Starship Technologies raises funds to launch wheeled delivery robots
While some, like Amazon and JD.com, see drones as their delivery carrier of choice for the future, others are adopting a more down-to-earth approach. Such is the case of US company Starship Technologies, which recently raised $25 million (€21.3 million), notably from the co-founders of Airbnb and Skype, to finance the commercial launch of its wheeled delivery robots.
Starship Technologies was created in 2014 and has tested its delivery robots in about one hundred cities. They are able to travel independently at pedestrian speed within a radius of three kilometres, and can carry up to 23 kg in weight.
The robots are ideally deployed in logistics hubs or at any local retailer, restaurant or café, and their journey can be tracked via a smartphone. Purpose-fitted vans can serve as mobile hangars for the robots, allowing them to make multiple deliveries to more distant destinations.
“This new financing round enables us to deploy our robots in city neighbourhoods, corporate headquarters and university campuses across the USA and Europe,” said recently appointed CEO Lex Bayer, formerly in charge of business development at Airbnb. “With the start of our commercial expansion, the new funding and Lex’s arrival, we are ready to take the company towards new milestones,” said the co-founder and technical director of Starship Technologies, Ahti Heinla.
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