foodora and Starship Technologies continue to innovate the last-mile experience with the expansion of their autonomous robot delivery fleet. Starting today, the service opens to an additional 13,000 households in the Stockholm region of Solna.

Stockholm, Sweden (17 June 2025): After three months of successful operations in Södermalm, foodora and Starship are expanding robot deliveries further across Stockholm. To begin with, a fleet of delivery robots will begin delivering groceries from foodora Market Solna, offering customers a fast, sustainable and high-tech delivery alternative. The expansion is part of foodora’s broader commitment to smart urban logistics and environmentally friendly last-mile solutions.

The delivery robots are developed by Starship Technologies, the global leader in autonomous delivery. This partnership between foodora and Starship combines advanced robotics with real-time logistics to deliver food and everyday essentials with minimal environmental impact.

“We’re thrilled to bring our robot delivery service to more communities. Solna are dynamic urban areas, and a perfect match for this type of innovation. Our goal is to make everyday life easier for customers – while also reducing emissions and relieving pressure on traffic in busy zones,” says Daniel Gustafsson Raba, Director of Logistics.

“We’re proud to work with foodora to bring our delivery robots to more parts of Sweden. I’m sure Solna residents will enjoy our robots as much as other communities around the world, where families name them, children wave to them and customers benefit from a safe and helpful way to get their groceries delivered in minutes. We’re showing that smart, sustainable delivery can also be fun and friendly,” says Ahti Heinla, Co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies.

The autonomous robots are equipped with advanced sensors and navigation systems to safely operate on sidewalks and pedestrian areas. Customers wishing to order groceries delivered by robot can do so from foodora market Solna in the foodora app. They simply place their order as usual through the app, then they are notified when their robot arrives.

With this expansion, foodora continues to lead the way in shaping the future of fast, sustainable delivery in Sweden.

Facts about Starship’s robots

• Starship’s fleet of 2000+ robots operates across 150+ locations in six countries
• The robots have completed over 8 million deliveries worldwide
• Operating at Level 4 autonomy, they are mostly autonomous while being monitored by humans who can assist them at any time
• They cross 125,000 roads and driveways per day – that’s ~ 2 crossings per second
• The robots are fully electric. The average Starship delivery consumes about the same amount of energy as boiling a small kettle of water 
• So far, Starship robots have saved over 500 tonnes of CO2 entering the atmosphere in Europe, providing a battery-powered alternative to jumping in the car to collect groceries

About Starship Technologies:
Starship Technologies is revolutionising delivery services with autonomous robots. The robots are designed to deliver food, groceries and packages locally within minutes. Starship delivery robots have travelled over 16 million kilometres and made more than 8 million autonomous deliveries around the world. Starship was founded by Ahti Heinla (chief architect of Skype) and Janus Friis (co-founder of Skype). Ahti Heinla is also the CEO of Starship.

About foodora Sweden:
foodora is Sweden’s leading q-commerce platform for last mile delivery. The company was founded in 2015 and now operates throughout Europe. In Sweden, foodora is present in over 350 locations and reaches more than 90 percent of Swedes with fast home delivery. foodora Sweden employs 7,000 people, of whom 6,000 work as delivery riders. The average wage for bicycle and moped couriers is SEK 180 per hour, and they have been covered by a collective agreement since 2021.

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Autonomous robot delivery now available to Northampton residents as demand for Starship’s service soars during the pandemic

Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, has today announced the launch of its service in Northampton in partnership with Co- op, with up to 5,000 households in the town, including Wootton and Hardingstone now able to access grocery delivery via a fleet of Starship robots.

With today’s announcement, Northampton is now the second UK town to benefit from Starship’s delivery service, following the company’s launch in Milton Keynes in April 2018. Starship’s robots have since completed over 500,000 commercial autonomous deliveries – more than any other company in the world. Starship operates seven days per week in local neighbourhoods and university campuses across five countries, and the robots have travelled over one million autonomous miles.

Co-op became the first convenience retailer to use same-day robot deliveries in the UK when it teamed-up with Starship Technologies in early 2018 to offer emission free online home delivery services in Milton Keynes and surrounding areas including Newport Pagnell and Bletchley.

Demand for Starship’s service has continued to soar during the COVID-19 pandemic, with delivery numbers across all restaurant and grocery partners tripling in Milton Keynes alone in recent months. The robots provide contactless deliveries, which allow people, including the elderly and more vulnerable that may be spending more time at home, to get their groceries delivered straight to their door. However wider community benefits of robot delivery were first seen pre-pandemic, when a note to say “thank you” was sent by a customer recovering from major surgery who saw the service as a lifeline.

Andrew Curtis, Head of UK Operations at Starship Technologies, said: “We are thrilled to expand our service in the UK and bring robot delivery to neighbourhoods across Northampton from today. We have been humbled by the fantastic reception to our robots from local communities in Milton Keynes over the last two and a half years. This is the next step in our growth ambitions as we look to further roll out our service across the UK in the near future following increasing demand during the pandemic.”

Co-op is now on track to offer online on-demand convenience, through its own online shop – coop.co.uk/shop – and with partners, from more than 1,000 of its stores by the end of this year (2020). Deliveries are made in as little as under one hour, and up to seven days in advance. The retailer’s approach sees its stores act as micro distribution hubs locally, with orders picked from local Co-op stores – so its high street stores benefit from any increase in online demand.

Co-op has ambitions to use as many as 300 Starship robots by the end of 2021 as it looks for more towns and cities to operate autonomous deliveries after launching in Milton Keynes then Northampton.

Chris Conway, Head of eCommerce at the Co-op, said: “We continue to look for new ways to innovate and expand access to our products and services to deliver a truly compelling offer for consumers. Our partnership with Starship enables Co-op to offer further availability, flexibility

and choice to meet community shopping needs for on-demand convenience. We have seen big changes in eCommerce this year with new customers using the channel that have never used it before, and seeing the benefits. Offering quality and value quickly, easily and conveniently is core to Co-op’s approach – delivering what our Members and customers want, when and where they need it.”

Cllr Jason Smithers, county council cabinet member for Highways and Place at Northampton City Council, commented: “We have heard extremely positive feedback about how well loved Starship’s robots are and the benefits they have brought to local neighbourhoods, especially this year with the pandemic. We’re happy that residents in Northampton now have access to this world leading on-demand delivery service and we’re excited about further expansion.”

Northampton residents can access Starship’s service via the Starship Food Delivery app (iOS and Android). To get started, users simply choose from a range of their favourite food or drink items at Co-op, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. They can watch in real-time as the robot makes its journey to them via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert and can then meet and unlock it through the app.

The robots use a combination of sensors, artificial intelligence and machine learning to travel on pavements and navigate around any obstacles. Computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch, and as they are battery powered they help reduce both pollution and congestion levels.

The most popular items delivered by robot include:

1. Milk
2. Eggs
3. Bread
4. Bananas
5. Cucumber

-ENDS-

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionising deliveries by using autonomous delivery robots. The robots are designed to deliver goods locally in minutes. The delivery robots have completed over 500,000 autonomous deliveries, met millions of people and are operating seven days per week, 365 days per year across tens of cities. They drive autonomously but can be monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co- founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis.

Website: https://www.starship.xyz/follow/ / starshipdeliveries.com

Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

MEDIA CONTACTS:

James Meredith & Danielle Hines
Liberty Communications for Starship Technologies starship@libertycomms.com
0207 751 4444

Henry Harris-Burland
VP Marketing
Starship Technologies henry.harris-burland@starship.co

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO, SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT: https://www.starship.xyz/press

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First U.S. Grocer to Partner with Leading Robot Delivery Company Prepares to Launch Service in Modesto

MODESTO, CA | September 9, 2020

The Save Mart Companies today has announced plans to launch an on-demand grocery delivery service to its guests in partnership with leading robot delivery company Starship Technologies. The Save Mart Companies is the first grocer in the U.S. to partner with Starship Technologies. Based in San Francisco and a leader in the field, Starship Technologies recently passed the 500,000 autonomous deliveries milestone.

The robots, each of which will be able to carry up to 20 pounds of groceries – the equivalent of about three shopping bags – and travel up to four miles roundtrip, will provide a safe, low-cost and contactless delivery alternative for Save Mart shoppers, allowing them to order thousands of items via the Starship platform for on-demand delivery straight to their door.

“We continually seek new ways to serve our communities and offer solutions for efficient, safe and healthy grocery shopping,” said Robert Cady, senior director of marketing strategy and analytics for The Save Mart Companies. “Through our partnership with Starship Technologies, Save Mart is pleased once again to lead the way in customer service and innovation.”

