Partners — NARI

Join NARI as a technology or industry partner.

NARI is building the open operating standard for autonomous retail. We are certifying the hardware, software, payments, telemetry, and financing solutions that operators across the U.S. will build their businesses on.

If your product serves autonomous retail operators — or should — this is where your category position gets defined.

Your product becomes infrastructure, not a feature.

The NARI reference architecture is being finalized now — during the design phase, while standards are still being set. Solutions certified today become the default options for every operator NARI onboards. That is a different kind of distribution than any sales motion can deliver.

Outside NARI

Competing for operator attention one deal at a time.

A fragmented market with no common standard. Sales cycles measured in quarters. Distribution depends entirely on outbound effort and incumbent relationships. Your product is one of many features an operator might evaluate.

Inside NARI

Your product is the certified default for your category.

Accessed by operators through the architecture they already trust. Built into onboarding programs. Recommended by the AI layer. Standards-shaped by your working group. Distribution scales with the cohort, not with your sales headcount.

NARI certifies partners across five layers of the operator stack.

Payments & Financing

Cashless payment processing, equipment financing, lease-to-own programs, working capital lines. Partners in this layer become the financial infrastructure operators modernize through.

Telemetry & Connectivity

Machine monitoring, performance data collection, connectivity hardware, remote diagnostics. Partners in this layer feed the intelligence commons and become the eyes of the network.

Hardware & Equipment

Vending machines, smart kiosks, coolers, robotic retail formats, retrofit kits. NARI certifies configurations rather than mandating manufacturers — your hardware earns its position by performing under real conditions.

AI & Software

Route optimization, inventory management, pricing tools, analytics platforms, operator interfaces. Partners integrate with the OpenClaw-powered integration bus and become part of the operator's single interface.

Workforce & Competence

Training programs, operator education, certification bodies, workforce transition services. Partners contribute to the competence stack that makes the human side of the transition viable.

Three tiers. Each is a structural position, not a badge.

Tier · Standard

Certified Partner

Standard certification. Annual renewal. Open year-round.

Listed in the NARI hardware and software catalogue
Access to the operator network and distribution channel
Participation in relevant working groups
Annual certification renewal

Open year-round

2026 only

Tier · Founding

Founding Partner

Available during the 2026 founding phase only. Certified partner benefits plus structural advantages.

All Certified Partner benefits
Participation in architecture design during standards-setting
Co-branding at the NARI public launch
Priority position in operator onboarding programs

Closes · October 2026

Tier · Strategic

Strategic Founding Member

For partners seeking a deeper structural position. Direct conversation, not a form.

All Founding Partner benefits
Standards board participation
Category exclusivity for a defined period
Direct involvement in commons governance

Direct outreach · 48-hour response

A mutual commitment, not a listing fee.

Certification is earned through a technical review and performance validation process. Partners tested under real operating conditions — as Manna Coffee has done for the founding stack — receive priority certification status.

Certified partners commit to:

Building to NARI's open standards
Participating in at least one relevant working group
Making their product available at consistent and transparent pricing
Contributing anonymized performance data to the commons where applicable

NARI commits to:

Promoting certified partners to the operator network
Including partner solutions in operator onboarding programs
Providing working group participation and standards input
Operating independently of any single commercial partner's interests

Every partner who joins makes the others more valuable.

NARI is the convening architecture that makes this possible. The value of being inside compounds as the network grows.

Three examples of how layers reinforce each other.

Payments × Telemetry

The payments partner benefits from the telemetry partner's machine-level data — fraud detection and reconciliation get sharper as the telemetry feed grows.

Hardware × AI

The hardware partner benefits from the AI partner's optimization recommendations — driving higher utilization and ROI for the machines they sell.

Financing × Commons

The financing partner benefits from commons data — better loan terms for operators, lower default rates, and sector-specific underwriting replacing FICO.