Inside Amazon’s $1B Innovation Fund: How Robots Are Transforming the Future of Work

Swiss economist Franziska Bossart leads Amazon’s billion-dollar Industrial Innovation Fund with a bold mission: transforming global logistics through startup-driven automation and robotics.

As head of Amazon’s venture capital arm, she scouts breakthrough technologies—from AI-powered safety systems to four-legged delivery robots—and helps integrate them into the operations of the world’s largest online retailer. A Top100 Swiss Startup Award jury member, Bossart spoke with us about how Amazon identifies promising innovations, why Swiss robotics are gaining global traction, and what the future holds for human–robot collaboration.


Ms Bossart, how important is collaboration with startups for Amazon? Or to put it another way, how highly is it positioned within the company?
Franziska Bossard: The Venture Capital (VC) department, along with the M&A department and partnerships, is part of the strategic control center at Amazon headquarters.

You have been in charge of the Amazon Industrial Innovation Fund since moving from ABB Technology Ventures. How much funding do you have at your disposal?
When it launched three years ago, Amazon provided the fund with USD 1 billion. Since then, we have invested in more than 20 startups. Three more have been added in the last six months alone.

This includes two Swiss companies?
That’s right. Our portfolio includes RIVR (Top100 2025: rank 15) and Algorized (Top100 2025: rank 61).

"Amazon equipped the fund
with one billion dollars."

The two companies operate in different markets: Algorized is developing an AI platform that evaluates sensor data; RIVR builds four-legged walking robots. What do all your investments have in common?
One of Amazon’s core business areas is logistics. From the first mile to the last mile, as we call it. What sets us apart from other logistics providers is the sheer size of the organization, our delivery speed and our focus on the end customer. For this, we need innovations and cutting-edge technology. We monitor the innovation ecosystem as a whole and identify those startups with products, services or expertise of logistical interest.

In the corporate VC business, the question always arises as to what drives investment: financial gain or the strategic development of the core business. Which is it at Amazon?
Clearly the latter. We work closely with our internal development team: Amazon Fulfillment Technologies and Robotics employs well over 10,000 people.


Franziska Bossart, Head of Amazon $1B Industrial Innovation Fund and Director Corporate Development

Amazon Robotics, as we know, originated from a startup. In 2012, Jeff Bezos acquired Kiva Systems, the founders of which included current ETH professor Raffaello d’Andrea, for almost CHF 800 million...
(laughs) ...Amazon and Swiss robotics expertise: that seems to be a good fit.

About one million mobile robots are in operation at Amazon’s logistics centers worldwide: how are they used?
They lift loads and move them to clearly defined destinations, and they do this in restricted areas where they do not come into contact with our employees.

What is the next step in automation?
The next generation of logistics robots will work hand in hand with humans. These collaborative systems can move and grasp objects; they can also be directed using everyday language and find their way to the assigned task independently.
 

"The next generation of robots
works hand in hand with humans."

How far removed are these mobile manipulators from industrial use?
We do not communicate any data. The only certainty is that we are conducting intensive testing and will roll out collaborative robots only when the safety of our employees is guaranteed. Incidentally, Algorized’s technology could play an important role in operational safety.

To what extent?
We want our robots to stop operating if there is a risk that they might endanger people. We are getting closer to achieving this goal with sensors that detect vital signs such as heartbeat or breathing, even through obstacles.


This article by Jost Dubacher was first published in the Top100 Swiss Startup Magazine 2025.