shares of our common stock with an aggregate value of approximately $4.5 million at the assumed public offering price in this offering. However, because indications of interest are not binding agreements or commitments to purchase, the underwriter may determine to sell more, fewer or no shares in this offering to any of these directors or stockholders, or any of these directors or stockholders may determine to purchase more, fewer or no shares in this offering. To the extent these existing stockholders purchase any shares in this offering, such purchase could reduce the available public float of our shares because such stockholders may be restricted from selling the shares by restrictions under applicable securities laws. As a result, any purchase of shares by such stockholders in this offering may reduce the liquidity of our common stock relative to what it would have been had these shares been purchased by investors that were not directors or existing stockholders.

Future sales of our common stock in the public market could cause our common stock price to fall.

Our common stock price could decline as a result of sales of a large number of shares of common stock after this offering or the perception that these sales could occur. These sales, or the possibility that these sales may occur, might also make it more difficult for us to sell equity securities in the future at a time and price that we deem appropriate.

Upon the completion of this offering, 35,963,655 shares of our common stock will be outstanding (or 37,396,988 shares if the underwriters exercise their option to purchase additional shares from us in full), based on the number of shares outstanding as of December 31, 2023. Of these shares, all of the shares of our common stock sold in this offering (including shares purchased by existing stockholders pursuant to their indications of interest to purchase up to $4.5 million of our common stock at the assumed public offering price) (plus any shares issued upon exercise of the underwriter’s over-allotment option) and 18,960,989 shares of our common stock that have previously been registered for resale will be freely tradable in the public market without restriction or further registration under the Securities Act, unless these shares are held by “affiliates,” as that term is defined in Rule 144 under the Securities Act (including any shares that may purchased by our affiliates in this offering).

The resale of the remaining shares of common stock following this offering, is currently prohibited or otherwise restricted as a result of securities law provisions, market standoff agreements entered into by certain of our stockholders with us or lock-up agreements entered into by our stockholders with the underwriters in connection with this offering. However, subject to applicable securities law restrictions or other contractual arrangements, these shares will be able to be sold in the public market beginning 181 days after the date of this prospectus. Shares issued upon the exercise of stock options outstanding under our equity incentive plans or pursuant to future awards granted under those plans will become available for sale in the public market to the extent permitted by the provisions of applicable vesting schedules, market stand-off agreements, and/or lock-up agreements, as well as Rules 144 and 701 under the Securities Act. For more information, see “Shares Eligible for Future Sale”.

We have broad discretion in the use of the net proceeds from this offering and may not use them effectively or may use them in a way with respect to which investors do not approve.

Although we currently intend to use the net proceeds from this offering in the manner described in “Use of Proceeds” elsewhere in this prospectus, our management will have broad discretion in the application of the net proceeds from this offering and could spend the proceeds in ways that do not improve our results of operations or enhance the value of shares of our common stock. The failure by our management to apply these funds effectively could result in financial losses that could have a material adverse effect on our business, cause the market price of shares of our common stock to decline and delay the development of our product candidates. Pending their use, we may invest the net proceeds from this offering in a manner that does not produce income or that loses value. If we do not invest the net proceeds from this offering in ways that enhance stockholder value, we may fail to achieve expected financial results, which could cause the price of shares of our common stock to decline.

The designation of our common stock as “penny stock” would limit the liquidity of our common stock.

Our common stock may be deemed a “penny stock” (as that term is defined under Rule 3a51-1 of the Exchange Act) in any market that may develop in the future. Generally, a “penny stock” is a common stock that is not listed on a securities exchange and trades for less than $5.00 a share. Prices often are not available to buyers and sellers and the market may be very limited. Ownership of penny stock in start-up companies is among the riskiest equity investments. Broker-dealers who sell penny stock must provide purchasers with a standardized risk-disclosure document prepared by the SEC. The document provides information about penny stock and the nature and level of risks involved in investing in the penny stock market. A broker must also provide purchasers with bid and offer quotations and information regarding broker and salesperson compensation and make a written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and obtain the purchaser’s written agreement to the purchase. Many brokers choose not to participate in penny stock transactions. If our common stock is deemed “penny stock”, because of penny stock rules, there may be less trading activity in any market that develops for our common stock in the future and stockholders are likely to have difficulty selling their shares.

FINRA sales practice requirements may limit a stockholder’s ability to buy and sell our common stock.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority, or FINRA, has adopted rules requiring that, in recommending an investment to a customer, a broker-dealer must have reasonable grounds for believing that the investment is suitable for that customer. Prior to recommending speculative or low-priced securities to their non-institutional customers, broker-dealers must make reasonable efforts to obtain information about the customer’s financial status, tax status, investment objectives and other information. Under interpretations of these rules, FINRA has indicated its belief that there is a high probability that speculative or low-priced securities will not be suitable for at least some customers. If these FINRA requirements are applicable to us or our securities, they may make it more difficult for broker-dealers to recommend that at least some of their customers buy our common stock, which may limit the ability of our stockholders to buy and sell our common stock and could have an adverse effect on the market for and price of our common stock.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. If we fail to develop and maintain an effective system of disclosure controls and internal control over financial reporting, our ability to produce timely and accurate financial statements or comply with applicable laws and regulations could be impaired.

We are a public company and are required, pursuant to Section 404(a) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, to furnish a report by management on, among other things, the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting on our annual report on Form 10-K. Effective internal control over financial reporting is necessary for reliable financial reports and, together with adequate disclosure controls and procedures, such internal controls are designed to prevent fraud. Any failure to implement required new or improved controls, or difficulties encountered in their implementation, could cause us to fail to meet its reporting obligations. Ineffective internal controls could also cause investors to lose confidence in reported financial information, which could have a negative effect on the trading price of our common stock.

The report by management is required to include disclosure of any material weaknesses identified in our internal control over financial reporting. However, for as long as we are an “emerging growth company” under the JOBS Act, our independent registered public accounting firm will not be required to attest to the effectiveness of internal control over financial reporting pursuant to Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Management’s assessment of internal controls could detect problems with internal controls, and an independent assessment of the effectiveness of internal controls by our auditors could detect further problems that management’s assessment might not detect and could result in the identification of material weaknesses that were not otherwise identified. Undetected material weaknesses in internal controls could lead to financial statement restatements and require us to incur the expense of remediation. We are required to disclose changes made in internal control and procedures on a quarterly basis. To comply with these requirements, we may need to undertake various actions, such as implementing new internal controls and procedures and hiring accounting or internal audit staff.

We are in the early stages of developing the system and processing documentation necessary to perform the evaluation needed to comply with Section 404 and we may not be able to complete the required evaluation, testing, and any required remediation in a timely fashion. During the evaluation and testing process, if we identify material weaknesses in internal control over financial reporting, we will be unable to assert that internal control over financial reporting is effective.

As discussed elsewhere in this Registration Statement, we completed the Merger on July 31, 2023. Prior to the Merger, Serve was a private company and, therefore, its controls were not required to be designed or maintained in accordance with Rules 13a-15 and 15d-15 under the Exchange Act. The design and implementation of internal control over financial reporting post-Merger has required, and will continue to require, significant time and resources from management and other personnel. Because of this, the design and ongoing development of our framework for implementation and evaluation of internal control over financial reporting is in its preliminary stages. As a result, management was unable, without incurring unreasonable effort or expense, to conduct a comprehensive assessment of our internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2023. However, management concluded that as of December 31, 2023, we had material weaknesses in our internal controls over financial reporting.

A “material weakness” is a deficiency, or combination of deficiencies, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is more than a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. Management concluded that we did not have a comprehensive and formalized accounting and financial reporting policies and procedures manual which details the information needed for our financial reporting process and that we did not have a robust review process by which management could monitor for potential errors or technical accounting requirements.

If we are unable to assert that our internal control over financial reporting is effective, or if, once we are no longer an emerging growth company, and we become an accelerated filer or large accelerated filer, our independent registered public accounting firm is unable to express an opinion on the effectiveness of its internal control, including as a result of the material weaknesses described above, we could lose investor confidence in the accuracy and completeness of financial reports, which would cause the price of our common stock to decline, and we may be subject to investigation or sanctions by the SEC. In addition, if we are unable to continue to meet these requirements, we may not be able to remain quoted on any over-the-counter trading system, or following any potential listing on The Nasdaq Capital Market, listed on any securities exchange.

We are an emerging growth company and a smaller reporting company, and any decision on our part to comply only with certain reduced reporting and disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies and smaller reporting companies could make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act, and, for as long as we continue to be an emerging growth company, we may choose to take advantage of exemptions from various reporting requirements applicable to other public companies but not to emerging growth companies, including:

Our status as an emerging growth company will end as soon as any of the following take place:

We cannot predict if investors will find our common stock less attractive if we choose to rely on any of the exemptions afforded emerging growth companies. If some investors find our common stock less attractive because we rely on any of these exemptions, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and the market price of our common stock may be more volatile.

Under the JOBS Act, emerging growth companies can also delay adopting new or revised accounting standards until such time as those standards apply to private companies. We have elected to avail ourselves of this provision of the JOBS Act. As a result, we will not be subject to new or revised accounting standards at the same time as other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. Therefore, our consolidated financial statements may not be comparable to those of companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

We are also a “smaller reporting company” as defined in the Exchange Act. We may continue to be a “smaller reporting company” even after we are no longer an emerging growth company. We may take advantage of certain of the scaled disclosures available to smaller reporting companies and will be able to take advantage of these scaled disclosures for so long as our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter, or our annual revenues is less than $100.0 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and our voting and non-voting common stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700.0 million measured on the last business day of our second fiscal quarter.

Anti-takeover provisions in our charter documents and under Delaware law could make an acquisition of us, which may be beneficial to our stockholders, more difficult and may prevent attempts by our stockholders to replace or remove our current management.

Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and our amended and restated bylaws that became effective upon completion of the Merger contain provisions that could delay or prevent a change in control of our company. These provisions could also make it difficult for stockholders to elect directors who are not nominated by current members of our board of directors or take other corporate actions, including effecting changes in our management. These provisions:

In addition, our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware will be the exclusive forum for: any derivative action or proceeding brought on our behalf; any action asserting a breach of fiduciary duty; any action asserting a claim against us arising pursuant to the Delaware General Corporation Law (the “DGCL”), our amended and restated certificate of incorporation, or our amended and restated bylaws; or any action asserting a claim against us that is governed by the internal affairs doctrine.

Section 22 of the Securities Act creates concurrent jurisdiction for federal and state courts over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation provides that the federal district courts of the United States of America will, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, be the exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act (“Federal Forum Provision”). Our decision to adopt a Federal Forum Provision followed a decision by the Supreme Court of the State of Delaware holding that such provisions are facially valid under Delaware law. While there can be no assurance that federal courts or state courts will follow the holding of the Delaware Supreme Court or determine that the Federal Forum Provision should be enforced in a particular case, application of the Federal Forum Provision means that suits brought by our stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Securities Act must be brought in federal court and cannot be brought in state court. While neither the exclusive forum provision nor the Federal Forum Provision applies to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all claims brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. Accordingly, actions by our stockholders to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder also must be brought in federal court. Our stockholders will not be deemed to have waived our compliance with the federal securities laws and the regulations promulgated thereunder.

Any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring or holding any interest in any of our securities shall be deemed to have notice of and consented to our exclusive forum provisions, including the Federal Forum Provision. These provisions may limit a stockholder’s ability to bring a claim in a judicial forum of their choosing for disputes with us or our directors, officers or other employees, which may discourage lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and other employees.

In addition, Section 203 of the DGCL may discourage, delay or prevent a change in control of our company. Section 203 imposes certain restrictions on mergers, business combinations and other transactions between us and holders of 15% or more of our common stock.

General Risk Factors

We may face risks related to securities litigation that could result in significant legal expenses and settlement or damage awards.

We may in the future become subject to claims and litigation alleging violations of the securities laws or other related claims, which could harm our business and require us to incur significant costs. Significant litigation costs could impact our ability to comply with certain financial covenants under our credit agreement. We are generally obliged, to the extent permitted by law, to indemnify our current and former directors and officers who are named as defendants in these types of lawsuits. Regardless of the outcome, litigation may require significant attention from management and could result in significant legal expenses, settlement costs or damage awards that could have a material impact on our business, results of operation and financial condition.

We do not intend to pay dividends for the foreseeable future and, as a result, your ability to achieve a return on your investment will depend on appreciation in the price of our common stock.

We have never declared or paid any cash dividends on our capital stock, and we do not intend to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Any determination to pay dividends in the future will be at the discretion of our board of directors. Accordingly, investors must rely on sales of their common stock after price appreciation, which may never occur, as the only way to realize any future gains on their investments.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish research or publish unfavorable or inaccurate research about our business, our stock price and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock will depend in part on the research and reports that securities or industry analysts publish about us or our business, as well as the way analysts and investors interpret our financial information and other disclosures. Securities and industry analysts do not currently, and may never, publish research on our business. If few, or no, securities or industry analysts commence coverage of us, our stock price could be negatively affected. If securities or industry analysts downgrade our common stock, or publish negative reports about our business, our stock price would likely decline. If one or more of these analysts cease coverage of us or fail to publish reports on us regularly, demand for our common stock could decrease, which might cause our stock price to decline and could decrease the trading volume of our common stock.

We are and may continue to be significantly impacted by the worldwide economic downturn due to pandemics, outbreaks of other contagious diseases and other catastrophic events.

The extent to which any catastrophic event affects our business and financial results will depend on future developments, including the duration of such event and the global response to it, its impact on capital and financial markets, its impact on global supply chains, and whether the impacts may result in temporary or permanent changes in consumer behavior among others, which are highly uncertain and cannot be predicted.