“With the onset of the pandemic, our service became increasingly important to thousands of residents in communities across the U.S.,” said Ryan Tuohy, SVP Business Development at Starship Technologies. “Save Mart is a loved brand that has deep ties to its local communities, which is why we’re especially excited about this partnership. Working together with The Save Mart Companies, we will be able to provide a safe, convenient and well-priced delivery option for tens of thousands of residents.”

Shoppers will be able to access the Starship – Food Delivery app (iOS and Android) to choose from a range of their favorite groceries, food and drink items, then indicate where they want their purchases delivered. Once an order is submitted, Save Mart team members wear required masks and gloves to gather delivery items and carefully place in the clean robot. Every robot is sanitized before each order. Shoppers can then watch, via an interactive map, as the robot makes its journey to them. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it through the app. The delivery will typically take just a matter of minutes, depending on the items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. The initial delivery area is bordered by McHenry Avenue to the west, Claratina Avenue to the north, Claus Road to the east and Briggsmore Avenue to the south.

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its robots have completed over 500,000 autonomous deliveries and crossed more than five million streets. The robots move at pedestrian speed and use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans can also monitor their progress remotely and can take control at a moment’s notice.

For high-res images and video footage, please visit the link here. Credit: The Save Mart Companies.

About The Save Mart Companies:
The Save Mart Companies (TSMC) operate 206 stores throughout California and Northern Nevada under the banners of FoodMaxx, Lucky, Lucky California and Save Mart. Based in the Central Valley, TSMC is committed to sourcing a wide variety of local products to communities throughout California and Northern Nevada. In addition to its retail operation, the company also operates Smart Refrigerated Transport and is a partner in Super Store Industries (SSI), which owns and operates a distribution center in Lathrop and the Sunnyside Farms dairy processing plant in Turlock. For more information on the company, please visit: www.TheSaveMartCompanies.com.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries with autonomous robots. The robots are designed to deliver food, groceries and packages locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and met millions of people across 100 cities around the world. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. Former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO

# # #

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Erin Wickman, Rosemary O’Brien, Don Williams
Glodow Nead Communications for The Save Mart Companies
TSMCPR@glodownead.com

Henry Harris-Burland
VP of Marketing
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz

Janel Steinberg (US) / James Meredith (UK)
Liberty Communications for Starship Technologies
starship@libertycomms.com
+1 415 429 5652 / +44 207 751 4444

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO, SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT: https://www.starship.xyz/press

The post The Save Mart Companies Announces Plans for Contactless Robotic Grocery Delivery Service in Partnership with Starship Technologies appeared first on Starship Technologies: Autonomous robot delivery - The future of delivery - today!.

Starship brings contactless deliveries to two of America’s most innovative universities as company passes 500,000 autonomous deliveries

Georgia Southern University recently became the first school in Georgia to offer autonomous robot deliveries

San Francisco, CA | September 1, 2020

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK), a leading food and facilities partner with hundreds of colleges and universities across the US, has partnered with Starship Technologies to roll out the tech company’s robot food delivery service on two college campuses – Arizona State University (ASU) in Tempe, AZ and James Madison University (JMU) in Harrisonburg, VA. Starship’s autonomous, on-demand robots has already started deliveries at these schools, which are well-known for their innovation.

At ASU, which is one of the biggest universities in the US, there will be a fleet of 40 robots that will serve ASU’s large on-campus community. The students, faculty and staff can now use the Starship app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from local retailers to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. Theyl have multiple merchants to choose from and the service accepts dining dollars, also known as Maroon and Gold dollars.

At JMU, a fleet of 30 robots will deliver to the school’s nearly 21,000 students, faculty and staff from 16 campus eateries: Starbucks (two locations), Dunkin’, Subway, Qdoba, Steak ‘n Shake, Chips Convenience Store, Union Taco, Festival Grab & Go, Wings, Sammy Shop, Burger Studio, Jemmy’s Corner Market, Aunt Annie’s, Freshens and Market 64 Java City. JMU Dining will also offer Skip the Line Pick Up Service at three campus eateries: Subway, Bistro 1908 and Corner Bistro Café. The service works in conjunction with the student meal plan. Diners can use their meal plan declining balance Dining Dollars, or Dining GOLD. Starship Robots also accepts credit, debit and the campus declining balance program dollars.

Last month, Georgia Southern University (GSU) became the first university in Georgia to offer autonomous robot deliveries. The Statesboro campus has 20 Starship robots to deliver food from on-campus eateries including GUS Stop food trailer, Starbucks, Market Street Deli and Sushi with Gusto. According to Eagle Dining Services’ executive director Jeff Yawn, “Eagle Dining Services is excited to offer our students a new means of services with innovative technology. These robots allow us to serve more areas of campus, safely and securely in these unprecedented times.”

“They’re so fun and easy to use,” said Sydney Harrell, JMU Class of 2022. “I am so excited to welcome the cute little bots to the JMU family. Go Dukes!”

Starship is already providing services to over 10 campuses across the country, including George Mason University, Northern Arizona University and Purdue University. Since launch, all campuses have increased the number of robots, dining options and hours of operation to meet the high demand for the service.

To get started, users open the Starship Deliveries app, choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it through the app. The delivery usually takes just a matter of minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. Each robot can carry up to 20 lbs – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.

“Campus life looks a lot different than it did last fall semester,” said Ryan Tuohy, SVP of Business Development at Starship Technologies. “Our robots provide contactless delivery, which can help keep students safe and make social distancing easier. We think our new campus communities are going to love the convenience that our delivery robots offer and we’re excited to become a part of life on these campuses. We’re looking forward to meeting our fellow Sun Devils, Dukes and Eagles!”

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its robots have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles, crossed more than 5 million streets and completed more than 500,000 commercial deliveries. The robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans can also monitor their progress remotely and can take control if needed.

“We are thrilled to have the Starship Robots on campus as part of the award-winning JMU Dining Meal Plan program,” said Brent Beringer, Executive Director of JMU Dining. “Our mission is to keep the students safe and make them happy – and Starship Robots do both extremely well!”

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ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries with autonomous robots. The robots are designed to deliver food, groceries and packages locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and met millions of people across 100 cities around the world. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. Former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO.

ABOUT ARAMARK:

Aramark (NYSE: ARMK) proudly serves the world’s leading educational institutions, Fortune 500 companies, world champion sports teams, prominent healthcare providers, iconic destinations and cultural attractions, and numerous municipalities in 19 countries around the world. We deliver innovative experiences and services in food, facilities management and uniforms to millions of people every day. We strive to create a better world by making a positive impact on people and the planet, including commitments to engage our employees; empower healthy consumers; build local communities; source ethically, inclusively and responsibly; operate efficiently and reduce waste. Aramark is recognized as a Best Place to Work by the Human Rights Campaign (LGBTQ+), DiversityInc, Equal Employment Publications and the Disability Equality Index. Learn more at www.aramark.com or connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

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MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland

VP of Marketing

Starship Technologies

henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz

Janel Steinberg (US) / James Meredith (UK)

Liberty Communications for Starship Technologies

starship@libertycomms.com

+1 415 429 5652 / +44 207 751 4444

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO, SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT: https://www.starship.xyz/press

The post Starship Technologies Launches Robot Delivery Service at Arizona State University and James Madison University appeared first on Starship Technologies: Autonomous robot delivery - The future of delivery - today!.

Bowling Green, O. and San Francisco, CA | March 3, 2020

Bowling Green State University and Starship Technologies launched a robot food delivery service today on the University’s Bowling Green campus. BGSU is the first University in Ohio to offer the service as a convenience for its students. There are currently no other autonomous delivery providers operating in the state.

Through a partnership with the University’s food-service provider – Chartwells Higher Education Dining Services – Starship’s fleet of 30 autonomous, on-demand robots will deliver from nine campus eateries: Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Jamba Juice, Marcos Pizza, Panda Express, Chickendippity, Mondo’s Subs, Kreischer Late Night and BGSU Dining convenience stores.

The partnership is expected to create new employment opportunities for students interested in mechatronics and robotics. BGSU’s fast-growing mechatronics program is designed to meet evolving engineering and technology workforce needs.

Campus visitors and the school’s nearly 23,000 students, faculty and staff can now use the Starship app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from these dining outlets to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. In addition to accepting credit cards, the service also works in conjunction with student meal plans.

