Linear Capital Pre-Seed Portfolio Company RIVR (formerly Swiss-Mile) Founder *Forbes* Interview: On Bezos Investment Process, Future Development Plans

In early February, Linear Capital Pre-seed project RIVR (formerly Swiss-Mile) founder Marko Bjelonic landed on the cover of Forbes Switzerland — a remarkable trajectory for a Swiss startup that was first featured in a Forbes article about Jeff Bezos-backed AI robotics companies, then earned its founder a cover story detailing how Bezos came to invest in RIVR and the progress of its Milo robot. (On January 30, RIVR officially rebranded from Swiss-Mile via a statement on its website.)

Cover of Forbes Switzerland

In the cover story, Marko Bjelonic recounted how his interactions with Bezos evolved from initial contact to investment. For RIVR, whose wheel-legged robots focus heavily on solving last-mile delivery logistics — a priority for both Bezos personally and Amazon — the alignment was natural. Marko also discussed his personal background and offered detailed insight into Milo, noting that beyond basic locomotion (forward and backward movement, stair climbing, standing), the robot can haul up to 60 kg and navigate complex, ever-changing environments. He projected deployment of 10 units in 2025, scaling to 100 by 2026. On the company's future, Bjelonic said RIVR is exploring paths to profitability, expressing confidence that advancing robotics R&D will continue driving down manufacturing costs — a long-term vision he and his investors are prepared to see through.

🔗 Forbes cover story: https://forbes.swiss/artikel/wir-loesen-probleme-die-noch-nie-jemand-geloest-hat

🔗 Forbes article on Bezos's investments: https://www.forbes.com/sites/phoebeliu/2025/01/07/here-ai-robot-startups-billionaire-amazon-jeff-bezos-invested-in/?utm_campaign=socialflowForbesMainLI&utm_source=ForbesMainLinkedIn&utm_medium=social

About Linear Capital

Linear Capital is an early-stage investment firm focused on "frontier technology + industry" — applying advances in data intelligence, digital infrastructure, next-generation robotics, and technological transformation in traditional sectors (biotech, materials, energy, and others) to vertical industries where they can dramatically improve efficiency, solve critical pain points, and drive industrial upgrading. The firm manages ten funds with total AUM of approximately $2 billion.

We lead investments from angel through Series A, with check sizes ranging from $1 million to $10 million (or RMB equivalent).

Our portfolio includes more than 120 early-stage teams, among them Horizon Robotics, Kujiale, Sensors Data, Tezign, Rokid, Guandata, Agile Robots, and others. The combined valuation of Linear Capital's portfolio companies stands at approximately $20 billion. In the near term, Linear Capital is working to become the premier Data Intelligence Technology Fund; over the long term, it aims to build the most influential Frontier Technology Application Fund.