In addition, we cannot predict the impact any future pandemic, outbreak of other contagious diseases or other catastrophic events will have on our business partners and third-party merchants and suppliers, and we may be adversely impacted as a result of the adverse impact our business partners and third-party merchants and suppliers suffer. For example, if we are unable to produce our robots due to manufacturing strains, we may not be able to build and deploy our robots as planned and scale our business. This impact would mean we’d need to raise additional capital in order to cover our operating expenses and meet our revenue targets. To the extent a pandemic or other catastrophic event adversely affects our business and financial results, it may also have the effect of heightening many of the other risks described in this “Risk Factors” section. Any of the foregoing factors, or other cascading effects of the pandemic that are not currently foreseeable, could adversely impact our business, financial performance and condition and results of operations.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This prospectus, including the sections entitled “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” and “Description of our Business”, includes forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act and Section 21E of the Exchange Act. Forward-looking statements relate to, among others, our plans, objectives and expectations for our business, operations and financial performance and condition, and can be identified by terminology such as “may,” “should,” “expect,” “intend,” “plan,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “predict,” “will,” “could,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “continue” and similar expressions that do not relate solely to historical matters. Forward-looking statements are based on management’s belief and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in forward-looking statements are reasonable, such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements about:

These statements relate to future events or our future operational or financial performance, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations include, among other things, those listed under the section titled “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this prospectus, in any applicable prospectus supplement and in any related free writing prospectus.

Any forward-looking statement in this prospectus, in any applicable prospectus supplement and in any related free writing prospectus reflects our current view with respect to future events and is subject to these and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to our business, results of operations, industry and future growth. Given these uncertainties, you should not place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements. No forward-looking statement is a guarantee of future performance. You should read this prospectus, any applicable prospectus supplement and any related free writing prospectus and the documents that we reference therein and have filed with the SEC as exhibits thereto completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from any future results expressed or implied by these forward-looking statements. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update or revise these forward-looking statements for any reason, even if new information becomes available in the future.

DESCRIPTION OF THE MERGER, THE PRIVATE PLACEMENT, AND RELATED TRANSACTIONS

The Bridge Financing

In April 2023, Serve offered and sold $3,001,500 principal amount of its senior subordinated secured convertible notes (the “Bridge Notes”) in a private placement (the “Bridge Financing”) to certain accredited investors. The Bridge Notes bore interest at 10% per annum and were payable on October 21, 2023, subject to earlier conversion as described below. Among the accredited investors who participated in the Bridge Financing were Ali Kashani, our Chief Executive Officer, and Mark Tompkins, who holds greater than 5% of our common stock.

Interest on the Bridge Notes would have been payable at maturity; however, upon conversion of the Bridge Notes as described below, accrued interest was forgiven. The Bridge Notes were secured by a second priority security interest on all of the assets of Serve and its subsidiary, subject to certain limited exceptions. This security interest terminated upon conversion of the Bridge Notes.

The offering of the Bridge Notes, and the grant of the Bridge Warrants and Bridge Broker Warrants (each as defined below) was exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated by the SEC thereunder. The Bridge Notes were sold to “accredited investors,” as defined in Regulation D, and the offering was conducted on a “reasonable best efforts” basis.

Upon the closing of the Merger and the Private Placement, the outstanding principal amount of the Bridge Notes was automatically converted into 937,961 shares of our common stock at a conversion price of $3.20 per share, and investors in the Bridge Notes received a warrant to purchase a number of shares of common stock equal to 50% of the number of shares of common stock into which the Bridge Notes were converted, at an exercise price of $3.20 per share for a term of three years (the “Bridge Warrants”). If at any time after the 120th day after the final closing of the Private Placement (the “Registration Effectiveness Date”), there is no effective registration statement registering for resale, or the prospectus contained therein is not available for the resale of, the shares of common stock issuable upon exercise of the Bridge Warrants by the holder, the Bridge Warrants may also be exercised, in whole or in part, at such time by means of a “cashless” net exercise. The Bridge Warrants have weighted average anti-dilution protection, subject to customary exceptions.

In connection with the sale of the Bridge Notes, Serve paid to Laidlaw & Company (UK) Ltd. and Network 1 Financial Services, Inc. (collectively, the “Bridge Brokers”), each a U.S. registered broker-dealer, cash commissions of 8% of funds raised, or 4% in the case of funds raised from current officers, directors and stockholders of Serve and their respective friends and family (“Insider Investors”), and agreed to cause us to issue to them, upon closing of the Merger and the Private Placement, warrants to purchase a number of shares of Serve’s common stock equal to 8% of the number of shares of common stock into which Bridge Notes, other than those purchased by Insider Investors, would convert at the closing of the Merger and Offering, with an exercise price per share of $3.20 and a term of three years (the “Bridge Broker Warrants”). The Bridge Broker Warrants have weighted average anti-dilution protection, subject to customary exceptions.

The Bridge Brokers were paid an aggregate commission of $239,400 and were entitled to be issued Bridge Broker Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 74,662 shares of our common stock. Serve also reimbursed them $25,000 for their legal and other expenses incurred in connection with the Bridge Financing.

We agreed to indemnify the Bridge Brokers, to the fullest extent permitted by law, against certain liabilities that may be incurred in connection with the Bridge Notes, including certain civil liabilities under the Securities Act, and, where such indemnification is not available, to contribute to the payments the placement agents and its sub-agents may be required to make in respect of such liabilities.

All descriptions of the Bridge Warrants and the Bridge Broker Warrants herein are qualified in their entirety by reference to the text thereof filed as exhibits hereto, which are incorporated herein by reference.

Reverse Merger

On July 31, 2023, the Company, Acquisition Sub and Serve entered into the Merger Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, on July 31, 2023, Acquisition Sub merged with and into Serve, with Serve continuing as the surviving corporation and our wholly owned subsidiary.

As a result of the Merger, we acquired the business of Serve, which designs, develops and operates an advanced, AI-powered robotics mobility platform, with last-mile delivery in cities as its first application. See “Description of our Business” below. At the time the certificate of merger reflecting the Merger was filed with the Secretary of State of Delaware, each of Serve’s shares of capital stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger was converted into the right to receive 0.8035 shares of our common stock (in the case of shares held by accredited investors), with the maximum number of shares of our common stock issuable to the former holders of Serve’s capital stock equal to 20,948,917 shares after adjustments due to rounding for fractional shares. Immediately prior to the Effective Time, an aggregate of 3,500,000 shares of Company common stock owned by our stockholders prior to the Merger were forfeited and canceled.

In addition, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, (i) options to purchase 1,984,951 shares of Serve’s common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger under 2021 Plan were assumed and converted into options to purchase 1,594,800 shares of our common stock, (ii) warrants to purchase 17,314 shares of Serve’s common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger were assumed and converted into warrants to purchase 13,911 shares of our common stock, (iii) warrants to purchase 160,323 shares of Serve’s Series Seed preferred stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger were assumed and converted into warrants to purchase 128,819 shares of our common stock and (iv) SAFEs totaling $15,551,953 were converted into 4,372,613 shares of our common stock.

See “Description of Capital Stock” below for more information. The issuance of shares of our common stock, options or warrants to purchase shares of our common stock to Serve’s former security holders are collectively referred to as the “Share Conversion.”

The Merger Agreement contained customary representations and warranties and pre- and post-closing covenants of each party and customary closing conditions.

As a condition to the Merger, on July 31, 2023, we entered into indemnity agreements with our former officer and directors, pursuant to which we agreed to indemnify such former officer and directors for actions taken by them in their official capacities relating to the consideration, approval and consummation of the Merger and certain related transactions.

The Merger was treated as a recapitalization and reverse acquisition for us for financial reporting purposes. Serve is considered the acquirer for accounting purposes, and our historical financial statements before the Merger will be replaced with the historical financial statements of Serve before the Merger in future filings with the SEC. The Merger is intended to be treated as a tax-free reorganization under Section 368(a) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended.

The Converted Securities were not registered under the Securities Act, in reliance upon the exemption from registration provided by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act, which exempts transactions by an issuer not involving any public offering, and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated by the SEC thereunder. The Converted Securities may not be offered or sold in the U.S. absent registration or an applicable exemption from the registration requirement, and they are subject to further contractual restrictions on transfer as described below under “Shares Eligible for Future Sale.”

The Private Placement

Immediately following the Effective Time of the Merger, we sold 3,183,671 shares of our common stock in a private placement offering pursuant to the Subscription Agreement by and between the Company and the purchasers of common stock (the “Subscription Agreement”) at a purchase price of $4.00 per share (the “Sale Price”) in multiple closings. The private placement offering is referred to herein as the “Private Placement.” We also issued 937,961 shares of our common stock to convert the outstanding principal and interest of outstanding Bridge Notes in connection with the consummation of the Merger.

The aggregate gross proceeds from the Private Placement were approximately $15.74 million (including the aggregate principal amount of Bridge Notes converted as described above, and before deducting placement agent fees and expenses of the Private Placement).

The Offering, including the grant of the Placement Agent Warrants (as defined below), was exempt from registration under Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and Rule 506(b) of Regulation D promulgated by the SEC thereunder. The common stock in the Private Placement was sold to “accredited investors,” as defined in Regulation D, and the Private Placement was conducted on a “reasonable best efforts” basis.

In addition, we issued to the holders of the Bridge Notes prior to their conversion, Bridge Warrants to purchase 468,971 shares of our common stock.

In connection with the Private Placement and subject to the closing of the Private Placement, we agreed to pay the placement agents, Aegis Capital Corp. and Network 1 Financial Services, Inc. (the “Placement Agents”), each a U.S. registered broker-dealer, a cash placement fee of 8% of the gross proceeds raised from investors in the Private Placement (or 4% of gross proceeds raised from Insider Investors) and to issue (a) to them warrants to purchase a number of shares of our common stock equal to 8% of the number of shares of common stock sold in the Private Placement (other than to Insider Investors), with a term expiring three years after the common stock begins to trade on Nasdaq or New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”) and an exercise price of $4.00 per share (the “Placement Agent A Warrants”) and (b) to each of them warrants to purchase 125,000 shares of common stock with the same term as the Placement Agent A Warrants and an exercise price of $0.001 per share (the “Placement Agent B Warrants” and together with the Placement Agent A Warrants, the “Placement Agent Warrants”). We also agreed to pay certain expenses of the Placement Agents in connection with the Private Placement.

As a result of the foregoing, we paid the Placement Agents an aggregate commission of $817,209 (not including the commission paid in connection with the sale of the Bridge Notes) and issued to them Placement Agent A Warrants to purchase 153,909 shares of our common stock and Placement Agent B Warrants to purchase an aggregate of 250,000 shares of our common stock in connection with the closing of the Private Placement. We have also reimbursed the Placement Agents for approximately $60,000 of expenses incurred in connection with the Private Placement.

Subject to certain customary exceptions, we have agreed to indemnify the Placement Agents to the fullest extent permitted by law against certain liabilities that may be incurred in connection with the Private Placement, including certain civil liabilities under the Securities Act, and, where such indemnification is not available, to contribute to the payments the Placement Agents and their sub-agents may be required to make in respect of such liabilities.

Registration Rights

In connection with the Merger and the Private Placement, on July 31, 2023, we entered into a registration rights agreement (the “Registration Rights Agreement”), pursuant to which we agreed that promptly, but no later than 60 calendar days from the final closing of the Private Placement, we would file, subject to customary exceptions, a registration statement with the SEC (the “Registration Statement”), covering (i) the shares of our common stock issued in the Private Placement (including those issued upon conversion of the Bridge Notes); (ii) the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the Bridge Warrants; (iii) the shares of our common stock issuable upon exercise of the Bridge Broker Warrants and the Placement Agent Warrants; (iv) the Merger Shares and (v) 1,500,000 shares of our common stock held by our stockholders prior to the Merger ((i)-(v) collectively, the “Registrable Securities”). We also undertook to use our commercially reasonable efforts to ensure that such Registration Statement is declared effective within 120 calendar days after the final closing of the Private Placement. Such Registration Statement, covering 18,960,989 shares, became effective on December 14, 2023.

Subject to customary exceptions, if (i)  we fail to maintain the effectiveness of the Registration Statement, (ii) the holders of Registrable Securities cannot use the Registration Statement to resell the Registrable Securities for a period of more than 15 consecutive trading days (except for suspension of the use of the Registration Statement during certain Blackout Period (as defined below)), or (iii) following the listing or inclusion for quotation on the OTC Markets, Nasdaq, the NYSE or the NYSE American, trading of our common stock is suspended or halted for more than three full, consecutive trading days ((i)-(iii) collectively, “Registration Events”), we will make payments to each holder of Registrable Securities as monetary penalties at a rate equal to 12% per annum of the total value of Registrable Securities held or purchased by such holder and affected during the period, based on the Sale Price; provided that the maximum amount of monetary penalties paid by us will not exceed 5% of such total value. No monetary penalties will accrue with respect to any Registrable Securities that may be resold without manner of sale restrictions, current information requirements, volume limitations or other limitations under Rule 144 or another exemption from registration under the Securities Act. Pursuant to the Registration Rights Agreement “Blackout Period” means, a period in which the Company determines that the registration or distribution of the Registrable Securities to be covered by such registration statement, would be seriously detrimental to the Company and its stockholders, commencing on the day the Company notifies the stockholders that they are required to suspend offers and sales of Registrable Securities and ending on the earlier of (i) the date on which the material non-public information resulting in the Blackout Period is disclosed to the public or ceases to be material or (ii) such time that the Company notifies the stockholders that sales pursuant to the registration statement may resume.

We must use commercially reasonable efforts to keep the Registration Statement effective for five years from the date it is declared effective by the SEC or until the date on which all Registrable Securities have been transferred other than to certain enumerated permitted assignees under the Registration Rights Agreement.

We will pay all expenses in connection with the registration obligations provided in the Registration Rights Agreement, including, without limitation, all registration, filing, and stock exchange fees, printing expenses, all fees and expenses of complying with applicable securities laws, the fees and disbursements of our counsel and of our independent public accountants and the reasonable fees and disbursements of a single counsel to the holders of the Registrable Securities, not to exceed $35,000. Each holder will be responsible for its own sales commissions, if any, transfer taxes and the expenses of any other attorney or advisor such holder decides to employ.

MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL
CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations together with our consolidated financial statements and the related notes and other financial information included in this prospectus. Some of the information contained in this discussion and analysis or set forth elsewhere in this prospectus, including information with respect to our plans and strategy for our business, includes forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties as described under the heading “Special Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements” elsewhere in this prospectus. Accordingly, you should review the disclosure under the heading “Risk Factors” in this prospectus for a discussion of important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results described in or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in the following discussion and analysis.

Overview

On July 31, 2023, Patricia Acquisition Corp., Acquisition Sub, and Serve entered into a Merger Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, on the Closing Date, Acquisition Sub merged with and into Serve, with Serve continuing as the surviving corporation and our wholly owned subsidiary. As a result of the Merger, we acquired the business of Serve and will continue the existing business operations of Serve as a public reporting company under the name Serve Robotics Inc. On the Closing Date, Serve’s predecessor was renamed Serve Operating Co.

The Merger was treated as a recapitalization and reverse acquisition for us for financial reporting purposes, and Serve is considered the acquirer for accounting purposes. As a result of the Merger and the change in our business and operations, a discussion of the past financial results of Patricia Acquisition Corp. is not pertinent, and under applicable accounting principles, the historical financial results of Serve, the accounting acquirer, prior to the Merger are considered our historical financial results.

Our discussion and analysis are organized as follows:

Serve Robotics

Serve’s first product is a low-emissions robot that serves people in public spaces, starting with last-mile food delivery. In 2017, our core technology development began with our co-founders and a growing product and engineering team. In 2020, the team launched delivery robots in Los Angeles performing contactless deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. By the end of that year, Serve robots had successfully completed over 10,000 commercial deliveries for Postmates in California, augmenting Postmates’ fleet of human couriers.

Postmates was acquired by Uber in 2020, and in February of 2021, Uber’s leadership team agreed to contribute the intellectual property developed by the team and assets relating to this project to Serve. In return for this contribution and an investment of cash into the Company, Uber acquired a minority equity interest in the business. By the end of the first quarter of 2021, the majority of the team that had worked on this project at Postmates joined Serve as full time employees.

Because we started within a food delivery company, our team comes with a depth of expertise in food delivery. Additionally, our engineering team has extensive experience in AI, automation and robotics. Our leadership team includes veterans from Uber, Postmates, Waymo, Apple Inc., Blue Origin, LLC, GoPro, Inc., GoDaddy Inc. and Anki, Inc. We believe our expertise positions us to service the ever-growing on-demand delivery market, including food delivery.

Based on our proprietary historical delivery data, approximately half of all food delivery distances in the United States are less than 2.5 miles, making these deliveries well-suited to delivery by sidewalk robots. We provide a robotic delivery experience that can delight customers, improve reliability for merchants and reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. Moreover, at scale with full utilization and high autonomy, we believe our robots have the potential to reduce average delivery cost to under $1.00, lower than delivery cost by human couriers today, making on-demand delivery more affordable and accessible in the areas in which we operate. In fact, according to a 2024 ARK Invest report, by using automation to reduce delivery costs, the potential market for food and parcel delivery by robots and drones may grow to as much as $450 billion globally in 2030.

Recent Developments

License and Services Agreement

On February 20, 2024, Serve entered into a License and Services Agreement (the “LSA”) with Magna as a part of a strategic partnership with Magna. Pursuant to the LSA, Serve, as an independent contractor of Magna, agreed to (i) grant a non-exclusive license to the Serve AMR Technology in the Licensed Fields of Use (each as defined in the LSA) to Magna and its affiliates and (ii) provide all reasonable engineering, technical and related support services that Magna may request from time to time in writing and in furtherance of commercialization of the Serve AMR Technology and products (including software) using, practicing, or incorporating the Serve AMR Technology, and manufactured using, practicing or incorporating the Serve AMR Technology (such services and support, the “Development Services”). Except as expressly set forth in the LSA, any Development Services shall be provided under the MSA (as defined below) and, if expired or terminated, under terms and conditions that are consistent with the terms therein. The term of the LSA will continue unless terminated by either party pursuant to and in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in the LSA.

Master Services Agreement

On February 1, 2024, Serve entered into a Master Services Agreement (the “MSA”) with Magna, retroactively effective as of January 15, 2024 (the “Effective Date”). Pursuant to the MSA, Serve agreed to provide certain services to Magna as described in one or more statements of work (“SOWs”). Such SOWs will contain a description of the scope, the time to be spent on performance, the fees to be paid to Serve, the functional requirements and technical specifications and, to the extent applicable, the timetable, schedule or milestones for the performance of the requested services. Serve and Magna entered into the first SOW on the Effective Date. The term of the MSA commenced on the Effective Date and will continue for a term of three months, unless terminated earlier or mutually extended in accordance with its terms.

In connection with the strategic partnership with Magna, on February 7, 2024, we issued the Magna Warrant to purchase up to 2,145,000 shares of our common stock, subject to adjustments as provided therein, at an exercise price of $0.01 per share.

The Magna Warrant will be exercisable in two equal tranches: (i) the first tranche will become exercisable no later than May 15, 2024, subject to certain conditions; and (ii) the second tranche will become exercisable upon Magna’s achievement of a certain manufacturing milestone as set forth in a production and purchase agreement to be entered into with respect to the contract manufacturing of our autonomous delivery robots by Magna or its affiliates. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the shares issued upon exercise of the Magna Warrant will vest and become exercisable upon any “change of control” (as defined in the Magna Warrant).

The shares that may be issued pursuant to the exercise of the Magna Warrant are being offered and sold in a transaction exempt from registration under the Securities Act in reliance on Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act.

Convertible Promissory Notes Offering

At an initial closing on January 2, 2024 and subsequent closings on January 12, 2024, January 22, 2024 and January 26, 2024, we issued to certain accredited investors convertible promissory notes, for which the Company received an aggregate of $5.0 million in proceeds. The convertible promissory notes bear interest at a rate of 6.00% per year, compounded annually, due and payable upon request by each investor on or after the 12-month anniversary of the original issuance date of each note. The Company may not prepay or repay the notes in cash without the consent of the investors.

Note Payable – Related Party

On December 27, 2023, Serve issued a senior secured promissory note to its Chief Executive Officer for which Serve received $70,000 in proceeds. The note bore interest at 7.67% per annum. The agreement contained a clause that the terms would be updated if subsequent notes were issued at a more favorable term. Serve repaid the note on January 3, 2024.

Merger Agreement

On July 31, 2023, Patricia Acquisition Corp., Acquisition Sub, and Serve entered into the Merger Agreement. Pursuant to the terms of the Merger Agreement, on the Closing Date, Acquisition Sub merged with and into Serve, with Serve continuing as the surviving corporation and our wholly owned subsidiary.

As a result of the Merger, we acquired the business of Serve, a leading autonomous sidewalk delivery company based in Redwood City, California. See “Description of our Business.” At the Effective Time, each of Serve’s shares of capital stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger was converted into the right to receive 0.8035 of a share of our common stock (in the case of shares held by accredited investors), with the maximum number of shares of our common stock issuable to the former holders of Serve’s capital stock equal to 20,948,917 shares after adjustments due to rounding for fractional shares. Immediately prior to the Effective Time, an aggregate of 3,500,000 shares of our common stock owned by our stockholders prior to the Merger were forfeited and canceled (the “Stock Forfeiture”).

In addition, pursuant to the Merger Agreement, (i) options to purchase 1,984,951 shares of Serve’s common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger under the 2021 Plan were assumed and converted into options to purchase 1,594,800 shares of our common stock, (ii) warrants to purchase 160,323 shares of Serve’s Series Seed preferred stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger were assumed and converted into warrants to purchase 128,819 shares of our common stock and (iii) warrants to purchase 17,314 shares of Serve’s common stock issued and outstanding immediately prior to the closing of the Merger were assumed and converted into warrants to purchase 13,911 shares of our common stock and (iv) SAFEs totaling $15,551,953 were converted into 4,372,613 shares of our common stock.

Private Placement

Following the Effective Time of the Merger, we sold 3,183,671 shares of our common stock pursuant to the Private Placement in multiple closings. We also issued 937,961 shares of our common stock to convert the outstanding principal and interest of outstanding Bridge Notes in connection with the consummation of the Merger.

Each investor in the Private Placement was required to represent that, at the time of the applicable closing, it (i) has a substantive, pre-existing relationship with us, or has direct contact with us or the Placement Agents or other enumerated parties outside of the Private Placement and (ii) did not independently contact us as a result of general solicitation by means of this prospectus, any press release or any other public disclosure disclosing the material terms of the Private Placement.

Note Payable – Related Party

In June and July 2023, the Company issued a senior secured promissory note with its Chief Executive Officer for which the Company received $449,000 in proceeds. The note bore interest at 7.67% per annum and matured upon the Merger. The agreement contained a clause that the terms would be updated if subsequent notes were issued at a more favorable term. Accordingly, based on loans in July 2023, notes were issued that contained a 16% exit fee. Serve repaid the notes upon the closing of the Merger.

Secured Subordinated Promissory Notes

On July 6, 2023, Serve issued Secured Subordinated Promissory Notes (the “Promissory Notes”) to accredited investors in an aggregate principal loan amount of $750,000. Pursuant to the Promissory Notes, the loans accrued interest on the unpaid principal amount at a rate of 18.00% per annum, computed as simple interest. Each holder of the Promissory Notes was entitled to an exit fee equal to 16% of the stated principal amount of such holder’s Promissory Note, less the total amount of interest that accrued on such Promissory Note prior to the closing of the Merger (the “Exit Fee”). Serve repaid the Promissory Notes and the Exit Fee upon the closing of the Merger.

Outlook And Challenges Facing Our Business

There are a number of industry factors that affect our business which include, among others:

Overall Demand for Last-mile Delivery on Partner Platforms.

Our potential for growth depends significantly on continued demand for last-mile delivery of food and other items on our partner platforms. This demand can fluctuate based on various market cycles and weather and local community health conditions, as well as evolving competitive dynamics. Our largest stream of projected revenue comes from maximizing utilization of our robots to perform deliveries on our partner platforms. Matching algorithms on these platforms as well as the extent of their merchant and end-customer participation in robotic delivery directly impacts the utilization rate of our robots, both of which can be challenging to predict. These uncertainties make demand difficult to forecast for us and our partners.

Customer Concentration.

We currently have a limited number of customers. Sales to Uber represented 71% of our revenues for the year ended December 31, 2023, and if Uber were to breach, cancel, or amend our agreement, it may have an outsized effect on our revenue, cash on hand and profitability. Our business development team is actively pursuing new delivery and branding customers to diversify our customer base.

Inflation and Market Considerations; Availability of Materials, Labor & Services.

We consider most on-demand purchases as discretionary spending for consumers, and we are therefore susceptible to changes in discretionary spending patterns and economic slowdowns in the geographic areas in which merchants on our partners’ platforms operate and in the economy at large. Discretionary consumer spending can be impacted by general economic conditions, unemployment, consumer debt, inflation, rising gasoline prices, interest rates, consumer confidence and other macroeconomic factors. Inflation can lead to increased cost of material and labor for restaurants and merchants who may in turn raise prices on the item they sell and result in a reduction in demand for those items. To the extent inflation reduces economic activity and consumer demand for items we deliver, it could negatively impact our financial results. Continued uncertainty in or a worsening of the economy, generally or in a number of our markets, and consumers’ reactions to these trends could adversely affect our business and cause us to, among other things, reduce the number and frequency of new market openings or cease operations in existing markets. It is important to note, however, that inflation can also serve as a tailwind that would accelerate the adoption of automated robotic last-mile delivery as labor becomes more expensive and drives up the cost of delivery by humans.

Intellectual Property.

We rely on patented and non-patented proprietary information relating to product development, manufacturing capabilities and other core competencies of our business. Protection of intellectual property is critical. Therefore, steps such as additional patent applications, confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements, as well as other security measures are important. While we believe we have a strong patent portfolio and there is no actual or, to our knowledge, threatened litigation against us for patent-related matters, litigation or threatened litigation is a common method to effectively enforce or protect intellectual property rights. Such action may be initiated by or against us and would require significant management time and expenses.

Supply Chain Constraints.

The global supply shortage of electrical components, including semiconductor chips and other hardware components essential to the manufacturing and maintenance of our robots, continued to impact our supply chain throughout 2023. As a result, we experienced increases in our lead times and costs for certain components to build our robots. Although our supply chain normalized during 2023, we cannot be sure whether global supply chain shortages will impact our future robot build plans. In order to mitigate supply chain risks, we would need to incur higher costs to secure available inventory and place non-cancellable purchase commitments with our suppliers, which could introduce inventory risk if our forecasts and assumptions prove inaccurate. Higher costs of components would impact our cash runway and delays in the manufacturing of our robots would push out our revenue forecasts.

Governmental and Regulatory Conditions.

Our potential for growth depends on continued permission and acceptance by local governments and municipalities where our robots perform deliveries. Changes in regulations such as the imposition of a cap on the number of robots or technical requirements such as robot size and weight restrictions or limitations on autonomy within a certain geographic area could reduce or limit our ability to generate revenues and/or impact our unit economics in those markets.

Future Prospects.

We anticipate that we will continue to experience operating losses in 2023 and 2024 as we seek to implement our long-term strategic plan, using the net proceeds from the Private Placement to accelerate our development through increased research and development spending, scale our robotic fleet, expand our sales and business development efforts and increase our overall headcount in order to achieve efficiencies through scaled growth. Our goal over the next two years is to scale our operating fleet by a factor of 10 and expand our geographic coverage to new markets beyond our current operating area in Los Angeles. With such an increase, we anticipate proportional increases in capital costs, overhead and operating expenses. Our ability to initially achieve profitability is dependent upon numerous factors, including the development of revenues, general business and economic conditions and other risks and uncertainties, including those listed under “Risk Factors” elsewhere in this prospectus.

Components of Results of Operations

Revenue

Our revenue currently consists primarily of (1) delivery revenues and (2) revenues from branding.

