// startup autopsy
Kuri (Mayfield Robotics)
A $700 home robot that smiled and filmed your family — cancelled two weeks before shipping.
timingSilent Shutdown
Quiet closure with no public announcement · Fatal mistake: Bosch shut down Mayfield Robotics before first unit shipped — corporate strategy change killed product
// the model, blind
Evaluating only Kuri (Mayfield Robotics)’s profile at its peak — without knowing the outcome — the model ranked Unit economics as the #1 likely cause. Documented cause: Market timing.
Key Events Timeline
FOUNDING
Mayfield Robotics founded in January 2015 as a subsidiary of Bosch to develop consumer home robots.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Kuri robot unveiled at CES 2017 in December 2016, showcasing its ability to recognize family members, patrol the home, play music, and capture video.
FUNDING
Kuri received strong consumer interest at CES 2017 in January, accumulating pre-orders at a retail price of $699 per unit.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Mayfield Robotics began taking pre-orders for Kuri in September 2017, accumulating approximately 1,000 confirmed orders with deposits collected.
PRODUCT LAUNCH
Kuri was prominently featured at CES 2018 in January, with Mayfield Robotics announcing a planned shipping date for mid-2018 to fulfill its 1,000 pre-orders.
SHUTDOWN
Bosch shut down Mayfield Robotics in July 2018, cancelling all approximately 1,000 Kuri pre-orders, refunding deposits, and dissolving the entire team just as the robot was ready to ship.