“As a public University, we’re committed to harnessing technology and innovation, inside and out of the classroom, to better serve our students and the community,” said BGSU President Rodney K. Rogers. “We’re pleased to welcome autonomous delivery to our campus and excited to leverage the latest state-of-the-art artificial intelligence to engage current and future students.”

While BGSU is the company’s first location in Ohio, Starship is already providing services to campuses across the country including George Mason University, Northern Arizona University and Purdue University. Since launch, these campuses have increased the number of robots, dining options and hours of operation to meet the high demand for the service.

To get started, users open the Starship Deliveries app, choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it through the app. The delivery usually takes just a matter of minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. Each robot can carry up to 20 lbs – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.

The service at BGSU will initially be limited to the core campus area bounded by E. Wooster Street to the south, Poe Road to the north, Mercer Road to the east and Thurstin Street to the west. Delivery is available from 7:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m. daily.

“I’m really excited for these robots! Being able to get breakfast delivered right to my door with my meal plan will be a lifesaver for early classes and long cold days,” said Sophia Fonte, a junior marketing major from North Canton, Ohio.

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its robots have traveled over 350,000 miles, crossed more than 5 million streets and completed more than 100,000 commercial deliveries. The robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans can also monitor their progress remotely and can take control at a moment’s notice.

“We can’t wait for students, faculty and staff at BGSU to start benefiting from autonomous delivery on campus” said Ryan Tuohy, SVP Business Development at Starship Technologies. “We’re proud to be working with BGSU and Chartwells to be the first autonomous delivery service in the state of Ohio.”

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As a public university, BGSU focuses on contributing to the public good and embraces its role as a national model in addressing the educational, economic, and social vitality of our region, the state of Ohio, the nation, and the world. BGSU is a tier-one, comprehensive public university serving more than 20,000 students on two campuses in northwest Ohio. The University has nationally recognized programs and research in the natural and social sciences, education, arts, business, health and wellness, humanities and applied technologies.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries with autonomous robots. The robots are designed to deliver food, groceries and packages locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and met millions of people across 100 cities around the world. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. Former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO.

The post Bowling Green State University and Starship Technologies Launch Robot Delivery Service appeared first on Starship Technologies: Autonomous robot delivery - The future of delivery - today!.

The charity Guide Dogs and Starship Technologies announce collaboration

LONDON | December 19, 2019

The charity Guide Dogs and Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, have today announced the findings of a preliminary test to explore the impact that autonomous technologies will have on visually impaired people using guide dogs.

The collaboration marks the first time that autonomous delivery services, operating live on public pavements, have been tested out on the street in conjunction with working animals. The pilot project, conducted in Milton Keynes by Guide Dogs and Starship, saw guide dogs accompanied by their owners and/or trainers encounter Starship’s autonomous delivery robots in live scenarios where the robots operate on a daily basis. This included meeting from the front and rear, overtaking one another, and heading towards each other at a road crossing.

All of the dogs reacted calmly, most stopping before the robot approached, with no adverse reactions. The consensus was therefore that training for the guide dogs would probably be approached by treating the robots like any other obstacle encountered on the pavement. Starship’s robots have interacted with over 600,000 non-working dogs around the world and encountered similar results.

John Welsman, Policy Lead, Travel and Mobility at Guide Dogs, said: “Technology is constantly changing our environment and the way we live, so it’s vital that Guide Dogs as an organisation leads the way in shaping that environment for visually impaired people. We want all our guide dog owners and their dogs to feel confident about navigating the streets of the future, so we’re really pleased to have the opportunity to work with Starship on this initial project.”

Lex Bayer, CEO of Starship Technologies, said: “We believe that autonomous delivery can play an important role in supporting all individuals within communities by making people’s lives more convenient. Working seamlessly alongside residents is one of our number one priorities, and we are continually looking at ways to enhance our services by engaging with organisations such as Guide Dogs to do just this. We are looking forward to the next phase of the project.”

The project is set to be expanded in the future to include more extensive testing that will aim to discern the impact robots may have on people with a spectrum of visual impairments, including guide dog users.

With over 5,000 guide dogs on UK streets, Guide Dogs conducts research with a number of organisations to try and learn from and enhance the day-to-day experiences of visually impaired people as part of its Cities Unlocked initiative.

Starship Technologies was founded in July 2014 by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, with Lex Bayer joining as CEO from Airbnb in June 2018. To date, the company’s robots have covered over 125,000 miles in 20 countries and over 100 cities around the world, encountering millions of people along the way.

-ENDS-

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionising deliveries by using autonomous delivery robots. The robots are designed to deliver goods locally in minutes. The delivery robots have travelled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 100 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis and former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO.

Website:  https://www.starship.xyz/follow / starshipdeliveries.com

Facebook: @Starshiptech

Twitter: @Starshiprobots

Instagram: @Starshiprobots

The post New project explores how Guide Dogs and autonomous delivery robots interact on UK pavements appeared first on Starship Technologies: Autonomous robot delivery - The future of delivery - today!.

New delivery service makes UW-Madison the largest college campus in the United States to offer autonomous delivery to students, faculty, and staff

MADISON, WI | November 4, 2019

University Housing Dining & Culinary Services is getting a hand with food delivery from some pretty innovative technology. University of Wisconsin-Madison’s over 66,00 students, staff, and faculty will have access to a fleet of 30 Starship Technologies robots that can autonomously deliver food directly to their location.

“Our students are juggling more than they ever have before and we are always looking for inventive ways to support their campus dining needs,” says Peter Testory, Director of University Housing Dining & Culinary Services. “This delivery service allows us to reach them in a whole new way with made-from-scratch meals we offer from our dining markets. This added convenience and flexibility of dining for students allows us to provide an affordable option for those on campus.”

Here’s how it works. Users open the Starship Deliveries app (iOS and Android), choose the items they would like from one of three locations (Carson’s Market, Four Lakes Market, or Liz’s Market,), and drop a pin by selecting the location on the service map where they want their food to be delivered. The app allows users to watch the robot’s journey to them through an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, the user will receive an alert, and they can meet the robot and unlock it through the app. The delivery usually takes just a matter of minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. Robots can carry up to 20lb – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of groceries.

Each on-demand delivery costs just $1.99. In the coming weeks the ability to pay by Wiscard will be added to this service so students in the residence halls can use their food accounts and take advantage of resident pricing. In the meantime, customers can pay for orders with a credit/debit card.

The current delivery service area is generally north of University Avenue/Campus Drive, west of Park Street, and east of Walnut street. In the next coming weeks, service will be expanding to reach the rest of campus.

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its robots have traveled over 350,000 miles and completed over 150,000 autonomous deliveries. The robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans can also monitor their progress remotely and can take control at a moment’s notice.

“Our technology is designed to support people when they need it most,” says Ryan Tuohy, SVP of Business Development for Starship. “University of Wisconsin is our biggest US campus to date, which gives us an opportunity to help the students and faculty save time that would have been spent in line or waiting for their food. Now they can have more time to focus on the things that are important to them.”

In addition to university campuses, Starship also delivers groceries and packages in local neighborhoods and a range of items on corporate campuses around the globe. The company has also played a role in helping to bring legislation allowing delivery robots to operate on sidewalks across nine U.S. states, including Wisconsin and several countries.

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ABOUT UNIVERSITY HOUSING:

The Division of University Housing operates twenty residence halls across the UW-Madison campus, providing a home to over 7,800 undergraduate students. In addition, they operate three apartment communities serving about 3,000 graduate students, students with families, postdoctoral researchers, academic staff, and faculty. University Housing also manages six dining locations around campus and provides housing throughout the summer for conference groups and youth camps. www.housing.wisc.edu. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries by using autonomous delivery robots. The robots are designed to deliver goods locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 100 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, and former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO. https://www.starship.xyz/follow / starshipdeliveries.com

The post University of Wisconsin-Madison’s University housing launches new Starship robot delivery service appeared first on Starship Technologies: Autonomous robot delivery - The future of delivery - today!.

Series A Round Closes as Starship Is First Autonomous Delivery Company to hit 100,000 Deliveries milestone

San Francisco | August 20, 2019

Starship Technologies, the world’s leading autonomous delivery service, today announced that it has closed $40M in Series A funding. The company, which has just become the first to complete 100,000 commercial deliveries, also announced that it plans to expand its service to 100 university campuses in the next 24 months. Starship is working with the University of Pittsburgh and Sodexo in anticipation of a launch in the fall whilst Purdue University, Indiana is launching on September 9, with more following shortly.

