Starship Technologies, the global leader in autonomous delivery with over 9 million deliveries across seven nations, announced the successful completion of a €42,9 million ($50 million) funding round led by Plural.
The company, founded by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, has now raised more than $280 million in total funding to replicate its success in European cities and U.S. university campuses across American urban markets.
“It’s time to replicate this proven success in American cities. Millions of U.S. consumers will soon experience sub-30-minute delivery by Starship robots as the new standard.”
Ahti Heinla, CEO of Starship Technologies
“Delivery robotics is the next wave of urban logistics, shaping a once-in-a-generation shift in how goods move through cities,” said Ahti Heinla, co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies. “We own European urban markets, we own U.S. campuses. Now it’s time to replicate this proven success in American cities. Millions of U.S. consumers will soon experience sub-30-minute delivery by Starship robots as the new standard.”
The company scales from campuses to cities
Starship delivers groceries across 30 European cities and operates on over 60 US university campuses. The company currently operates more than 2700 robots and plans to scale its fleet to over 12,000 by 2027.
The company collaborates with delivery platform Grubhub in the U.S. and with European platforms including Bolt, DoorDash’s Wolt and Delivery Hero’s Foodora. Having proven autonomous delivery works across multiple European urban markets and U.S. university campuses, the company is now positioned to transform American urban logistics.
Starship operates on more than 60 US university campuses. The new funding supports the company’s expansion into urban markets across America. Photo: Renee Altrov
With 9 million deliveries completed and robots making 2 autonomous road crossings per second, Starship has amassed an unmatched dataset that continuously improves safety, routing, and all-weather reliability. Starship’s robots operate with Level 4 autonomy, navigating complex pedestrian environments with minimal human intervention.
Plural backs Starship’s delivery revolution
“Starship has quietly built the most successful autonomous technology company in the world,” said Taavet Hinrikus, Partner at Plural. “They’re already deployed, already profitable, and already changing how goods move through cities. We’ve doubled down on our investment because the team has proven they can scale globally, and the opportunity in American urban markets is enormous.”
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 U.S. market penetration, expand the robot fleet, and strengthen partnerships with major retailers seeking proven autonomous delivery infrastructure.
“They’re already deployed, already profitable, and already changing how goods move through cities. We’ve doubled down on our investment because the team has proven they can scale globally, and the opportunity in American urban markets is enormous.”
Taavet Hinrikus, Partner at Plural
GOOD TO KNOW
- Founded in 2014 by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship Technologies is the world’s #1 autonomous delivery company.
- Headquartered in Estonia, the company is revolutionizing local delivery with autonomous robots that bring food, groceries, and packages to your door in minutes.
- Starship’s robots complete over 150,000 road crossings daily, using sensors, cameras, and AI for route optimization.
- With 9+ million deliveries completed – 5 times more than all U.S. competitors combined – covering over 12 million miles, and 2,700+ robots operating across 270+ locations in seven countries, the company has built the largest autonomous delivery network globally.
- Starship plans to scale the world’s largest autonomous delivery fleet from 2,700+ robots today to over 12,000 by 2027.
- The company offers zero-emission last-mile delivery – Starship has prevented over 650 tonnes of CO2 emissions in European operations.
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