Operating Expenses

Cost of revenue. Cost of revenue consists primarily of allocations of depreciation on robot assets used for revenue-producing activities, personnel time related to revenue-producing activities and costs related to data, software and similar costs that allow the robots to function as intended and for the Company to communicate with the robots while in service.

Operations. Operations expenses primarily consist of costs for field operations personnel.

Research and Development. Costs incurred in the research and development of the Company’s products are expensed as incurred. Research and development costs include product design, hardware and software costs.

Sales and Marketing. Sales and marketing expenses include personnel costs and public relations expenses. Advertising costs are expensed as incurred and included in sales and marketing expenses.

General and Administrative. General and administrative expenses primarily consist of personnel-related expenses for executive management and administrative functions, including finance and accounting, legal and human resources, as well as general corporate expenses and general insurance. General and administrative expenses also include depreciation on property and equipment as well as amortization of right of use assets. These costs are expensed as incurred.

Interest Expense

Interest expense consists of stated rates of interest on financing instruments, fees incurred related to financing instruments or accretion of debt discounts.

Changes in Fair Value of future equity obligations

Changes in the fair value of SAFEs relate to updated assumptions and estimates are recognized within the statements of operations.

Other Income, Net

Other income, net of other expenses, consists primarily of income generated from our interest-bearing deposit account.

Financial Overview

For the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, we generated revenues of $0.21 million and $0.11 million, respectively, and reported net loss of $24.81 million and $21.86 million, respectively.

As noted in our consolidated financial statements, as of December 31, 2023, we had an accumulated deficit of $68.33 million.

Results of Operations

Comparison of Results of Operations for the Year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022

The following table summarizes our operating results as reflected in our unaudited statements of operations during the year ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, and provides information regarding the dollar and percentage increase (or decrease) during such periods.

Revenues were $0.21 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with $0.11 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was because 2023 had a full year of operations, whereas 2022 had a partial year, which resulted in more delivery fees.

Cost of revenues was $1.73 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with $1.15 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. The increase was because 2023 had a full year of operations, whereas 2022 had a partial year, which resulted in more costs.

General and administrative expense increased $0.83 million to $4.62 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $3.79 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, due primarily to an increase in costs related to administrative functions, including finance and accounting, legal and human resources, as well as general corporate expenses.

Operations expense increased $0.53 million to $2.56 million for the year ended December 31, 2023, compared with $2.04 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, due primarily to servicing the larger scale of the robot fleet.

Research and development expense, which represented 51.8% and 68.1% of total operating expenses for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively, decreased $3.62 million to $9.95 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $13.57 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, due primarily to a reduction in workforce effective December 2022.

Sales and marketing expenses increased $0.08 million to $0.61 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $0.53 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, due primarily to an increase in personnel costs and public relations expenses.

For the year ended December 31, 2023 an impairment of long-lived asset expense of $1.47 million was recognized. Based on evaluating the forecasted cash flows through the assets’ remaining useful life, and technology becoming obsolete once a new generation of robots is expected to launch, in 2024, management concluded to record a full impairment of the assets. Due to the discounted cash flows being negative through the remaining useful life (November 2024), and the technology becoming obsolete once a new generation of robots is launched, it was determined that there was an impairment and the expense recognized.

Operating expense decreased $0.71 million to $19.20 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $19.91 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, due primarily to a reduction in workforce effective December 2022.

Interest expense increased $1.63 million to $2.26 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $0.64 million for the year ended December 31, 2022. This increase is related to the accretion of debt discounts which is a result of debts entered into that contained redemption features requiring derivative accounting and warrants issued with debt that discounted the debts. The majority of the increase is due to accretion and to a lesser extent, the interest on the Farnam Lease.

The change in fair value of future equity obligations increased by $1.41 million to $1.67 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $0.27 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to the revaluation of SAFEs immediately prior to conversion into common stock.

The change in fair value of derivative liability increased by $0.15 million to $0.15 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 compared to $0.00 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 primarily due to the revaluation of derivative immediately prior to conversion into common stock, and there was no such derivative in the prior year.

Other expenses were $4.09 million and $0.9 million for each of the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively primarily due to the increases in interest expense described above.

Net loss increased $2.96 million to $24.81 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 from $21.86 million for the same period in 2022. The increase in net loss was primarily attributed to other expenses such as conversion of SAFEs and derivative liability into common stock as well as the impairment on the robot asset in 2023.

Key metrics

We regularly review the following key business metrics to evaluate our business, measure our performance, identify trends affecting our business, formulate business plans, and make strategic decisions:

Daily Active Robots: We define daily active robots as the average number of robots performing daily deliveries during the period. Daily active robots reflect our operation team’s capacity to have active robots in the field performing deliveries and/or generating branding revenues. We closely monitor and strive to increase our daily active robots efficiently as we improve our autonomy and resultant human-to-robot ratios and increase the number of merchants and brand advertisers on our platform.

Daily Supply Hours: We define daily supply hours as the average number of hours our robots are ready to accept offers and perform daily deliveries during the period. Supply hours represent the aggregate number of robot hours per day during which we can utilize our robots for delivery. Supply hours increase as we add active robots and increase the operating window of those robots in a day. We closely monitor and strive to efficiently increase our fleet’s daily supply hours.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Net cash generated by financing activities is our primary source of liquidity. As of December 31, 2023, we had current assets of $1.46 million and current liabilities of $6.24 million, which included $0.01 million in cash and cash equivalents.

We plan to raise additional working capital to fund operations through the issuance of stock to investors and/or issuance of notes payable. We believe, but there is no assurance, that the estimated net proceeds of approximately $36.3 million from this offering and our existing cash and cash equivalents will be sufficient to fund our current operating plans through 2025.

Our ability to continue as a going concern is dependent on our ability to raise adequate capital to fund operating losses until we can generate liquidity from our business operations. The report of our independent auditor on the audited financial statements contained in this prospectus includes an explanatory paragraph describing conditions that raise substantial doubt about our ability to continue as a going concern. To the extent sufficient financing is not available, we may not be able to, or may be delayed in, developing our offerings and meeting our obligations. We will continue to evaluate our projected expenditures relative to our available cash and evaluate financing alternatives in order to satisfy our working capital and other cash requirements.

Cash Flows

As of December 31, 2023, our cash and cash equivalents were $0.01 million. The following table shows a summary of our cash flows for the periods presented in millions:

Operating Activities

Net cash used in operating activities was $15.97 and $21.40 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease of $5.43 million was attributable primarily to a decrease in operating expenses including headcount and personnel costs, research and development, and support to revenue-producing activities.

Investing Activities

Net cash used in investing activities was $0.00 and $4.06 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The usage of cash in 2022 related to the build of our second-generation robots, whereas in 2023, there were no new builds of robots.

Financing Activities

Net cash provided by financing activities was $13.27 and $20.21 million for the years ended December 31, 2023 and 2022, respectively. The decrease of $6.95 million was attributable primarily to reduced proceeds from SAFEs in 2023 compared to 2022, and lower proceeds from Silicon Valley Bank loan in 2022.

Indebtedness

In March 2022, we entered into a term loan with Silicon Valley Bank for gross proceeds of $2.50 million with a maturity date of March 1, 2025. The loan accrues interest at the greater of 3.25% or prime rate. Principal payments commenced on October 1, 2022, and the loan is repayable in 30 installments of principal and accrued interest.

We also entered into an equipment financing lease agreement with Farnam in June 2022, commencing November 2022, for the cost of building robots, calling for 24 monthly payments of approximately $0.19 million based on an expected total cost of $4.46 million of robot parts and manufacturing costs. In December 2023, the agreement was modified for three monthly payments of approximately $0.03 million and 12 monthly payments of approximately $0.19 million, subject to certain terms and effective in 2024.

Contractual Obligations and Commitments

The following is a summary of our significant contractual obligations as of December 31, 2023.

On December 31, 2021, we entered into a strategic supply agreement with a manufacturer of component parts used for our robot assets. The agreement calls for a minimum of $2.30 million in purchases over a two-year period ending December 2023. At the end of the two-year period, the vendor may invoice us for any shortfall in orders. As of December 31, 2023, the minimum purchase commitment was extended one year.

We have minimum spend agreements related to simulation software and storage services. The purchase commitments extend for a period of two to three years.

Off-Balance Sheet Transactions

We did not have during the periods presented, and we do not currently have, any off-balance sheet financing arrangements or any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as structured finance or special purpose entities, that were established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes.

Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto included in this report are prepared in accordance with United States generally accepted accounting principles. The preparation of consolidated financial statements also requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, costs and expenses and related disclosures. Our most critical accounting estimates relate to impairment of long-lived assets, valuation of SAFEs, stock-based compensation and right of use assets and liabilities. These estimates are critical as they require management judgment for inputs that are not observable. These estimates are developed based on historical experience and various other assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances. Actual results could differ significantly from the estimates made by management. To the extent that there are differences between our estimates and actual results, our future financial statement presentation, financial condition, results of operation and cash flows will be affected. We believe that the accounting policies described below involve a greater degree of judgment and complexity. Accordingly, these are the policies we believe are most critical to aid in fully understanding and evaluating our consolidated financial condition and results of operations.

Revenue Recognition

We account for revenue in accordance with ASC 606 – Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”). We determine revenue recognition through the following steps:

Revenue is recognized when control of the promised goods or services is transferred to customers, in an amount that reflects the consideration we expect to be entitled to in exchange for those goods or services. As a practical expedient, we do not adjust the transaction price for the effects of a significant financing component if, at contract inception, the period between customer payment and the transfer of goods or services is expected to be one year or less.

To date, we have generated initial revenues from our delivery services as well as branding fees. For delivery services, we satisfy our performance obligation when the delivery is complete, which is the point in time control of the delivered product transfers to the customer. We recognize branding fees over time as performance obligations are completed over the term of the agreement.

Lease Recognition

We account for leases under ASC 842 – Leases. We do not apply the recognition requirements for leases with a term of twelve months or less. We determine if an arrangement is a lease, or includes an embedded lease, at inception for each contract or agreement. A contract is or contains an embedded lease if the contract meets all of the below criteria:

Our operating lease agreements include office and warehouse space. Right-of-use (“ROU”) assets represent the right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and operating lease liabilities represent the obligation to make payments arising from the lease or embedded lease. Operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities are recognized at commencement date based on the present value of the future minimum lease payments over the lease term. As most leases do not provide an implicit rate, we use an incremental borrowing rate that is based on the estimated rate of interest for a collateralized borrowing of a similar asset, using a similar term as the lease payments at the commencement date. Indirect capital costs are capitalized and included in the ROU assets at commencement.

The operating lease ROU assets and operating lease liabilities include any lease payments made, including any variable amounts that are based on an index or rate, and exclude lease incentives. Variability that is not due to an index or rate, such as payments made based on hourly rates, are excluded from the lease liability. Lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease.

Renewal option periods are included within the lease term and the associated payments are recognized in the measurement of the operating ROU asset and operating lease liability when they are at our discretion and considered reasonably certain of being exercised. Over the lease term, we use the effective interest rate method to account for the lease liability as lease payments are made and the ROU asset is amortized in a manner that results in straight-line expense recognition.

We have elected the practical expedient not to recognize leases with an initial term of 12 months or less on our balance sheets and lease expense is recognized on a straight-line basis over the term of the short-term lease.

Stock-Based Compensation

We account for stock-based compensation in accordance with ASC 718, Compensation – Stock Compensation. We measure all stock-based awards granted to employees, directors and non-employee consultants based on the fair value on the date of the grant and recognizes compensation expense for those awards, net of estimated forfeitures, over the requisite service period, which is generally the vesting period of the respective award. For awards with service-based vesting conditions, we record the expense for using the straight-line method. For awards with performance-based vesting conditions, we record the expense if and when we conclude that it is probable that the performance condition will be achieved.

We classify stock-based compensation expenses in our statement of operations in the same manner in which the award recipient’s payroll costs are classified or in which the award recipient’s service payments are classified.

The fair value of each stock option grant is estimated on the date of grant using the Black-Scholes option-pricing model. We historically have been a private company and lacks company-specific historical and implied volatility information for our stock. Therefore, we estimate our expected stock price volatility based on the historical volatility of publicly traded peer companies and expect to continue to do so until such time as we have adequate historical data regarding the volatility of our own traded stock price. The expected term of our stock options has been determined utilizing the “simplified” method for awards that qualify as “plain-vanilla” options. The risk-free interest rate is determined by reference to the U.S. Treasury yield curve in effect at the time of grant of the award for time periods approximately equal to the expected term of the award. Expected dividend yield is based on the fact that we have never paid cash dividends on common stock and do not expect to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future. Determining the appropriate fair value of stock-based awards requires the input of subjective assumptions. The assumptions used in calculating the fair value of stock-based awards represent management’s best estimates and involve inherent uncertainties and the application of management’s judgment. As a result, if factors change and management uses different assumptions, stock-based compensation expenses could be materially different for future awards.

Emerging Growth Company and Smaller Reporting Company Status

We are an “emerging growth company,” as defined in the JOBS Act. The JOBS Act provides that an emerging growth company can take advantage of an extended transition period for complying with new or revised accounting standards. This provision allows an emerging growth company to either early adopt or delay the adoption of some accounting standards until those standards would otherwise apply to private companies. We have elected to use the extended transition period under the JOBS Act until the earlier of the date we (i) are no longer an emerging growth company or (ii) affirmatively and irrevocably opt out of the extended transition period provided in the JOBS Act. As a result, our financial statements may not be comparable to companies that comply with new or revised accounting pronouncements as of public company effective dates.

We are also a “smaller reporting company” meaning that the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700 million and our annual revenue was less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year. We may continue to be a smaller reporting company if either (i) the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $250 million or (ii) our annual revenue was less than $100 million during the most recently completed fiscal year and the market value of our stock held by non-affiliates is less than $700 million. If we are a smaller reporting company at the time we cease to be an emerging growth company, we may continue to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are available to smaller reporting companies. Specifically, as a smaller reporting company we may choose to present only the two most recent fiscal years of audited financial statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K and, similar to emerging growth companies, smaller reporting companies have reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation.

Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure

As of the Effective Time (i) Grassi & Co., CPAs, P.C. (“Grassi”), was dismissed as the independent registered public accounting firm of the Company and (ii) our board of directors engaged dbbmckennon (“dbbmckennon”) as the independent registered public accounting firm to audit Serve’s financial statements for the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 and to audit our financial statements for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the subsequent interim period through the date of Grassi’s dismissal, there were no disagreements with Grassi on any matter of accounting principles or practices, financial statement disclosure or auditing scope or procedure, which disagreements, if not resolved to the satisfaction of Grassi, would have caused it to make reference to the subject matter thereof in connection with its report, nor did its report contain an adverse opinion or a disclaimer of opinion, or was qualified or modified as to uncertainty, audit scope or accounting principle.

During the fiscal years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, and the subsequent interim period through the date of Grassi’s dismissal, neither we nor anyone acting on our behalf consulted dbbmckennon regarding the application of accounting principles to a specified transaction, either completed or proposed, or the type of audit opinion that might be rendered on our financial statements.

BUSINESS

Formation History

Serve Operating Co. was incorporated in the State of Delaware on January 15, 2021. Serve is a spin-off of Uber, a global ride-hailing and last-mile delivery platform. The Serve initiative was initially formed in 2017 as the X division of Postmates, a pioneering food delivery startup in the United States. Uber acquired Postmates in 2020, including the Postmates X division.

At the beginning of 2021, Uber’s leadership agreed to contribute the intellectual property developed by the Postmates X division team, the related assets, as well as a capital investment to Serve in return for a minority equity interest in the business.

Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations

The following is a glossary of technical terms used in this prospectus:

AI — Artificial Intelligence

AV — Autonomous Vehicle

GHG — Greenhouse Gases

GPS — Global Positioning System

GPU — Graphical Processing Unit

IMU — Inertial Measurement Unit

LIDAR — A digital sensor for measuring distance to objects which uses the principle of radar, but uses light from a laser

ODD — Operating Design Domain describes the specific operating conditions in which the automated driving system is designed to properly operate, including but not limited to roadway types, speed range and environmental conditions

Reverse Logistics — A type of supply chain management that moves goods from customers back to the sellers or manufacturers

Overview

We are on a mission to deliver a sustainable future by transforming how goods move among people.

Serve has developed an advanced, AI-powered robotics mobility platform, with last-mile delivery in cities as its first application. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics in 2017, 45% of car trips in the United States are taken for shopping and errands, and in 2019, FedEx stated that over 60% of merchants’ customers live within three miles of a store location. By eliminating unnecessary car traffic, and by reducing the cost of last-mile transportation, Serve aims to reshape cities into sustainable, safe, and people-friendly environments, with thriving local economies.

Serve’s first product is a low-emissions robot that serves people in public spaces, starting with food delivery. In 2017, our core technology development began with our co-founders and a growing product and engineering team. In 2020, the team launched delivery robots in Los Angeles performing contactless deliveries during the COVID-19 pandemic shutdowns. By the end of that year, Serve robots had successfully completed over 10,000 commercial deliveries for Postmates in California, augmenting Postmates’ fleet of human couriers.

Postmates was acquired by Uber in 2020, and in February of 2021, Uber’s leadership team agreed to contribute the intellectual property developed by the team and assets relating to this project to Serve. In return for this contribution and an investment of cash into the Company, Uber acquired a minority equity interest in the business. By the end of the first quarter of 2021, the majority of the team that had worked on this project at Postmates joined Serve as full-time employees.

After spinning off from Uber in 2021, Serve established a commercial partnership with Uber, with deliveries starting in January 2022 on a small scale. In May 2022, Uber announced a pilot program with Serve, and by June, it executed a commercial-scale agreement with Serve to deploy up to 2,000 of its robots across the United States.

Serve’s current fleet consists of over 100 robots, and we plan to expand our fleet by building and deploying hundreds of new robots in the coming years after raising additional rounds of financing. Our goal is to deploy all 2,000 Uber robots by the end of 2025, though the exact timing and robot quantity will be determined by future capital availability. We currently do not expect to be able to build and deploy robots in 2024 based on our existing capital. We have platform-level integrations with Uber Eats and 7-Eleven, Inc. in Los Angeles, California, which means Serve robots can provide real-time presence and status updates on those platforms and receive requests to perform deliveries with respect to customer orders placed on those platforms as needed. We have also successfully conducted pilots for Walmart, a major pizza quick service restaurant and a major coffee shop chain. To date, Uber Eats is the only partner for whom we have completed a material number of deliveries. Our strategic investors include NVIDIA, Uber, 7-Ventures and Delivery Hero’s corporate venture units, alongside other world-class investors.

Because we started within a food delivery company, our team comes with a depth of expertise in food delivery. Additionally, our engineering team has extensive experience in AI, automation and robotics. Our leadership team includes veterans from Uber, Postmates, Waymo, Apple Inc., Blue Origin, LLC, GoPro, Inc., GoDaddy Inc. and Anki, Inc. We believe our expertise positions us to service the ever-growing on-demand delivery market, including food delivery.

Based on our proprietary historical delivery data, approximately half of all food delivery distances in the United States are less than 2.5 miles, making these deliveries well-suited to delivery by sidewalk robots. We provide a robotic delivery experience that can delight customers, improve reliability for merchants and reduce traffic congestion and vehicle emissions. Moreover, at scale with full utilization and high autonomy, we believe our robots have the potential to reduce average delivery cost to under $1.00, lower than delivery cost by human couriers today, making on-demand delivery more affordable and accessible in the areas in which we operate. In fact, according to a 2024 ARK Invest report, by using automation to reduce delivery costs, the potential market for food and parcel delivery by robots and drones may grow to as much as $450 billion in 2030.

Last-Mile Delivery Costs

Despite new technological innovations of the past few decades as well as growing adoption of online commerce and home delivery, last-mile delivery has remained costly and inefficient. From 2020 to 2023, DoorDash, the largest food delivery platform in the United States, reported nearly 200% in revenue growth, while cost of revenue increased 235% over that four-year period. By our own estimate, in addition to cost of labor, issues such as fraud and refunds caused by driver error (for example, failed deliveries or missing items) increase average delivery cost of couriers by over $1.00 per delivery.

Besides on-demand delivery, next-day parcel delivery has also struggled with last-mile cost. For example, in May 2023, Amazon announced a program to reduce its delivery costs by offering certain customers $10 to pick up items from nearby stores.

Tailwinds for Automation

While an ever-growing share of consumers is shopping online and demanding faster deliveries, a number of factors have contributed to keeping last-mile costs high:

Labor cost inflation and regulatory pressures serve as tailwinds that are expected to accelerate the adoption of automated robotic last-mile delivery. While labor costs typically increase over time, hardware and technology costs typically decrease. We expect the cost of cameras, GPU processors, electric motors, batteries, and advanced sensors such as LIDAR to continue to decrease, as artificial intelligence algorithms become more capable and less expensive and mobile networks become faster and more reliable with higher bandwidth and geographic coverage, which together we believe will lead to a downward trend in the cost of building and operating robots and serve as additional tailwinds for the adoption of robots.

Delivery Robots, Aerial Drones and Autonomous Vehicles

We believe that the evolving landscape of urban mobility will see a shift towards the unbundling of traditional vehicular transportation, potentially ushering in an era where specialized robots and automated vehicles will play a central role in mobility. After the introduction of automobiles in the early 20th century, according to reports, the United States experienced a transition from 25 million horses in the 1920s, to over 283 million cars in the 2020s — over 11 vehicles replacing one horse. Drawing on this trend, we believe the development of specialized, efficient robots in the future has the potential to lead to a similar proliferation of robots for every existing vehicle.

For example, consider the delivery of goods, which represents a major application for vehicles today. Deliveries vary by distance, cargo size, cargo sensitivity and timing requirements, among other factors. Today, most next-day parcels are delivered using trucks, while on-demand food delivery largely takes place in personal vehicles. Overall, a small percentage of short distance deliveries are performed on bicycles.

As automation is introduced, we believe different automated technologies will be best suited for different deliveries. AVs will be best for longer distance and larger deliveries, though experts currently believe AVs are still many years away from scaled, profitable operation. Delivery robots and aerial drones, however, have been commercially operating in a variety of environments for several years and are expected to scale over the coming years. We believe robots are best suited for short distance deliveries in populated environments, while drones are best suited for longer distances and less populated areas. When different automated vehicles emerge at scale, we expect to see a considerable share of deliveries completed using multiple technologies collaboratively.

For example, while aerial drones may provide faster delivery experience across longer distances and less populated areas, they face many challenges when it comes to picking up orders from many restaurants located in densely populated areas: safety concerns to sidewalk pedestrians, noise pollution and lack of availability of dedicated real estate at every store front, among others. Instead, we expect delivery robots will be able to pick up items on busy streets and urban environments and deliver them to a drone at a nearby hand-off location. While in motion, a battery-powered delivery robot often generates less noise and carries considerably less kinetic energy than a flying drone. By blending with existing infrastructure without introducing significant noise or safety concerns, delivery robots may enable drones to access items in the most populated spaces that may otherwise be challenging for drones to access in the future.

Similarly, when AVs become commercially viable, they will face challenges accessing merchants on congested streets where parking is limited. Restaurant waiting staff are often too busy to walk to the nearest available parking space to load an AV. We expect delivery robots will facilitate this process and help accelerate the adoption of AVs by allowing them to commercialize within existing urban infrastructures.

In summary, delivery robots, aerial drones and AVs are each efficacious for deliveries with different attributes, and all three can work collaboratively to create a more efficient automated last-mile delivery network. The applications of robotics in delivery are wide-ranging, from on-demand food and grocery to convenience goods, alcohol, pharmaceuticals, parcels and more. According to a 2023 Business Insider report, the market for delivery robots is predicted to grow to $1 trillion by 2030.

Delivery Robot Operations

Our delivery robots start each day at a central hub located near their operating area. Employees at the hub prepare robots for dispatch every morning by ensuring robots are cleaned, regular maintenance items are performed and robots pass daily diagnostic tests. While most robots deploy to and return from their operating area automatically and without further vehicular assistance, some robots may be transported to and from operating areas that are further away in a human-driven vehicle.

While in the field, we estimate that Serve robots are able to navigate over 80% of their environment autonomously. They are supervised through mobile connectivity and video streaming by remote human operators who can assist robots when necessary, such as at intersection crossings or when robots are unable to navigate certain conditions (e.g., blocked paths, construction zones, etc.). In less frequent occasions, if a robot requires physical assistance, such as when a robot is too low on battery to return home or if it has been damaged, a nearby employee is dispatched to repair or return the robot. As of January 2024, fewer than 1 out of every 500 of our robotic deliveries require physical assistance.

Throughout the day, each robot receives a series of delivery orders from partnered merchants and delivery platforms. Upon acceptance of any such order, the robot navigates to the pick-up location, waits outside and notifies merchant staff, often through their existing delivery tablets or point-of-sale devices. Once the merchant staff load the package into the robot, it navigates to its drop-off destination. A similar sequence of events results in customers meeting the robot at the curb, unlocking its cargo using their delivery app or on-screen instructions, and retrieving their package.

At night, robots return to their central hub to be recharged, maintained, upgraded when necessary, and prepared for the next morning’s deployment. Also, various robot components are occasionally replaced due to wear and tear (e.g., tires, motors and batteries). Other components such as computers and key sensors like LIDAR have multi-year lifespans and are rarely replaced. Overall, the useful life of a robot is measured in years, as calculated based on the average lifespan of individual components weighted by their cost.

Delivery robots have inherent limitations on how much cargo they can carry and how quickly they can move given the constraints of the sidewalk environment. Current Serve robots carry up to 13 gallons of cargo and can move at a maximum speed of 7 mph. This imposes limits on addressable deliveries, travel time and rate of utilization of robots. For example, due to their speed, delivery robots are best suited for short-distance deliveries, though approximately half of food deliveries in the United States are under 2.5 miles and thus within the delivery range of sidewalk robots. Assuming a target customer delivery wait time of approximately 30 minutes, food delivery robots operating 12 hours per day could perform a maximum of 20 to 30 deliveries per day, depending on the rate of batched deliveries.

Furthermore, our robots are equipped with a number of security features to prevent their cargo and their associated data and IP from unauthorized access. The robots’ secure cargo compartment can only be unlocked through the delivery app’s interface or using a security code entered on the robots’ touchscreen. Moreover, using encrypted communication protocols and data storage as well as secure authentication methods, the data and software onboard each robot is protected from unauthorized access. Finally, robots are equipped with redundant real-time location tracking systems as well as alarm and communication features to deter attempts at vandalism and enable quick recovery of assets in the unlikely event of theft.

Impact of Robotic Delivery

As automation decreases the cost of last-mile delivery and leads to increased adoption, we anticipate opportunities for impact over the long term:

Moreover, faster and cheaper local deliveries as well as easier and more cost-effective reverse logistics will likely result in new consumer behaviors and increased use of online commerce. For example, a customer ordering a pair of shoes from Amazon may wait several days only to receive an ill-fitting pair that must be returned while they wait more days for the next pair. In contrast, a customer ordering shoes from a local store could have three pairs of varying sizes delivered to their front door by a robot within an hour. They may try them on, pick the best fitting pair, and leave the other pairs in the robot to return.

Delivery robots weigh significantly less and move at lower speeds than cars; as a result, on average, a single car carries over a thousand times more kinetic energy than a single robot. We anticipate that replacing cars with delivery robots could result in safer cities for pedestrians and cyclists.

Serve Technology

Our robotic technology has been developed based on the following key principles:

The following are key highlights of our approach to technology development:

Artificial Intelligence — AI empowers Serve robots to navigate city sidewalks and interact with their environment safely and efficiently. We use the latest AI methodologies to design, train and deploy a host of models on Serve robots.