With the closing of this Series A funding round, Starship has now raised a total of $85 million. The company will use the new funding to rapidly expand its services to more university campuses. The round was led by Morpheus Ventures with participation from prior investors including Shasta Ventures, Matrix Partners, MetaPlanet Holdings and others, as well as new investors including TDK Ventures, Qu Ventures and others. 

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its zero-emission robots have traveled more than 350,000 miles, crossed 4M streets, and have just marked the milestone of completing 100,000 autonomous deliveries – the first self-driving robotics company to reach this number. 

Starship, which does both restaurant and grocery deliveries around the world has now delivered over 6,000 pizzas, 7,000 gallons of milk, 8,000 coffees, 9,000 sushi rolls, 15,000 bananas as well as over 3,700 diapers. Kevin House, a second-year student at George Mason University in Virginia, said, “I’ve used Starship over 100 times in just a few months. It’s really saved me so much time and reduced my stress, especially around finals. I love getting food delivered by a robot, it just makes life so much easier.”

“We’ve evaluated the autonomous tech market segment around the world, and Starship is miles ahead of others in bringing advanced technology valued by real paying customers,” said Nicolas Sauvage, Managing Director of TDK Ventures. “Starship’s machine learning, computer vision, and sensor fusion is the most advanced we’ve seen in autonomous robotic delivery. We look forward to contributing to the success of Starship in this important and emerging space.”

“This new investment will see Starship expand onto more campuses as we head towards a goal of offering our service to over one million students,” said Lex Bayer, CEO of Starship Technologies. “An entire generation of university students are growing up in a world where they expect to receive a delivery from a robot after a few taps on their smartphone. The reception to our service both on campuses and in neighborhoods has been phenomenal. Our customers appreciate how we make their lives easier and give them back the gift of time.”

Starship rolled out robot delivery to university campuses this year in partnership with foodservice management company Sodexo, Inc, starting with George Mason University (Fairfax, VA), where it launched with what was then the world’s largest robotic delivery fleet, and later to Northern Arizona University (Flagstaff, AZ). Since the initial launches, both campuses have increased the number of robots, dining options and hours of operation to meet the high demand for the service.

The Starship Deliveries app is available for download on iOS and Android. To get started, users choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it through the app. Delivery fees vary by locations but are typically $1.99 or less.

The robots use a combination of sophisticated sensors, artificial intelligence, and machine learning to travel on sidewalks and navigate around any obstacles. Starship robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. Since the robots are battery powered they reduce pollution as well as congestion by removing cars and vans from the delivery process.

In addition to university campuses, Starship also delivers groceries and packages in neighborhoods and a range of items on corporate campuses around the globe. The company has also played a role in helping to bring legislation allowing Delivery Robots to operate on sidewalks across nine U.S. states, The District of Columbia and several countries. 

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ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries with autonomous robots. They are designed to deliver food, groceries, and packages locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled hundreds of thousands of miles and met millions of people across 100 cities around the world. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis. Former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO. 

Website: https://www.starship.xyz/follow / starshipdeliveries.com

Facebook: @Starshiptech

Twitter: @Starshiprobots

Instagram: @Starshiprobots

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland

VP of Marketing

Starship Technologies

henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz

Suzanne Hero (US) / James Meredith & Mike Walker (UK)

Liberty Communications for Starship Technologies

starship@libertycomms.com

+1 415 429 5652 / +44 207 751 4444

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO, SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT:

https://www.starship.xyz/kit

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Starship’s autonomous delivery robots have now travelled over 200,000 miles, the equivalent of driving around the world over eight times

Milton Keynes | 10 April, 2019

Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, today announced that it has passed the major milestone of 50,000 commercial deliveries.

The company’s robots have travelled in over 100 cities around the world, operating commercially every day in local neighbourhoods and university and corporate campuses across five different time zones. Today, Starship celebrates its one year anniversary of operation in Milton Keynes, having seen the number of houses served in the town grow by 450% in the last year.

Now completing thousands of deliveries per week, Starship’s robots began delivering groceries and items from a Co-op food store in Milton Keynes to residents’ front doors in April 2018. Since then, Starship’s global fleet of robots has not only surpassed 50,000 commercial deliveries, but have now travelled over 200,000 miles across the globe.

Using Starship’s delivery service means residents don’t have to worry about driving to the shop to pick up their groceries, which not only saves them time and provides convenience, but also reduces congestion and pollution. To date, Starship’s delivery service in Milton Keynes has eliminated tens of thousands of unnecessary car journeys. The most popular items ordered in the last year include milk, bread and chocolate.

The growth in popularity of Starship’s service has also seen the company announce a new partnership with a second Co-op store in Milton Keynes, adding to the delivery service also offered from a Tesco store in the town.

Lex Bayer, CEO of Starship Technologies, said: “Today is a significant milestone for Starship as we celebrate passing 50,000 deliveries with our autonomous robots. The popularity of our service continues, and we are delighted to be expanding to additional neighbourhoods and university campuses across the world. It has been exciting to see the increase in ‘top up shopping’ by residents in Milton Keynes where they buy groceries on multiple occasions throughout the week now that they have the option of autonomous delivery.”

Chris Conway, Head of Food Digital at the Co-op, said: “This is an exciting time for the Co-op, with innovations and new technologies driving a number of different home delivery schemes. It is all about ease, convenience and choice for today’s time-pressed shopper. The popularity of our work with Starship is clear to see in Milton Keynes, with children leaving messages and drawings with the robots, and expressions of thanks from members of the community.”

Gillian Bailey, a local resident in Milton Keynes received the 50,000th delivery made by Starship in the town. She said: “Since the robots came to our neighbourhood last year, they’ve become such a popular and common sight in the community. With my hectic schedule, it’s really convenient to get my groceries delivered by the robot right to my front door while I’m busy with other things around the house. Our community feels really lucky to have this service available in our area, and I know many people who use it regularly throughout the week. I’ve already made over 100 orders since Starship first set up shop here and I’ll be making many more!”

This news in the UK follows significant expansion for Starship in the US, where just last month the company brought its autonomous delivery services to Northern Arizona University, following a launch at George Mason University campus in Fairfax, Virginia in January 2019.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionising deliveries by using autonomous delivery robots. The robots are designed to deliver goods locally in minutes. The delivery robots have travelled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 100 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, and former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO.

Website: https://www.starship.xyz/follow/ / starshipdeliveries.com

Facebook: @Starshiptech

Twitter: @Starshiprobots

Instagram: @Starshiprobots

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Starship Technologies and Sodexo Launch Robot Food Delivery at Northern Arizona University Today with Einstein Bros. Bagels and five other campus restaurants

Gaithersburg, MD. and San Francisco, CA | March 25, 2019

It’s something your mom always told you – eat your breakfast – and now college students are starting to do just that, thanks to Starship robots and Sodexo. Research has shown that up to 88 percent of college students skip breakfast, primarily because of lack of time, but that number is starting to turn around when delivery robots arrive on campus. Starting today, students at Northern Arizona University’s (NAU) Flagstaff campus will have the convenience of receiving food delivered by robot.

Starship Technologies and Sodexo, Inc. revealed today that an extra 1,500 breakfast orders have been delivered autonomously since the two companies joined forces to debut the Starship delivery robots on the campus of George Mason University (GMU) at the end of January. This follows a similar pattern seen at corporate campuses where delivery robots were added.

To help celebrate the launch of a fleet of more than 30 robots on campus and raise awareness of the breakfast offerings, the companies are partnering with Einstein Bros. Bagels and offering free breakfast for the remainder of the academic year to the NAU student who places the first order via the Starship app. The school’s nearly 25,000 students and faculty can now use the Starship app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks from local retailers to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. Each on-demand delivery costs just $1.99 and also works in conjunction with the student meal plan. Other participating on-campus retailers include national chain Star Ginger, as well as restaurants Cobrizo Mexican Grill, Turnip the Greens, G’s NY Style Deli, and The Wedge Market and Pizza.

“I’m really excited for these robots! Having the ability to get breakfast delivered right to my door simply with my meal plan will be a lifesaver for early classes and long day,” said NAU student Josh Feygin.

This also marks one of the first times that sidewalk delivery robots are operating in Arizona. The state is one of seven that have approved the operation of delivery robots. The legislation was largely championed by Rep. Kelly Townsend, R-Mesa. Townsend said, “Last year I sponsored HB 2422 in an effort to clear the way for personal delivery devices to operate in Arizona. It’s great to see the hard work of many stakeholders come to fruition with the introduction of the robots in Flagstaff. I look forward to this cutting edge technology being implemented to other parts of the state as well.”

