Starship Technologies has successfully raised $90 million to finance its expansion and further develop its technology, including enhancements in artificial intelligence, wireless charging infrastructure, and its reach into international markets. The company has introduced wireless charging for its delivery robots at George Mason University, allowing the robots to recharge autonomously between deliveries. This innovation is set to be extended to more robots in the coming months, with a focus on enhancing its “delivery as a service” product. This service aims to seamlessly integrate Starship’s robots into the delivery networks of its partners.
Starship collaborates with various companies, including Grubhub, which started deploying bots at five university campuses in 2022. Other partners like Sodexo and Aramark have utilized Starship’s delivery robots at colleges and universities over the past five years. Starship faces competition from Kiwibot, another delivery robot company, which also partners with Grubhub and Sodexo and launched its services across 50 college campuses in 2022. Established in 2017, Kiwibot has completed over 250,000 deliveries by February 2023.
Starship Technologies has reported significant growth in its delivery operations, achieving one million deliveries in its first six years and an additional five million in the following three years. The company’s robots, designed to navigate challenging terrains, now complete an average of three global crossings. Ahti Heinla, co-founder and CEO of Starship, emphasized the company’s long-term commitment to refining its technology, optimizing operations, and reducing costs. This approach aims to make autonomous last-mile delivery both viable and sustainable on a large scale. “Now we’re ready to take on the world and with ambitions to build a category-dominating company that can change the daily lives of millions of people in thousands of locations worldwide,” Heinla stated, outlining the company’s future goals.
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