Currently, our AI models are used to perform a variety of tasks, including identification of sidewalk surfaces, intersections, traffic signals, obstacles, pedestrians and vehicles and projecting the trajectory of other dynamic agents.

For the last six years of development, we have continued to create AI models with new capabilities while improving the performance of existing models. We expect to continue developing increasingly more capable AI models to improve robots’ performance and differentiate Serve from alternative products and solutions. As the broader field of Artificial Intelligence advances, we expect to benefit from such advances by increasing efficiency and effectiveness of our robots.

Level 4 Autonomy — In January 2022, we announced the deployment of a new generation of delivery robots capable of operating at Level 4 autonomy.

Level 4 autonomous robots can drive without humans in the loop for periods of time while they are operating in their intended operating environments (also known as “ODDs”). Specifically, Serve robots are capable of driving autonomously on certain sidewalks without a remote human supervisor having to oversee their movement. This capability makes it possible to operate our robots at lower cost than remotely operated robots used by our competitors, because it enables a single remote operator to simultaneously perform multiple deliveries.

Currently, we estimate that Serve robots can autonomously navigate over 80% of their operating environment with the help of a number of different AI models that detect people, objects and terrains and predict future state of dynamic actors. Serve robots’ autonomous capabilities enable one remote supervisor to safely monitor up to four moving robots.

Through frequent software updates, Serve’s AI models are continuously improved. We believe that over the coming years, we can steadily increase our robots’ autonomous capabilities using new and improved AI models and more training data including new edge cases encountered every day by our operating fleet.

Safety — Achieving Level 4 autonomy required Serve robots to maintain safety even when operating without supervision. As such, we have designed robust onboard safety systems that rely heavily on Serve’s advanced sensors and AI capabilities. This significantly reduces the possibility of collisions even when the robots are being supervised.

In fact, we believe robots that rely heavily on humans for safety are not sufficiently safe, because without automated onboard safety features, humans are prone to error. Also, data networks used for remote supervision frequently fail, slow down or get interrupted. Therefore, over-reliance on error-prone humans and failure-prone data networks makes human-in-the-loop safety inadequate.

In contrast, current Serve robots are equipped with an extensive array of onboard technologies that ensure safe and reliable operation without over-reliance on humans. Serve robots utilize multiple layers of redundant systems for critical navigation functions, including multiple sensor modalities—active sensors such as LIDAR and ultrasonics, as well as passive sensors such as cameras—to navigate safely on busy city sidewalks. Our robots have a wide range of capabilities, such as:

Robot Design — As a division of Postmates during Serve’s inception, we had access to millions of historical delivery records. This enabled us to design robots from the ground up based on proprietary insights about last-mile delivery.

Current Serve robots consist of a number of key systems:

Rather than a fixed wheelbase, our robots use a bogie that connects the pair of wheels on each side of the robot together via a differential. Relative to the main chassis, each pair of wheels can rotate in opposite directions to maintain full traction on all four wheels regardless of road surface irregularities. As a result, Serve robots can reliably navigate challenging city sidewalks that include tree wells, fallen branches, tree roots and other unexpected obstacles.

Our bogie design was inspired by the suspension arrangement first developed by NASA in 1988 for the Mars rover Sojourner. Since then, NASA has used similar designs in Mars rovers Spirit, Opportunity, Curiosity and, most recently Perseverance.

Stage of Development — Though still early in their development maturity cycle, Serve robots are the result of over six years of engineering and development. Every day, we continue to work on improving our robots’ capabilities, including making them faster, safer, smarter and more affordable.

The following table provides a list of Serve robots’ current specifications:

Serve robots are designed to operate in the common environmental conditions in each operating market. Currently we limit Serve’s operation to warm and dry climates, and do not operate robots under rare or extreme conditions such as strong storms or unusually high or low temperatures.

With additional financing required for further development, we expect each new generation of robots to continually expand their operating envelope (e.g., introducing the ability to manage ice and snow), which we believe in turn could expand our market reach. Our roadmap includes a new generation of robots launching in 2024 (assuming availability of sufficient capital) that includes faster drivetrain, increased battery life, increased range of temperature and rain tolerance and more. The efforts towards the new robot generation began earlier this year and will require continued financing to complete.

Development Process — Our development efforts began in 2017 with extensive market research. Using proprietary historical Postmates delivery data, we ran thousands of simulation scenarios to define desirable robot specifications, best deployment and operation models, as well as go-to-market strategies to achieve the most efficient, low-cost and scalable last-mile robotic delivery. The resulting specifications led to the development of prototype robots that were quickly deployed in San Francisco and Los Angeles to learn from real-life operations while serving customers and merchants.

Today, every subsequent robot generation and incremental software improvement starts with prototyping, followed by iterative rounds of testing and developments. Prior to deployment, we perform extensive quality assurance testing using an expanding array of predefined validation tests, online simulations and in-house testing facilities. The validation tests include safety verifications to ensure any new software or hardware is capable of matching or exceeding pre-defined safety standards. When safety verifications fail, additional cycles of development and testing are required.

Once robots pass pre-deployment testing, a small-scale deployment test is initiated with a representative set of robots. Upon collecting sufficient amounts of performance metrics, the final go/no-go decision is made on whether any new software or hardware will be deployed across the entire fleet.

The design and development process is also informed by regulatory requirements in certain geographies, such as a number of states and municipalities, that have implemented permitting frameworks for robotic delivery. The requirements include limits to robot weight, speed, operating conditions, availability of lights and identifying labels, etc. Lastly, there are also hardware design requirements around electromagnetic radiations and battery safety that are considered during the design and development process.

For each new generation of hardware that introduces changes to relevant components, we build an initial set of evaluation units and use them to obtain necessary certifications. Currently, the only applicable certification requirement for the operation of sidewalk robots in the United States is UN 38.3. We have identified additional certifications that may become required for the operation of sidewalk robots in the United States in the future and have accounted for these certifications in the design and test of our devices.

Manufacturing — Our robots are designed by Serve’s high caliber team of mechanical, electrical, and system engineers to not only meet product requirements but also supply availability of components and manufacturing and assembly for scalability.

Most components are widely available in supply and/or fabricated from raw materials using common manufacturing processes including machining, molding, stamping and additive manufacturing from multiple sources. However, certain highly complex components are obtained from single or limited sources that we may have to compete for with other participants in the robotics, consumer electronics and automotive markets. Therefore, these components can be at times subject to industry-wide shortages, resulting in long lead times and significant pricing fluctuations. Under these circumstances and to maintain production schedules, it may be necessary to temporarily source alternate higher-priced compatible components. Key suppliers of single and limited source components include NVIDIA and Ouster, Inc., in addition to vendors providing cameras, ultrasonic sensors, electronic motors and modems. To mitigate such supply risks, we routinely search for more available alternatives and/or enter into strategic partnerships and agreements to secure pricing and supply of components.

Finally, manufacturing and assembly of robots take place by a third-party contract manufacturer after component supply has been secured. We have proven, first-hand experience designing and assembling multiple generations of Serve robots and we believe our designs are highly manufacturable for contract manufacturers to outsource. Therefore, we are not dependent on any particular outsourcing partner and we are, instead, able to vet top tier contract manufacturers for their DFM (Design for Manufacturing) capabilities and leverage their existing scale to assemble robots in the most cost-effective and timely manner. This typically starts with SMT (Surface Mount Technology) pick and place machines to assemble PCBAs (Printed Circuit Board Assemblies) in batches followed by FATP (Final Assembly Test & Pack) on all the remaining components by subassemblies into fully completed robots before being shipped out and deployed into our markets.

The most recent batch of Serve robots was assembled by a tier 1 contract manufacturer in California within a few months and came in at our highest yield and throughput, all at a manufacturing cost that makes up a small fraction of our total robot cost. This speaks to our ability to design and execute with all our component suppliers and contract manufacturers and we expect to improve even further as we scale with higher volumes.

We plan to use contract manufacturing partners to build future robots. Our goal is to secure adequate funding and resources to begin scaling our fleet starting with a fleet of 2,000 robots deployed for Uber before the end of 2025. We currently do not expect to be able to build and deploy robots in 2024 based on our existing capital.

We are party to a Lease Agreement with Farnam Street Financial, Inc. (“Farnam”) dated as of June 6, 2022 (the “Farnam Lease”), pursuant to which we lease the hardware of our robots. The Farnam Lease had an initial term of 24 months, which was modified in December 2023 to provide for a term of 15 months beginning on January 1, 2024. Pursuant to the Farnam Lease we have a purchase option allowing us to purchase the equipment subject to the Farnam Lease on the last day of the extended lease term (i) in whole for 45% of the original equipment cost, plus applicable taxes, subject to certain conditions or (ii) in part for 20% of the original equipment cost, plus applicable taxes, subject to a renewal of the Farnam Lease for an additional 12 months. The Farnam Lease also includes a right of first refusal requiring us to notify Farnam of any bona fide offer from a third party to lease robots to us (a “Third-Party Offer”) which we intend to accept. Prior to accepting such an offer, we must make an offer to Farnam on the same terms and conditions as the Third-Party Offer. This right of first refusal expires concurrently with the Farnam Lease. 

Robots That Win Hearts and Minds

New technologies often face initial resistance and skepticism before becoming widely accepted. We believe delivery robots are no exception. As such, we have invested significant time and effort in creating robots that would be welcomed by society. Our years of commercial operations to date suggest we are on track to accomplish our mission.

In order to make robots acceptable by the public, we set out our design efforts with a number of key objectives:

Serve’s talented design team has applied the above principles as they studied human-robot interactions on sidewalks, and they have created a robot design that stands in a class of its own.

Business Strategy

After six years of research and development investment in AI, autonomy, safety and efficiency of our robots, we are in a leading position to partner with the world’s largest food delivery platforms, restaurants, retailers, and convenience brands to augment their last-mile human delivery capabilities. Our business strategy relies on providing partners with a complete end-to-end delivery solution and charging a fee per delivery—or per hour depending on the type of partnership.

Additionally, robots can perform other value-add tasks while in operation and capture additional revenues. For example, in 2022 while roughly 50% of our revenue was generated by delivery fees on the Uber Eats platform, the other 50% was generated through branding. Brands have used OOH branding on transit vehicles since the age of streetcars in the 1800s. Similar to billboards and buses today, brands are placing ads on Serve robots’ exteriors.

We anticipate additional revenue opportunities from delivery robots in the future. For example, the ability to license our technology to partners who wish to create their own robots for other applications, including our anticipated agreement with Magna. Additionally, robots can provide a new, more granular and timely data source to mapping providers. They can also enable cities to identify infrastructure problems. As robots become more common, we expect to identify new ways for robots to create value while operating.

New revenues from robot branding and other services supplement delivery revenues, and as a result position delivery robots with better economics compared with existing delivery solutions.

Partnerships

We operate delivery robots for delivery platforms or partnered merchants as either a part of a shared fleet or dedicated, exclusive fleet. For our robots to perform deliveries, they would need to have some level of integration with our partners’ platforms in order to receive an order, determine its suitability for robotic delivery, accept or reject that order and provide status updates and notifications to the merchants and recipients throughout the course of the delivery.

All of our currently active commercial robotic delivery engagements are based on the shared fleet model, whereby a partner sends us their request for robotic delivery and only pays us for those requests we choose to accept and complete. In the current shared fleet model, we have legal custody of the robots and maintain and operate them at all times, receiving payment for performing deliveries and placement of advertising on our robots while incurring all costs and risks relating to the robots and their operation. We may explore other partnership paradigms in the future, such as providing an exclusive fleet to a partner who would maintain and house the robots and pay us a monthly fee for operations and rental of the robots.

In 2021, we signed a commercial agreement with Uber. Pilot deliveries began in early 2022, which successfully led to the execution of an additional agreement in June 2022 to enable the commercial expansion of our service with up to 2,000 robots across multiple markets. Currently, this is our only large-scale commercial contract.

Uber launched its first-of-a-kind autonomy application programming interface in August 2022, with Serve as one of its first integrated partners. Since last year, we have completed thousands of deliveries for Uber Eats customers in Los Angeles and continue to expand our operations. Uber is also a strategic investor in Serve and has participated in multiple financing rounds, and as a result it owns a minority stake in our company.

In addition to Uber and 7-Eleven, Serve has performed pilots for Walmart at its headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, for a major pizza quick service restaurant in Vancouver, Canada and for a major coffee shop chain in Los Angeles, California. All three pilots were successful in achieving their respective targeted performance criteria and the next phase of our engagement with those parties is subject to further negotiations.

Serve is also in discussions with Delivery Hero, also a strategic investor, to identify suitable markets outside North America to launch their first deployment.

Lastly, Serve is in various stages of discussions with a number of other restaurant brands, restaurant integrator platforms, delivery platforms and logistics companies.

Traction

With a fleet of over 100 robots as of December 31, 2023, we provide robotic delivery to more than 300 restaurants on the Uber Eats platform in a number of neighborhoods in Los Angeles. To date, we have completed over 50,000 deliveries to Uber Eats customers and our delivery volume has grown over 25% month-over-month since early 2022.

Serve robots’ delivery reliability is one of its most notable strengths. Our proprietary historical delivery data suggest that on average, human couriers fail to complete five or more orders per every 1,000 deliveries (i.e., 99.5% reliability).  In contrast, Serve robots have achieved a delivery reliability as high as 99.94%, or 0.5 delivery failures per every 1,000 deliveries. Improved delivery quality enhances both customers’ and restaurants’ experiences and reduces the added cost of refunds caused by courier error.

By rapidly growing our delivery volume and proving that our robots are more reliable than human couriers, we have successfully concluded the pilot phase of our partnership with Uber and signed an agreement to deploy up to 2,000 robots across the United States. Our goal is to deploy those robots in 2025, conditioned on securing required capital. We currently do not expect to be able to build and deploy robots in 2024 based on our existing capital.

Growth Strategy

We plan to continue growing our delivery operations and establish Serve as the de facto global leader in automated last-mile delivery. Our growth will be facilitated by continued investment in our hardware, software and AI developments that increase the performance and efficiency of our fleet.

