Estonian-founded robot delivery company Starship has closed a USD50 million funding round, which the company is planning to use to scale autonomous delivery across cities in the United States.
The company has now raised over USD280 million in total funding.
“Having proven autonomous delivery works across multiple European urban markets and US university campuses, the company is now positioned to transform American urban logistics,” Starship said in a statement, adding that its robots have completed nine million deliveries and its robots are making two autonomous crossings per second.
“Delivery robotics is the next wave of urban logistics, shaping a once-in-a-generation shift in how goods move through cities,” Ahti Heinla, a co-founder and the CEO of Starship, said.
Starship delivery fleet in Tallinn, Estonia. Photo by Starship.
Reaching millions of Americans
“We own European urban markets; we own US campuses. Now it’s time to replicate this proven success in American cities. Millions of US consumers will soon experience sub-30-minute delivery by Starship robots as the new standard.”
The funding round includes participation from Plural, Karma.vc, Latitude, Coefficient Capital, SmartCap (funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU) and Skaala.
“The capital will accelerate US market penetration, expand the robot fleet and strengthen partnerships with major retailers seeking proven autonomous delivery infrastructure,” the company noted.
Starship was founded in 2014 by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. The company asserts it’s the world’s leading autonomous delivery company, having completed over nine million deliveries and running over 2,700 robots across more than 270 locations in seven countries.