To get started, users open the Starship Deliveries app, choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it through the app. The delivery usually takes just a matter of minutes, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. Each robot can carry up to 20 lbs – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.

“We’ve been very pleased with how quickly Starship has been embraced on college campuses,” said Ryan Tuohy, SVP, Business Development, Starship Technologies. “These campuses are hubs of innovation and activity, with both students and faculty needing convenient and flexible services. Our on-demand delivery is perfectly suited to this environment and we can’t wait to introduce our robots to the students and faculty at Northern Arizona University.”

“Sodexo oversees dining services at more than 700 colleges and universities which gives us unique insights into the evolving needs and preferences of students,” said Barry Telford, CEO, Universities West, Sodexo North America. “Today’s college students are prolific users of food delivery apps and they place a high value on convenience, ease and diversity of options, so we are thrilled to be able to provide this cutting-edge robot delivery service to Northern Arizona University via our partnership with Starship.”

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its robots have traveled over 150,000 miles. The robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. A team of humans can also monitor their progress remotely and can take control at a moment’s notice.

“Northern Arizona University is proud to partner with Sodexo and Starship to bring this creative and innovative technology to our Flagstaff campus,” said Dr. Rita Hartung Cheng, NAU President. “This new robot delivery service complements the service on our premier residential campus and serves to enhance the exceptional dining and food offered to our students, faculty and staff.”

Sodexo and Starship plan to continue to expand the program to additional campus locations globally in the future.

ABOUT SODEXO NORTH AMERICA:

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 72 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 150,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $32 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit SodexoUSA.com, SodexoInsights.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries by using autonomous delivery robots. The robots are designed to deliver goods locally in minutes. The delivery robots have traveled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 100 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis and former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO. Website: https://www.starship.xyz/follow / starshipdeliveries.com

Facebook: @Starshiptech

Twitter: @Starshiprobots

Instagram: @Starshiprobots

The post Bringing Breakfast Back: Delivery Robots rolling into more university campuses appeared first on Starship Technologies: Autonomous robot delivery - The future of delivery - today!.

First robot delivery service integrated with student meal plans debuts at George Mason University today

Gaithersburg, MD. and San Francisco, CA | January 22, 2019

Starship Technologies and Sodexo, Inc. today announced the launch of robot food delivery services at George Mason University’s Fairfax, VA campus. Beginning today, Mason’s 40,000 students, faculty and staff can access the Starship Deliveries app (iOS and Android) to order food and drinks to be delivered anywhere on campus, within minutes. Blaze Pizza, Starbucks, and Dunkin’ are the first retailers to participate, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. Each on-demand delivery costs just $1.99.

With a fleet of more than 25 robots at launch, this initiative is the largest implementation of autonomous robot food delivery services on a university campus and is representative of Sodexo’s next-generation technology portfolio for the College and University Market. Sodexo, a global provider of food and facilities management services, is committed to offering innovative services that help students enjoy a better campus experience. The service works in conjunction with student meal plans. By making food and drink more accessible, Sodexo and Starship are aiming to make the busy lives of Mason students and faculty a little easier.

“We’re excited that our students, faculty and staff get to be at the forefront of this pioneering campus food delivery service,” said Mark Kraner, Executive Director for Campus Retail Operations at George Mason University. “This will enhance life for everyone at the University, and that’s something we’re continuously looking to build upon. Our commitment to providing an optimal campus experience is one of the things that distinguishes George Mason University as a place where everyone can thrive.”

To get started, users open the Starship Deliveries app, choose from a range of their favorite food or drink items, then drop a pin where they want their delivery to be sent. They can then watch as the robot makes its journey to them, via an interactive map. Once the robot arrives, they receive an alert, and can then meet and unlock it through the app. The entire delivery usually takes 15 minutes or less, depending on the menu items ordered and the distance the robot must travel. Each robot can carry up to 20 lbs – the equivalent of about three shopping bags of goods.

“College students understand the benefits of technology on campus and expect it to be integrated into their daily lives,” said Ryan Tuohy, SVP, Business Development, Starship Technologies. “Students and teachers have little free time as it is, so there is a convenience for them to have their food, groceries and packages delivered to them. Our goal is to make life easier, whether that means skipping the line, eating lunch on the lawn rather than in the cafe, or finding the time to eat better when studying for exams. Commuters can even meet the robot on their way into class. We look forward to seeing how our service will help and support the daily lives and community of students and educators at George Mason University.””

Starship Technologies is the world’s leading autonomous delivery service and operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its robots have completed over 25,000 deliveries and travelled more than 150,000 miles. The robots use a combination of sophisticated machine learning, artificial intelligence and sensors to travel on sidewalks and navigate around obstacles. The computer vision-based navigation helps the robots to map their environment to the nearest inch. The robots can cross streets, climb curbs, travel at night and operate in both rain and snow. In addition, the robots can be stored in pods located around campus where their batteries are automatically switched so they can continue to operate independently, with no human involvement.

“University dining programs are evolving their strategies to meet this generation’s elevated expectations, such as better quality, variety and service delivery,” said Jim Jenkins, CEO of Universities East, Sodexo USA. “George Mason University’s culture of innovation and early adoption makes it the perfect campus for Sodexo and Starship to introduce this cutting-edge technology and enhance the campus experience for the entire school community.”

“Being able to get food delivered to me within minutes is going to be fun and convenient,” said Mason student Jenna Dayton. “The lines can get long in between classes, and once you get a table at the library, you don’t want to give it up. Not only will this make my life easier as a student, but I’m going to get a visit from a robot!”

Sodexo and Starship plan to expand the program to additional campus locations globally in the future.

Follow the fleet at @StarshipGMU on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

ABOUT SODEXO NORTH AMERICA:

Sodexo North America is part of a global, Fortune 500 company with a presence in 72 countries. Sodexo is a leading provider of integrated food, facilities management and other services that enhance organizational performance, contribute to local communities and improve quality of life for millions of customers in corporate, education, healthcare, senior living, sports and leisure, government and other environments daily. The company employs 150,000 people at 13,000 sites in all 50 U.S. states and Canada and indirectly supports tens of thousands of additional jobs through its annual purchases of $9.2 billion in goods and services from small to large American businesses. Sodexo is committed to supporting diversity and inclusion and safety, while upholding the highest standards of corporate responsibility and ethical business conduct. In support of local communities across the U.S., the Sodexo Stop Hunger Foundation has contributed close to $32 million over the past 20 years to help feed children in America impacted by hunger. To learn more about Sodexo, visit SodexoUSA.com, SodexoInsights.com and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries by using autonomous delivery robots. The robots are designed to deliver goods locally in minutes. The delivery robots have travelled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 100 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis and former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO.Website:  https://www.starship.xyz/follow / starshipdeliveries.com

Facebook: @Starshiptech

Twitter: @Starshiprobots

Instagram: @Starshiprobots

The post World’s Largest Fleet of Delivery Robots on a University Campus Launched by Starship Technologies and Sodexo appeared first on Starship Technologies: Autonomous robot delivery - The future of delivery - today!.

October 31, 2018 | San Francisco

Consumers around the world will never miss a delivery again thanks to Starship Technologies’ new service, launched today. The tech company has announced the world’s first commercial rollout of autonomous package delivery on the ground, with hundreds of robots from Starship delivering packages straight to consumers’ front doors.

Package theft happens to 42% of city dwellers, 26% of suburbians, and 19% of people who live in rural areas. Starship’s service gives consumers complete control over when their packages arrive so that packages are never left unattended. According to August’s Home Package Theft Report, victims of package theft are spending on average $200+ to replace each package and a study by Shorr Packaging Corp found that 41% of respondents avoided purchasing online goods like electronics because they feared packages would be stolen.

The new service will be available to residents in the Bay Area, California before the end of the year. It is available today through Starship’s official app (iOS and Android) for residents living in the UK (Milton Keynes), who are now able to have packages delivered to their front door whenever they choose at the click of a button. Once signed-up on the app, people will receive a ‘personal address’ in place of their home address or whichever location they normally get parcels delivered to.

This personal address will be the location of a Starship managed local facility, and consumers will be notified via the app when their package has arrived there. They can then choose a time for one of Starship’s robots to deliver it to their home, place of work or any other location nearby, while also being able to track the robot’s journey in real time via the app.