Over the next 24 months, we plan to grow our operation fleet by 10 times and operate in at least two markets. To do this, we must first secure additional capital. Our existing partnerships enable us to access sufficient demand for our projected growth over that period and beyond. Assuming our expected utilization of robots by delivery platform partners, we believe that with a full deployment of 2,000 robots based on our existing contracts with Uber, we will be able to generate $60 million to $80 million in annual revenue and achieve contribution margins of over 50% while reaching positive cash flow by the end of 2025.

Additionally, we plan to continue partnership discussions with a number of food and grocery brands, as well as other delivery and restaurant ordering platforms.

Currently, we do not have plans to expand operations beyond the United States and Canada, but we do engage in partnership discussions from time to time to evaluate the potential to expand into different geographies.

Strategic Investments and Relationships

In addition to revenue partnerships, we have developed strategic relations and collaborate with market leaders in robotics and delivery. Such collaborations have allowed us to improve our product, accelerate our growth, explore new market opportunities and access additional capital.

NVIDIA Corporation — A leading provider of high-performance GPU computing chips, NVIDIA is an early technology collaborator of Serve. We have worked with NVIDIA’s robotics and engineering teams for over five years. Since 2022, NVIDIA has invested over $12 million in Serve.

Delivery Hero SE — A German multinational online food ordering platform with significant presence in Europe and Asia, Delivery Hero is also an early investor of Serve.

Uber Technologies, Inc. — As discussed earlier, Uber holds a minority stake in Serve by contributing Serve’s initial IP and assets developed by the Postmates X division, as well as by participating in multiple financing rounds. Uber is a key commercial partner and has enabled us to reach hundreds of restaurants and thousands of customers within weeks of launching on their platform.

7-Eleven Inc. and 7-Ventures, LLC — A global convenience retailer with over 13,000 locations in the US and Canada as of January 2023, 7-Eleven is another early strategic investor in Serve. Our partnership discussions began in 2020 when Serve was a part of Postmates. 7-Eleven is our first foray into the convenience market, as well as our first direct integration with a retail chain. 7-Ventures, LLC, is an investment firm which operates as the venture capital arm of 7-Eleven^®. The firm invests primarily in companies with emerging retail technology, consumer-focused services and disruptive CPG products that complement 7-Eleven’s legacy of innovation.

In addition to the existing partnerships, we are in discussions with other potential strategic partners that would enable us to grow faster and reach more customers.

Economics of Robotic Delivery

The unit cost of robotic delivery can be divided into two major components: labor costs related to fleet management personnel (remote supervision, field operations, and hardware operations) and costs related to the robots (licensed software, mobile data fees and robot lease payments). In our shared fleet model, both labor and robot costs are incurred by us.

The two most important drivers of delivery cost efficiency are autonomy and robot utilization. Increased autonomy reduces the cost of labor by increasing the number of deliveries per remote supervisor and field operator. Similarly, increasing robot utilization (i.e., number of deliveries per robot per day) leads to lower per delivery cost as fixed costs would be divided over more deliveries, and labor would be more efficiently leveraged.

Additional cost drivers include hardware amortization period, upfront capital costs, and hourly wages for field and remote operations.

It is worth noting the importance of the amortization period in hardware design choices. Designing a more durable robot, as well as using reusable components, will help reduce the cost of delivery. For example, LIDAR sensors and GPU computers have a higher initial cost of capital, and as such some have decided against using them; however, they are long-lasting components that can be amortized over a number of years, and most importantly, they increase autonomy performance and reduce the more significant labor costs.

Besides increasing autonomy performance and robot utilization, achieving operational profitability requires scaling the fleet. Scaled operations allow labor to be more efficiently utilized, while building robots at a higher volume also reduces the unit cost of hardware.

Competition

There are existing direct competitors in the sidewalk robotic space including Kiwibot, Starship Technologies, Coco and Cartken. Kiwibot and Starship primarily focus on college campuses. College campus environments are smaller markets compared to our target market of urban environments. According to the Education Data Initiative, nearly 18 million students were enrolled in American colleges in 2022, compared to over 274 million people who live in urban environments according to University of Michigan’s Center for Sustainable Systems.

Similar to Serve, Coco focuses on urban delivery but does not have a direct marketplace integration with a major third-party delivery platform, which we believe significantly constrains their ability to scale. Integrating with an existing delivery marketplace such as Uber Eats allows Serve to reach customers and merchants in new markets quickly and cost-efficiently without the need to sign every merchant and acquire every customer. Direct marketplace integration also increases robot utilization, and as a result, can reduce cost per delivery by increasing the pool of deliveries available to robots and ensuring they are more likely to receive delivery assignments well suited for robots. Direct marketplace integration also benefits marketplaces by reducing their cost per delivery.

Finally, we believe Coco lacks advanced autonomy, requiring a human remote operator to drive each robot at all times, diminishing cost-effectiveness, scalability and safety. Cartken is a newer entrant to the space with limited operations.

Positioned for Success

We believe that our world-class team, superior technology and market-leading partnerships position us well to be a leader in the robotic delivery race.

Our approach to product development and go-to-market strategy has been informed by the proprietary historical delivery data we had the privilege to access as a division of Postmates. We developed sophisticated simulation tools to anticipate the dynamics of robotic delivery, and design our hardware, software and operations accordingly.

As a result of our access to proprietary data, we have created the following:

In addition to having best-in-class autonomy, strong strategic partnerships and significant deployment contracts, we have also assembled a high integrity, talented team, with a wealth of experience and a history of execution in creating innovative products and businesses.

Our Values

Serve is a mission-driven company based on a set of values that drive who we are and what we do:

Empower People — We serve our neighborhoods and support local businesses. We go beyond self-interest, taking our community into account. We empower each other with trust and autonomy to solve big problems to build a sustainable future.

Passionate, Authentic and Kind — We are mission driven. We value each other. We celebrate milestones and moments, both at Serve and in our personal lives.

Trustworthy — We operate with integrity. We do what we say we will do. We are honest, transparent and respectful.

Safety Is Not Negotiable — We set the standard for safety. Our goal is to eliminate risks to safety. Our commitment goes beyond the sidewalk—we protect our customers’ data, our employees and the public.

Take Ownership, Give Credit — It’s not mine, it’s not yours, it’s ours. We solve big audacious problems working together as a distributed, cross-functional team. We take pride in the quality of our work and no task is beneath us.

Put the Marshmallow on Top — We are humbled by unknowns, not defeated. We see opportunity in ambiguity. We don’t need turn-by-turn directions, but plan our own routes and even scout for others. We embrace experimentation in the face of uncertainty.

Find Truth on the Sidewalk — We experiment rapidly and discover eagerly in the real world. We move fast, gather data and learn by delivering.

Deliver Delight — Both to our customers or to each other! We exceed customer expectations. We bring joy to our work and to our neighborhoods.

Environmental Impact

Based on our internal data, we estimate that over 95% of deliveries completed by Serve robots over the last year would otherwise be performed by personal vehicles. At scale, we estimate that delivery robots can displace oil demand by replacing personal vehicle deliveries and as a result, reduce global GHG emissions by nearly 762 megatons annually. This represents an approximately 2% reduction in the 37.15 billion metric tons of global emissions based on 2022 emissions data provided by the Global Carbon Project in December 2023.

According to the International Energy Agency, 3.53 billion metric tons of CO2 were emitted by passenger vehicles globally in 2022, causing around 10% of global energy-related CO2 emissions. A study published in Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment (Volume 85, August 2020, 102443) suggests that delivery robots reduce energy usage per kilometer by over 97.5% compared to a traditional gas-engine passenger vehicle (as compared to 80% energy use reduction by passenger electric vehicles), and delivery robots produce 96% less emissions compared to gas-engine vehicles. Assuming the accuracy of a 2017 estimate by the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics that 45% of car trips in the United States were taken for shopping and errands and our proprietary delivery data that indicates up to half of all shopping trips can be completed by delivery robots, an estimated 794 megatons of CO2 emissions from passenger vehicles globally may be attributed to shopping trips that we believe delivery robots may be suited to perform. As a result, we believe that with a 96% reduction in CO2 emissions compared to gas-engine vehicles, the scaled use of robotic delivery could reduce as much as 762 megatons of CO2 emissions by global passenger cars annually.

Government Regulations

In the United States, delivery robots are allowed to operate on sidewalks by default. As of December 31, 2023, over twenty states and a number of cities have put in place legal frameworks to explicitly permit the use of delivery robots. The instances of cities welcoming delivery robots far exceed the few examples in which their operations were banned. This positive regulatory momentum for delivery robots may be due to a number of factors:

We are currently operational in West Hollywood, CA and Los Angeles, CA and hold requisite permits with both cities. Other states and municipalities across the United States may have legal requirements for PDD deployment, but they are not applicable to our operations at this time.

West Hollywood’s PDD permitting program is administered via a Call for Application and subsequent procurement process. Serve Robotics submitted an application and received an operating permit as of September 2022. The permit limits operation to twenty (20) or fewer robots and requires monthly submission of a report outlining incidents, geographic data, and areas for infrastructure improvement within the city.

Under Municipal Code Section 71.30, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation is empowered to enact a PDD pilot program. These rules include size and weight requirements, speed limits, 3-1-1 integration, braille identifying markers on the devices, integration with the Mobility Data Specification for location reporting and regular communication of incidents that may take place.

California currently has no statewide requirements governing the operation of PDDs. Under California Health and Safety Code Sections 113982 and 113930.5, restaurants that deliver meals by means of third-party delivery services are required to use tamper evident packaging. Additionally, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health provides guidance on food delivery and pickup by third-party delivery service drivers. However, there are currently no requirements specifically addressing automated and robotic delivery vehicles such as PDDs.

As we expand our operations, we will continue to engage with local municipalities and regulators, to collaboratively introduce our innovative technology to new communities.

Currently, hardware certification requirements for sidewalk robots in the United States include the UN 38.3, which Serve robots are in compliance with. We have identified additional certifications that may become required for the operation of sidewalk robots in the United States in the future and have accounted for these certifications in the design and test of our devices.

Intellectual Property

Our success and ability to compete are significantly dependent on our core technology and intellectual property. As of December 31, 2023, we have applied for 18 patents in various jurisdictions: China (1 patent), the United States (11 patents), Canada (6 patents), and through the Patent Cooperation Treaty.

As of December 31, 2023, we have been granted nine of the 18 patents for which we have applied—four in the United States, four in Canada and one in China. Our granted patents will expire between May 2029 and June 2039, assuming that all maintenance fees are paid, no portion of the patent has been terminally disclaimed and the patent has not been invalidated. In certain jurisdictions, and in certain circumstances, patent terms can be extended or shortened.

We seek to protect our intellectual property and proprietary rights, including our proprietary technology and software, by relying on a combination of federal, state and common law rights in the United States and other countries, as well as on contractual measures. However, these laws, agreements and procedures provide only limited protection. Legal protections afford only limited protection for our technology. Although we currently primarily operate within the United States, the laws of some foreign countries do not protect our proprietary rights to as great an extent as domestic laws, and many foreign countries do not enforce these laws as diligently as government agencies and private parties in the United States.

We encourage our employees to continue to invent and develop new technologies so as to maintain our competitiveness in the marketplace. We generally enter into confidentiality and non-disclosure agreements with our employees, consultants, vendors and customers, and generally limit access to and distribution of our proprietary information. We also enter into invention assignment agreements with our employees and consultants, which give us the rights to their inventions during the term of the agreements.

Despite our best efforts, our means of protecting our proprietary rights may be inadequate. It is possible that our current patents, or patents we later acquire, may be successfully challenged or invalidated in whole or in part. It is also possible that we may not obtain issued patents for our pending patent applications or other inventions we seek to protect. In that regard, we sometimes permit certain intellectual property to lapse or go abandoned under appropriate circumstances and due to uncertainties inherent in prosecuting patent applications, sometimes patent applications are rejected and we subsequently abandon them. It is also possible that any patent issued to us may not provide us with any competitive advantages, or that the patents of others will harm or altogether preclude our ability to do business. Moreover, unauthorized parties and our competitors may either attempt to copy aspects of our products or obtain and use information that we regard as proprietary, or independently develop technology that is similar to ours thereby rendering our protected products less valuable, if the design is favorably received in the marketplace.

Employees and Human Capital Resources

Our employees are our greatest assets. We value and support hiring exceptional talent to develop our core technology and drive our business growth. We strive to meet these objectives by offering competitive pay and benefits in a diverse, inclusive, and safe workplace. In addition, we provide opportunities for our employees to grow and develop their careers.

As of December 31, 2023, we have 59 employees in the United States and 10 employees in Canada through our wholly-owned Canadian subsidiary. By primary job function, about 70% of our employees have engineering or product roles, 25% are in operations and 6% have business development or other administrative roles. None of our employees are represented by a labor union or covered by a collective bargaining agreement. We consider our relationship with our employees to be good.

Competitive Pay and Benefits

We provide compensation and benefits packages that we believe are competitive within our industry. We use a combination of cash and equity compensation and other benefits to attract, motivate and retain our employees, including stock option awards, retirement programs, flexible or paid time off based on department and health and wellness benefits. In addition, we benchmark our compensation and benefits packages periodically to remain competitive with our peers and attract and retain talent throughout our organization.

Employee Recruitment, Retention, and Development

We believe our corporate culture, competitive compensation and benefits programs, and career growth and development opportunities promote longer employee tenure and reduce turnover. We have enjoyed high employee retention since becoming an independent company in 2021 and monitor employee turnover rates as our success depends upon retaining and investing in our highly skilled technical staff.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

We value the uniqueness that an inclusive and diverse team brings to our company. Therefore, we are focused on creating an environment that leverages the perspectives and contributions of each employee.

Safety, Health, and Wellness

We prioritize safe working conditions. We are committed to an injury-free workplace and provide comprehensive workplace training and support to reduce or eliminate health and safety risks.

