Founding and Early Years (2019)
When Refraction AI was founded in 2019, its primary objective was to utilize robotics to reduce the cost of last-mile delivery. Over the past couple of years, the startup has worked directly with restaurants in its hometown of Ann Arbor, Michigan, to offer its bike-lane bound robots as a logistics layer for customers, rather than attempting to become another DoorDash or UberEats.
Expansion and Lessons Learned
A little less than a year ago, Refraction moved its commercial operations down to Austin, Texas, where it continued cultivating individual relationships with restaurants. Along the way, the company learned that while offering customers favorable delivery rates was still a priority, Refraction’s real unique selling point is its ability to deliver a higher quality and scalable service.
"You can maybe negotiate great prices with DoorDash," said Refraction chief technology officer and co-founder Matthew Johnson-Roberson in an interview with TechCrunch. "But you can’t make DoorDash give you the A1 quality drivers that do a really good job and are always on time and never make you wait, and the food always shows up hot."
This insight highlights the key advantage of Refraction’s approach: by controlling the delivery process directly, restaurants can ensure a consistently high level of service.
Partnership with Chick-fil-A
Chick-fil-A, the fast-food restaurant chain specializing in chicken sandwiches, has recently partnered with Refraction AI to deploy a fleet of self-driving vehicles to two of its locations in downtown Austin. The commercial pilot will begin soon and aims to improve the overall delivery experience for customers.
"Being repeatable is what will help us keep and ultimately expand our relationship with Chick-fil-A," explained Johnson-Roberson. "After all, that’s the MO of restaurant chains everywhere: make it the same, make it good, and make it scalable."
This partnership demonstrates Refraction’s commitment to delivering a high-quality experience for customers and its ability to adapt to the needs of large restaurant chains.
The Future of Last-Mile Delivery
Refraction AI’s innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize the last-mile delivery industry. By leveraging robotics and artificial intelligence, the company can provide faster, more efficient, and more reliable delivery services to customers.
As Johnson-Roberson noted, "The future of last-mile delivery is about finding that middle path between human drivers and fully autonomous vehicles." Refraction AI’s robotic delivery system represents a key step towards achieving this goal.
Key Takeaways
- Refraction AI was founded in 2019 with the objective of utilizing robotics to reduce the cost of last-mile delivery.
- The company has learned that its unique selling point is delivering a higher quality and scalable service.
- Refraction AI’s partnership with Chick-fil-A aims to improve the overall delivery experience for customers.
- The company’s innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize the last-mile delivery industry.
By continuing to innovate and adapt to the needs of customers, Refraction AI is poised to become a leader in the last-mile delivery market.