“We’re excited that thanks to our technology, local communities across the globe will never miss a home delivery again,” said Lex Bayer, Starship’s Chief Executive Officer. “Today, more than ever, people lead busy and diverse lives. The hassle of needing to re-arrange your life for a delivery will become a thing of the past. No more having to switch your working from home day, reschedule meetings, visit a locker, drive to a post office or contact a courier all because of a missed delivery. Starship gets packages to consumers when and where they want them. This is the only service of its kind available in the world today, and it works around your lifestyle.”

Lex added: “Consumers are in control – they choose when an order comes to their door and there’s no need to use a locker service to collect deliveries. We provide the locker and the delivery, saving time and making consumers’ lives easier.”

Starship Technologies was founded in July 2014 by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, with Lex Bayer joining as CEO in June 2018 from Airbnb. To date, the company’s robots have covered over 125,000 miles in 20 countries and over 100 cities around the world, encountering millions of people along the way.

-ENDS-

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is revolutionizing deliveries by using autonomous delivery robots. The robots are designed to deliver goods locally in minutes. The delivery robots have travelled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 100 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Starship was founded by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis and former AirBnB executive Lex Bayer is CEO.

Website: starship.xyz/follow / starshipdeliveries.com/packages

Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

MEDIA CONTACTS

Henry Harris-Burland
VP Marketing`
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz

Suzanne Hirsh (US) / James Meredith & Mike Walker (UK)
Liberty Communications for Starship Technologies
starship@libertycomms.com
+1 415 429 5652 / +44 207 751 4444

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO, SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT:

https://www.starship.xyz/follow/

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Airbnb veteran Lex Bayer joins Starship Technologies as CEO to spearhead business expansion amidst commercial rollout of autonomous delivery

San Francisco and London | June 7, 2018

Starship Technologies announces $25 million (€21.4 mil.) in additional seed funding and the appointment of Lex Bayer as Chief Executive Officer. The round includes follow-on investments from existing investors including Matrix Partners and Morpheus Ventures. Additional investors include Airbnb co-founder Nathan Blecharczyk, Skype founding engineer Jaan Tallinn, and former chairman and CEO of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Gary Barber.

“I’m delighted to join the Starship team at this inflection point in the company’s journey and look forward to helping the business build on its position as the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery ,” said Starship CEO Lex Bayer. “This additional funding will allow us to deploy our robots in neighbourhoods as well as corporate and university campuses in the US and Europe.”

Lex joins Starship from Airbnb where he led the Business Development, Payments and Airbnb for Businesses functions of the company. Since joining Airbnb in 2013, the business saw a growth in guest arrivals from 6 million to over 100 million people during a four-year period. Prior to joining Airbnb, Lex founded online payments company Spare Change Payments and served as CEO until its acquisition by PlaySpan in 2009. After the sale, Lex served as a key part of PlaySpan team that took the business through triple-digit growth, a Series C funding round and its eventual acquisition by Visa Inc. in March 2011 for over $190M.

Starship co-founder Janus Friis commented “We are at the point where we are ready to start deploying our network of robots at scale. This additional funding, and Lex’s appointment, will allow us to bring our services to market. Lex joins us with a proven track record of growing businesses that change the way we live for the better.”

Robots developed by Starship Technologies have now covered over 100,000 miles around the world in 20 countries and over 100 cities, encountering over 15 million people along the way.

“Today’s announcement represents a major milestone,” concluded Starship co-founder and CTO Ahti Heinla. “with the start of our commercial rollout, additional funding and Lex joining the team, we are ready to take the business to new heights”.

“Starship Technologies has demonstrated that it has the potential to transform the industry. Autonomous delivery isn’t tomorrow’s reality – it’s today’s,” said Matrix Partner’s Hardi Meybaum.  “We’ve been impressed by Starship’s ability to deliver its services to partners on both sides of the Atlantic” said Kristian Blaszcynski of Morpheus Ventures. “Starship’s current deployments on campuses and neighbourhoods in the U.S. and the U.K. point to the future of delivery.”

-ENDS-

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-60 minutes. The delivery robots have travelled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 100 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way packages, groceries and food are delivered.

Website: starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

ABOUT MATRIX PARTNERS:

Matrix Partners works with visionary founders of early-stage startups to amplify their potential. Our general partners blend deep experience with personal commitment to support founders from start to success. Recent Matrix investments include Oculus VR, Zendesk, Hubspot, Acacia Communications, Polyvore, Lever, Poynt and Namely. Founded in 1977, Matrix Partners has East and West Coast offices (San Francisco and Cambridge) as well as offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Reach us at www.matrixpartners.com and @MatrixPartners.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
VP Marketing`
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz

Harry Potts (UK) / Suzanne Hirsh (US)
Liberty Communications for Starship Technologies
starship@libertycomms.com
+44 207 751 4444 / +1 415 429 5652

DOWNLOAD STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO AT:

https://www.starship.xyz/press

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Starship Technologies Launches Commercial Rollout of Autonomous Delivery

Robotic delivery world leader plans to deploy over 1,000 robots by year end after success with Compass

San Francisco and London | April 30, 2018

Starship Technologies today announces a major commercial rollout of autonomous delivery services for corporate and academic campuses across the U.S. and Europe. This comes on top of continued growth in robotic food, grocery and parcel delivery in residential neighbourhoods.

Starship’s initiative is the first large scale deployment of autonomous delivery services, supporting campuses by implementing robots to assist in work and school environments. The robots offer on-demand delivery anywhere on participating campuses via an app, offering employees the flexibility and convenience of having food delivery when and where they want, eliminating unwanted errands and waiting in line, or transporting items to and from other locations on campus.

The robots can be easily deployed in specially-designed pods that can be stationed around campuses, providing automated battery-swapping as well as housing for the robots while off duty. The pods can be designed to fit in with the architecture of the campus or neighborhood they operate on, and come in various sizes to accommodate different numbers of robots.

“We’ve partnered with Compass Group on the Intuit Mountain View campus in the U.S. to provide accessible, convenient and sustainable robotic delivery,” said CEO, Ahti Heinla, Starship Technologies, “and after a successful start to the year and great reception to our robots, we are planning to dramatically expand our services and distribute thousands of robots across campuses around the world by 2019.”

The campus launch represents a major milestone in the growth of Starship Technologies, expanding on commercial delivery pilot programs in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland and Estonia. Robots developed by Starship Technologies have now covered over 100,000 miles around the world in 20 countries and over 100 cities, encountering over 15 million people along the way. Starship robots on campuses help increase efficiency and let employees make the most out of work environments that now often include recreational amenities to support and encourage a better work-life balance.

On Intuit’s Mountain View campus, workers can order food and drink via the Starship app for delivery throughout the day across all 4.3 acres of the Intuit campus. On average, a Starship robot takes 17 minutes to deliver food, coffee or snacks on the campus, giving people more time to be productive or enjoy their breaks around their campus, instead of standing in line.

Starship’s robots can deliver all manner of items from food and office stationery to tools and spare parts in large Campus environments. To date, the most common Starship delivery item at Intuit has been breakfast sandwiches, giving employees access to a meal frequently skipped. “I normally miss breakfast because I’m in a rush on the way to work, but this service has allowed me to have breakfast again, by bringing it to me,” said Ha Ly, Lifecycle Marketing Manager at Intuit.

On average, people spend 73% of their work day sitting at their desks. Prolonged desk sitting is proven to be bad for physical health and mental well-being. Reaction to the robots has been overwhelmingly positive from workers on the Intuit campus, which also encourages their staff to move around and take advantage of a campus that offers an outdoor area including basketball courts, a reflection garden, an outdoor patio with Wi-Fi and vegetation to encourage local wildlife.

“It didn’t take long after injuring my foot to fully appreciate the capabilities of Starship’s campus delivery,” said Srivathsan Canchi, a Product Lead at Intuit. “I love that I was able to get my coffee delivered to my doorstep! From the first time that you use this service, it’s easy to see all the ways it can enhance your work experience. For example, I probably won’t use outside vendors to deliver our lunch meetings anymore, now I’ll just use Starship instead.”

“The rollout of Starship’s campus offering represents a major milestone in the development of delivery robots,” concluded Heinla. “Today’s announcement signals the next step in Starship’s journey. By providing campuses with our platform, we are leading the deployment of autonomous delivery at scale worldwide”.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-60 minutes. The delivery robots have travelled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 100 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way packages, groceries and food are delivered.