Facilities

Our current headquarters are located in Redwood City, California, where we lease 4,200 square feet of office and industrial space pursuant to a lease that expires in 2025. We have an option to extend that lease by a four-year term. Our headquarters contain research and development, operations and selling, general and administrative functions as well as test tracks for our robots. We also lease two other offices in Los Angeles, our current delivery area.

We believe our facilities are adequate and suitable for our current needs and that, should it be needed, suitable additional or alternative space will be available to accommodate our operations.

Legal Proceedings

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings that arise in the ordinary course of business. However, litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties, and an adverse result in these or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm business.

We are currently not aware of any pending legal proceedings to which we are a party or of which any of our property is the subject, nor are we aware of any such proceedings that are contemplated by any governmental authority.

Available Information

We are a public company, and our Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, Current Reports on Form 8-K and any amendments to such reports are filed with the SEC. We are subject to the informational requirements of the Exchange Act and file or furnish reports, proxy statements, and other information with the SEC. Such reports and other information filed by us with the SEC will be available free of charge on our website at http://www.serverobotics.com when such reports are available on the SEC’s website. The SEC maintains a website that contains reports, proxy and information statements and other information that issuers file electronically with the SEC at http://www.sec.gov. We can be contacted at investor.relations@serverobotics.com.

The contents of the websites referred to above are not incorporated into this filing. Further, our references to the URLs for these websites are intended to be inactive textual references only.

MANAGEMENT

Executive Officers and Directors

The following table provides information regarding our executive officers and directors as of April 5, 2024:

Mr. Brian Read, age 34, will become our Chief Financial Officer effective on or around April 29, 2024.

Executive Officers

Ali Kashani co-founded Serve Robotics Inc. in January 2021 and has served as its Chief Executive Officer and a member of the board of directors of Serve since then. Prior to co-founding Serve, he served as Vice President of Postmates Inc., an on-demand food delivery platform, from July 2017 to January 2021. Prior to Postmates, Dr. Kashani was the co-founder and Chief Technology Officer at Neurio Technology, Inc., a smart home technology company acquired by Generac Power Systems, Inc. (NYSE: GNRC) in 2019. Dr. Kashani is an inventor with 15 granted or pending patents. Dr. Kashani received both his Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and his Doctorate in Robotics from the University of British Columbia and was awarded Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship. Dr. Kashani has served on our board of directors since the Company’s formation, and we believe he is qualified to remain on our board of directors due to the institutional knowledge he brings as Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Company and his business and robotics experience.

Touraj Parang has served as Serve’s Chief Operating Officer and as a member of the board of directors since March 2021, and was appointed President of Serve in July 2022. Prior to joining Serve, Mr. Parang worked at GoDaddy Inc. (NYSE: GDDY) from May 2014 to March 2021, where he began as Senior Director of Corporate Development and most recently served as Vice President of Corporate Development. Prior to that, Mr. Parang was the founding Chief Operating Officer of UpCounsel Technologies, Inc. (acquired by Enduring Ventures, Inc. in 2020), Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development at Webs, Inc. (acquired by Vistaprint N.V. in 2011), and co-founder and Chief Operating Office of Jaxtr, Inc. (acquired by Sabse Technologies Inc. in 2009). Mr. Parang received his Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Economics from Stanford University and his Juris Doctorate from Yale Law School. We believe that Mr. Parang is qualified to serve on the Serve’s Board due to his extensive experience with early-stage startups and prior leadership role at a publicly traded company.

Euan Abraham has served as Serve’s Senior Vice President of Hardware Engineering since January 2022. Prior to joining Serve, Mr. Abraham served as Senior Vice President, Hardware Engineering at Latch, Inc. (Nasdaq: LTCH) from October 2018 to September 2021. Prior to that, he served as Vice President, Hardware Engineering at GoPro, Inc. (Nasdaq: GPRO) from October 2015 to October 2018. Mr. Abraham received his Bachelor of Engineering at the University of Sheffield.

April Pannell has served as Serve’s Chief Financial Officer since May 2023. Ms. Pannell has also served as Chief Executive Officer of AKW Financial since January 2019. She served as Chief Financial Officer and Global Controller of Fluitec, a company that provides green treatment solutions for hydraulic fluids, from August 2011 to December 2018. Ms. Pannell holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from American International College.

Brian Read is expected to become Serve’s Chief Executive Officer effective on or around April 29, 2024. Prior to Serve, Mr. Read served as a Controller for Apptronik Inc. from April 2023 to April 2024, as a Global Controller at REE Automotive Ltd. (Nasdaq: REE) from February 2021 to March 2023 and as an Assistant Global Controller at Coherent Corp. (NYSE: COHR) from January 2019 to January 2021. Mr. Read was also an associate and senior associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP from July 2011 to January 2017. Mr. Read holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Accounting) from Duquesne University and is a Certified Public Accountant (Pennsylvania).

Non-Employee Directors

James Buckly Jordan has served as a member of Serve’s Board since October 2021. Mr. Jordan founded Vebu Labs, a food robotics and automation solutions company, in October 2018 and has served as its Chief Executive Officer since then. He is also the co-founder of Miso Robotics, a food robotics company, which he co-founded in 2016 and for which he currently serves as the acting President and Chairman of the board of directors. Mr. Jordan also founded Canyon Creek Capital, a venture capital fund, in July 2018 and has served as its Managing Partner since then. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Indiana University and his Master of Business Administration from the University of California, Los Angeles Anderson School of Management. We believe Mr. Jordan is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his early-stage investment experience in technology companies.

Sarfraz Maredia has served as a member of our Board since July 2023. Since September 2014, Mr. Maredia has been employed at Uber, most recently as Vice President for Delivery and Head of Americas, where he leads Uber Eats’ marketplace business across the United States, Canada, and Latin America as well as overseeing Postmates. Prior to his service at Uber, Mr. Maredia joined IQVIA (formerly IMS Health), a global information and technology services company focused on healthcare, in September 2011, where he was promoted to and served as Vice President of Corporate Development until September 2014. He previously advised technology clients as a management consultant at Bain & Company and worked as a private equity and public markets investor at TPG and Dodge & Cox, respectively. Mr. Maredia received his Bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Texas at Austin. We believe that Mr. Maredia’s unique position leading one of the world’s largest on-demand delivery platforms, and his experience in leadership, operations, finance, and technology qualify him to serve on our board of directors.

Ali Pourdad has served as a member of our Board since July 2023. Since March 2021, Mr. Pourdad has served as Chief Executive Officer of Quantfury Trading Limited, a global financial technology broker-dealer headquartered in the Bahamas (“Quantfury”). Prior to being named Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Pourdad was an advisor to Quantfury from September 2019 to March 2021. From January 2013 to September 2019, Mr. Pourdad served as Chief Executive Officer of Progressa, a consumer financial technology company. Mr. Pourdad is a Canadian Chartered Professional Accountant and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Finance from Simon Fraser University. We believe that Mr. Pourdad is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his prior board experience and significant public company audit experience, including for NYSE and TSX listed companies.

Olivier Vincent has served as a member of our Board since July 2023. Mr. Vincent co-founded and has served as Chief Executive Officer of Autozen Technology Ltd., a marketplace start-up in the automobile world since March 2020. Prior to joining Autozen, Mr. Vincent served as Chief Executive Officer of Spliqs, an AI technology company from January 2019 until March 2020. From December 2016 until January 2019, Mr. Vincent served as President of WeatherBug, a weather application. Mr. Vincent has served on the board of directors of Wishpond Technologies Ltd., a Canadian public company traded on the TSX (OTCMKTS: WPNDF), since December 2020. Mr. Vincent holds a Masters of Engineering in Computer Science from Ecole Nationale Superieure de Techniques Avancées (ENSTA) Paris and a Masters of Business, Entrepreneurship from Hautes Etudes Commerciales (HEC) Paris. We believe that Mr. Vincent is qualified to serve on our board of directors due to his experience growing and managing technology companies.

Corporate Governance

Appointment of Officers

Our executive officers are appointed by, and serve at the discretion of, our board of directors provided, however, that the board of directors may empower the Chief Executive Officer of the Company to appoint any officer other than the Chief Executive Officer, the President, the Chief Financial Officer or the Treasurer.

Board Composition

Our board of directors currently consists of six members: James Buckly Jordan, Ali Kashani, Sarfraz Maredia, Touraj Parang, Ali Pourdad and Olivier Vincent.

Each of our current directors will continue to serve until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or his or her earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal.

Classified Board of Directors

Our board of directors consists of six members, divided into three classes of directors, designated Class I, Class II and Class III, with staggered three-year terms. At each annual meeting of stockholders, a class of directors will be elected for a three-year term to succeed the same class whose term is then expiring. As a result, only one class of directors will be elected at each annual meeting of our stockholders, with the other classes continuing for the remainder of their respective three-year terms. Our current directors are divided among the three classes as follows:

Each director’s term continues until the election and qualification of his or her successor, or his or her earlier death, resignation, disqualification or removal. Our amended and restated certificate of incorporation and amended and amended and restated bylaws authorize, subject to the special rights of the holders of any series of preferred stock to elect directors, only our board of directors to fill vacancies on the board of directors. Any increase or decrease in the number of directors will be distributed among the three classes so that, as nearly as possible, each class will consist of one-third of the directors. This classification of our board of directors may have the effect of delaying or preventing changes in control of our Company.

Director Independence

We evaluate independence by the standards for director independence set forth in Nasdaq’s listing requirements. The Nasdaq independence definition includes a series of objective tests, including that the director is not, and has not been for at least three years, one of our employees and that neither the director nor any of his or her family members has engaged in various types of business dealings with us. Under such rules, our board of directors has determined that all members of the board of directors except Ali Kashani and Touraj Parang are independent directors. In making such independence determination, our board of directors considered the relationships that each non-employee director has with us and all other facts and circumstances that our board of directors deemed relevant in determining their independence, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director.

Under the rules of Nasdaq, independent directors must comprise a majority of a listed company’s board of directors within a specified period of listing. In addition, rules require that, subject to specified exceptions, each member of a listed company’s audit, compensation, and nominating, governance and corporate responsibility committees be independent. Under such rules, a director will only qualify as an “independent director” if, in the opinion of that company’s board of directors, that person does not have a relationship that would interfere with the exercise of independent judgment in carrying out the responsibilities of a director.

Audit committee members must also satisfy the independence criteria set forth in Rule 10A-3 under the Exchange Act. In order to be considered independent for purposes of Rule 10A-3, a member of an audit committee of a listed company may not, other than in his or her capacity as a member of the audit committee, the board of directors, or any other board committee: (1) accept, directly or indirectly, any consulting, advisory or other compensatory fee from the listed company or any of its subsidiaries or (2) be an affiliated person of the listed company or any of its subsidiaries.

Our board of directors has undertaken a review of the independence of each director and considered whether each director has a material relationship with us that could compromise his or her ability to exercise independent judgment in carrying out his or her responsibilities. As a result of this review, our board of directors determined that Messrs. Jordan, Maredia, Pourdad and Vincent are “independent directors” as defined under the applicable rules and regulations of the SEC and the listing requirements and rules of Nasdaq. In making these determinations, our board of directors reviewed and discussed information provided by the directors and us with regard to each director’s business and personal activities and current and prior relationships as they may relate to us and our management, including the beneficial ownership of our capital stock by each non-employee director and the transactions involving them described in the section titled “Certain Relationships and Related Party Transactions.”

Family Relationships

There are no family relationships by between or among the members of our board of directors or other executive officers of the Company.

Committees of the Board of Directors

Our board of directors has an audit committee, a compensation committee and a nominating and governance committee, each of which, pursuant to its respective charter, have the composition and responsibilities described below. Members serve on these committees until their resignation or until otherwise determined by our board of directors.

Audit Committee

Our audit committee is composed of Messrs. Jordan, Pourdad and Vincent. Mr. Pourdad is the chair of our audit committee. Each member of our audit committee is financially literate. Our board of directors has determined that each member of our audit committee is independent within the meaning of the Nasdaq director independence standards and applicable rules of the SEC for audit committee members. Our board of directors has also determined that Mr. Pourdad qualifies as an “audit committee financial expert” under the rules of the SEC.

The primary purpose of our audit committee is to discharge the responsibilities of the board of directors with respect to our corporate accounting and financial reporting processes, systems of internal control and financial statement audits and to oversee our independent registered public accounting firm. The principal functions of our audit committee include, among other things:

Compensation Committee

Our compensation committee is composed of Messrs. Jordan and Vincent. Mr. Vincent is the chair of our compensation committee. The primary purpose of our compensation committee is to discharge the responsibilities of the board of directors in overseeing our compensation policies, plans and programs and to review and determine the compensation to be paid to our executive officers, directors and other senior management, as appropriate. The principal functions of our compensation committee include, among other things:

Each member of our compensation committee is a non-employee director as defined in Rule 16b-3 of the Exchange Act. Our board of directors has also determined that each member of our compensation committee is also an independent director within the meanings of Nasdaq’s director independence standards and applicable SEC rules.

Nominating and Governance Committee

Our nominating and governance committee is composed of Ali Pourdad who also serves as the chair of our nominating and governance committee. Our nominating and governance committee’s principal functions include, among other things:

Code of Business Conduct and Ethics

We have adopted a written code of business conduct and ethics that applies to our directors, officers and employees, including our principal executive officer, principal financial officer, and persons performing similar functions. Upon the closing of this offering, our code of business conduct and ethics will be available under the Corporate Governance section of our website at https://www.serverobotics.com. In addition, we intend to post on our website all disclosures that are required by law or the listing standards of Nasdaq concerning any amendments to, or waivers from, any provision of the code. We have included our website address in this prospectus solely as an inactive textual reference. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained at or available through our website, and you should not consider it to be a part of this prospectus.

Compensation Committee Interlocks and Insider Participation

None of the members of the compensation committee is currently, or has been at any time, one of our officers or employees. In addition, none of our executive officers has served as a member of the board of directors, or as a member of the compensation or similar committee, of any entity that has one or more executive officers who served on our board of directors.

EXECUTIVE AND DIRECTOR COMPENSATION

Executive Compensation