Failed 2025

    Nuro (Autonomous Delivery)

    Autonomous delivery robots raised $2.1B but commercial deployment remained limited to tiny pilot areas.

    Founded → Closed

    2016 → 2025

    Funding Raised

    $2.1B

    Industry

    Autonomous Vehicles/Delivery

    Country

    USA

    IdeaProof AI Failure Score

    68/100
    Market Fit RiskBurn Rate RiskFounder Risk
    Market Fit Risk
    50
    Burn Rate Risk
    85
    Founder Risk
    20

    Full Analysis

    Nuro built small autonomous delivery robots for groceries and food, raising $2.1B at a $8.6B valuation. Despite partnerships with Domino's, Walmart, and FedEx, commercial deployment remained limited to small pilot areas in select cities. The technology worked but scaling required navigating complex city-by-city regulations. Nuro downsized dramatically in 2024-2025, laying off 30%+ of staff.

    Could This Failure Have Been Prevented?

    IdeaProof's AI validates market demand, competitive positioning, and business model viability in minutes — catching the exact issues that sank Nuro (Autonomous Delivery).