If you’re interested in bringing robots to your campus, get in touch through the following options:

Website: www.starshipdeliveries.com

Facebook: @Starshiptech

Twitter: @Starshiprobots

Instagram: @Starshiprobots

Email: campus@starship.xyz

Video on Intuit Campus Offering:  https://youtu.be/P_zRwq9c8LY

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland

VP Marketing

Starship Technologies

henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz

Harry Potts (UK) / Suzanne Hirsh (US)

Liberty Communications for Starship Technologies

starship@libertycomms.com

+44 207 751 4444 / +1 415 429 5652

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO, SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT:

https://www.starship.xyz/press

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European cities to experience autonomous Domino’s pizza delivery using Starship Robots

LONDON | MARCH 29, 2017

Starship Technologies, the company building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally, today announced the launch of pizza deliveries in co-operation with Domino’s Pizza Enterprises (Domino’s), a global leader in the pizza industry. Domino’s is running the project under the framework of DRU (Domino’s Robotic Unit), an initiative using robot and drone technologies for delivery.

Starship robots will start delivering pizzas within a 1 mile radius around Domino’s stores in selected German and Dutch cities.

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises is the largest franchisee of the Domino’s Pizza brand in the world, completing hundreds of thousands of deliveries every day from more than 2000 stores across the Company’s seven markets. Domino’s Robotic Unit (DRU) will oversee the partnership, after testing both ground and air based delivery solutions in 2016.

“We’re shared in our vision with Domino’s to constantly improve convenience for the customer.” Said Ahti Heinla, Chief Executive Officer, Starship Technologies. “Not only is Domino’s pizza delicious, but the perfect topping is giving back the luxury of time and control to the customer, and our robots are best placed to offer this.”

Don Meij, Domino’s Group CEO and Managing Director, said the partnership between the Company and Starship Technologies was an important next step in bringing robot pizza deliveries to reality.

“We are a global company and we are eager to progress innovative technology in all of the countries in which we operate – we are very excited to be partnering with Starship as it brings regular deliveries by robot one step closer to commercial operations.

“Robotic delivery units will complement our existing delivery methods, including cars, scooters and e-bikes, ensuring our customers can get the hottest, freshest-made pizza delivered directly to them, wherever they are.

“With our growth plans over the next five to 10 years, we simply won’t have enough delivery drivers if we do not look to add to our fleet through initiatives such as this.

Starship recently announced $17.2 million (€16.5 mil.) in seed funding, led by Mercedes-Benz Vans. The funding accelerates the development of pilot programs in Europe and the US.

This announcement follows the launch of more partnerships in the United States, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Estonia with Postmates, DoorDash, Just Eat, Hermes Parcel Delivery, Swiss Post and Wolt.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 2 mile radius. The robots drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way parcels, groceries and food are delivered.

Website: www.starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

ABOUT DOMINO’S PIZZA ENTERPRISES:

Domino’s Pizza Enterprises is the master franchisor for the Domino’s Pizza brand in Australia, New Zealand, France, Belgium, The Netherlands, Japan and Germany. Across these seven markets, DPE and its franchisees operate over 2000 stores.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
Chief Marketing Officer
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz
+44 (0) 7732552891 (UK)
+1 (415) 624-4573 (USA)

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO, SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT:

https://www.starship.xyz/press

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Virginia becomes the first state in the nation to pass the ground-breaking law

SAN FRANCISCO | FEBRUARY 28, 2017

Personal Delivery Devices (“PDD”) have been given the green light to operate state-wide in Virginia. SB1207, patroned by Senator Bill DeSteph, and HB2016, patroned by Delegate Ronald Villanueva, have passed the Virginia legislature, and SB1207 was approved by the Governor on February 24, 2017. The legislation, which becomes effective July 1, 2017, permits the use of Starship’s Personal Delivery Devices in the Commonwealth of Virginia and marks the first official state-wide approval of the use of PDDs on sidewalks, shared-use paths, and crosswalks in the United States.

“I was honored to carry this important legislation and I am proud that Virginia is the first state in the nation to approve the state-wide use of these autonomous delivery robots,” says Senator DeSteph.  “Passage of the legislation demonstrates Virginia’s continuing commitment to the unmanned industry and demonstrates that the Commonwealth is open to growing this market in Virginia.”

The PDD’s, which  travel on sidewalks delivering parcels, groceries and food within a 2 mile radius, reduce congestion and pollution in cities and neighbourhoods, while increasing convenience and reducing cost for customers and businesses alike.

“Making Virginia the first state to pass the legislation has been a joint effort, says Delegate Villanueva.  “We worked closely with all interested stakeholders to make this happen, and as Chair of the House Transportation Committee, I am committed to identifying opportunities such as this that will advance Virginia’s support of the transportation and technology sectors.”

“The Commonwealth sent an unmistakeable message that it embraces innovation and technology” said Ahti Heinla, Chief Executive Officer, Starship Technologies.  “I applaud the McAuliffe Administration, Senator DeSteph and Chairman Villanueva for their leadership in making this happen and we look forward to making deliveries a little easier for the citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia.”

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes. The robots have travelled tens of thousands of miles, met millions of people and have been tested in over 50 cities around the world to date. They drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way parcels, groceries and food are delivered.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 2 mile radius. The robots drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way parcels, groceries and food are delivered.

Website: www.starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
Marketing and Communications Manager
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz
+44 (0) 7732552891 (UK)
+1 (415) 624-4573 (USA)

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS,IMAGES AND VIDEO – SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT:

https://www.starship.xyz/press/

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Daimler AG and top VCs lead Starship Technologies funding for the world’s first robotic delivery service

SAN FRANCISCO | JANUARY 12, 2017

Starship Technologies, the company building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally, today announced $17.2 million (€16.5 mil.) in seed funding. The round was led by Daimler AG, along with Shasta Ventures, Matrix Partners, ZX Ventures, Morpheus Ventures, Grishin Robotics, Playfair Capital and a number of other investors.

“Starship is reinventing the last mile transportation process, allowing convenient and sustainable robotic delivery,” said Ahti Heinla, CEO, Starship Technologies. “This funding further accelerates development of our technologies and enables us to launch pilot programs in several new markets”.

Starship Technologies entered a partnership with Daimler-owned Mercedes-Benz Vans in 2016 to begin developing and testing ‘Robovan,’ the world’s first transportation system integrating specifically adapted vans with autonomous delivery robots to create greater delivery efficiencies. “Starship Technologies and Mercedes-Benz Vans share a strong vision: We both strive to fundamentally change the way we think about the delivery on the last mile. Together, we will make that vision come true and show the potential of robotic delivery devices in a combined holistic transportation system. Starship’s unique technology fits perfectly with our vans”, said Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans.

“The way we move physical objects has changed dramatically thanks to Amazon and other delivery companies. Starship is enabling the trend and opening use-cases for the future that we can’t even imagine yet.” said Hardi Meybaum, General Partner at Matrix Partners. “Our investment in Starship is special because one of Matrix’s earliest investments was FedEx; Starship is bringing us full circle with the future of delivery using autonomous robots”. “Starship Technologies has proven the viability of ground-based robotic delivery, showing us that it’s not just a far-fetched idea – it’s our reality today,” said Rob Coneybeer, co-founder and managing director, Shasta Ventures.

Starship Technologies is running commercial delivery pilot programs in the US, UK, Germany, Switzerland and Estonia with partners like Just Eat, Hermes, Metro Group, Swiss Post, Wolt and others offering robotic delivery for the food, grocery and parcel industries.

Robots developed by Starship Technologies have now covered over 16,000 miles around the world in 16 countries and 59 cities, encountering over 3.1 million people, and recently started testing in Washington D.C., Redwood City, California and Fayetteville, Arkansas.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 2-3 mile radius. The robots drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way parcels, groceries and food are delivered.

Website: www.starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

ABOUT DAIMLER:

Daimler AG (daimler.com) is one of the world’s most successful automotive companies. With its divisions Mercedes-Benz Cars, Daimler Trucks, Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler Group is one of the biggest producers of premium cars and the world’s biggest manufacturer of commercial vehicles with a global reach. Daimler Financial Services provides financing, leasing, fleet management, insurance, financial investments, credit cards, and innovative mobility services. Daimler sells its vehicles and services in nearly all the countries of the world and has production facilities in Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Africa. Its current brand portfolio includes, in addition to the world’s most valuable premium automotive brand, Mercedes-Benz, as well as Mercedes-AMG, Mercedes-Maybach and Mercedes me, the brands Smart, Freightliner, Western Star, BharatBenz, FUSO, Setra and Thomas Built Buses, and Daimler Financial Services’ brands: Mercedes-Benz Bank, Mercedes-Benz Financial, Daimler Truck Financial, moovel, car2go and mytaxi. The company is listed on the stock exchanges of Frankfurt and Stuttgart (stock exchange symbol DAI).

ABOUT SHASTA VENTURES:

Shasta Ventures is a leading early-stage venture capital firm partnering with bold creative entrepreneurs who are passionate about building great products and amazing experiences. Founded in 2004, Shasta Ventures has funded more than 100 companies focused on consumer technology, enterprise software and emerging platforms including Apptio, Dollar Shave Club, Mint, Nest and many promising private companies such as Anaplan, Eero,  Nextdoor, Smule, Survios and Zuora, among others. The firm is based in Menlo Park and San Francisco, California.  Find out more at www.shastaventures.com, or follow us on Twitter at @shasta.

ABOUT MATRIX PARTNERS:

Matrix Partners works with visionary founders of early-stage startups to amplify their potential. Our general partners blend deep experience with personal commitment to support founders from start to success. Recent Matrix investments include Oculus VR, Zendesk, Hubspot, Acacia Communications, Polyvore, Lever, Poynt and Namely. Founded in 1977, Matrix Partners has East and West Coast offices (San Francisco and Cambridge) as well as offices in Shanghai, Bejiing, Mumbai, and Bangalore. Reach us at www.matrixpartners.com and @MatrixPartners.

ABOUT ZX VENTURES:

ZX Ventures is a global incubator and venture capital team funded by Anheuser-Busch InBev, the leading global brewer. The fund stimulates disruptive growth through brand, product and channel development. The purpose of ZX Ventures is to make products, services and technologies that bring people together to celebrate and share great times, and to offer the world what it hasn’t yet even imagined. ZX Ventures’​ unparalleled access to Anheuser-Busch InBev’s research, technology and distribution networks allows us to have a deep understanding of products and what the consumer wants, as well as to anticipate and meet what their needs will be in the future. ZX Ventures also seeks to develop partnerships with the best start-ups, entrepreneurs, designers and engineers to work together to launch big ideas in very meaningful ways.

ABOUT MORPHEUS VENTURES:

About Morpheus Ventures:   Morpheus invests in disruption of large markets across the technology landscape from consumer to enterprise technologies including mobile, SaaS, big data analytics platforms, AI and machine learning.  The firm is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

ABOUT GRISHIN ROBOTICS:

Grishin Robotics is a VC firm based in Silicon Valley and London, currently investing its second early-stage fund. Founded in 2012, we have been one of the first to start supporting entrepreneurs in robotics, IoT, AI, smart hardware and associated software.

ABOUT PLAYFAIR CAPITAL:

Playfair Capital is a London-based early stage venture capital firm investing in entrepreneurs building technology companies that re-imagine the way we live, work and play. We focus on companies creating experiential products and services to solve complex, high-value problems by using a combination of novel core technology, data and design. We provide the financial, operational, and strategic support our founders need to build category-leading companies. Since 2010, Playfair has backed over 45 companies including DueDil, Appear Here, Mapillary and Numerai.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
Marketing and Communications Manager
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz
+44 (0) 7732552891 (UK)
+1 (415) 624-4573 (USA)

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS,IMAGES AND VIDEO – SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT: https://www.starship.xyz/press/

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Starship Technologies continues to pave the way for robotic delivery with approval for its Personal Delivery Devices (PDD) from cities in the US

LONDON | NOVEMBER 21, 2016

Starship Technologies, the company leading the delivery industry revolution with fleets of friendly sidewalk robots, today announced it has secured approval for pilot testing in Washington, DC and Redwood City, CA. This comes on top of similar approvals in Coeur D’Alene, ID and five cities in Europe.

The Mayor of Redwood City, John Seybert, commented: “We’re excited that Starship Technologies chose Redwood City for this innovative autonomous robot program. It has strong potential to not only reduce traffic in Redwood City, but allow restaurants and businesses to serve a greater number of customers.”

Starship is working closely with a number of cities in the US including Sunnyvale, San Carlos, and Menlo Park to gain permission for robot pilot programs. Similar efforts are continuing in Europe after the success of the joint testing program in London, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Bern (Switzerland) and Tallinn (Estonia).

“After successfully securing permission in Washington, DC and Redwood City, we can expand our extensive research and development program” added Ahti Heinla, CEO, Starship. “We actively seek out places like Washington, DC and Redwood City that share our vision for the future of delivery and we look forward to working closely with them during our pilot.”

Commercial partners for the US operations will be announced soon. This comes following the partnerships already announced in Europe with Just Eat, Swiss Post, Hermes and Metro Group.

Starship Technologies employs the only robotic delivery service in the world testing in real world environments and delivering to real customers. The robots have now covered over 12,600 miles around the world in 16 countries and 58 cities, coming into contact with over 2 million people. They are designed for delivering packages, groceries and food to consumers within a 2-3 mile radius for as little as $1 in the future. The robots can drive 99% autonomously, while being monitored by human operators in control centers.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 2-3 mile radius. The robots drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way parcels, groceries and food are delivered. Starship Technologies is a European company with Business headquarters in London and R&D headquarters in Estonia.

Website: www.starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
Marketing and Communications Manager
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz
+44 (0) 7732552891

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS AND CONTENT, SIGN UP AT: https://www.starship.xyz/press/

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In its first year of testing, the delivery robots have traveled 10,000 miles and completed over 500 commercial tests with partners worldwide

LONDON | OCTOBER 19, 2016

Starship Technologies, the leader in the emerging industry of self-driving delivery robots, is celebrating its first year milestone of testing on public sidewalks. Since Starship Technologies’ market introduction one year ago, the delivery robots have come in contact with more than 1.7 million people in 16 countries and 56 cities and have covered more than 10,000 miles.

“Starship’s testing program is one of the most extensive tests of self-driving technologies in the world. In our first twelve months of testing, the delivery robots drove roughly the same amount of time as Google’s self-driving cars in their first year,” said Ahti Heinla, CEO of Starship.

After one year of testing, the results show that the overall perception of the robot is neutral to positive, with 70 percent of people ignoring the robot, unfazed by its existence. The surprising realization has become one of the foundations of success for public acceptance. The remaining 30 percent have positive reactions, occasionally stopping and asking questions with Starship’s robot handlers.

“Public acceptance and positive social engagement with the delivery robots are incredibly important to us,” said Allan Martinson, COO of Starship. “From our 10,000 miles of testing the robots have experienced thousands of different interactions with the public. We’ve seen everything from children trying to feed our robot bananas, to an elderly gentleman asking if the robot can walk his dog! Most important above all else is we’ve found the delivery robots have been accepted by humans.”

Encountering hundreds of thousands of different real life scenarios, the robots have become well accustomed to obstacles and unpredictable pedestrian movements. “We are analysing terabytes of data each month to develop algorithms for safe and intelligent driving” said Kristjan Korjus, Head of Computer Vision and Perception at Starship. Narrow sidewalks, busy streets and high curbs are all managed carefully to ensure a successful delivery. This intensive learning over the past 12 months has enabled the delivery robots to become the safest in the world.

Throughout its inaugural year of tests, Starship Technologies has launched commercial deliveries in the UK, Germany and Switzerland with partners JustEat, Hermes, Metro Group, Swiss Post, and Mercedes-Benz offering robotic delivery for the food, grocery, medical and parcel industries.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 2-3 mile radius. The robots drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way parcels, groceries and food are delivered. Starship Technologies is a European company with Business headquarters in London and R&D headquarters in Estonia.

Website: www.starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
Marketing and Communications Manager
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz
+44 (0) 7732552891 (UK)
+1 (415) 624-4573 (USA)

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS, IMAGES AND VIDEO, SIGN UP AND DOWNLOAD AT: https://www.starship.xyz/press/

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Integrating self-driving robots with delivery vans to provide local delivery

STUTTGART, GERMANY | SEPTEMBER 7, 2016

Starship Technologies, the start-up transforming the delivery industry with a fleet of friendly sidewalk robots, is announcing today its partnership with Mercedes-Benz Vans to develop ’Robovan’, the worlds first transportation system integrating specially-adapted vans with autonomous delivery robots to allow efficient delivery of goods in neighbourhoods.

The semi-autonomous transportation system will see Mercedes-Benz Sprinter vans act as ’motherships’, hosting eight delivery robots. The vans will drive through neighbourhoods, stopping in designated locations, based on delivery density and demand, to drop off and pick up robots to complete customer deliveries.

“Starship Technologies has solved the last mile problem by introducing sidewalk delivery robots. However vans are best suited to bring goods to the local area from businesses and distribution centers. When the two transportation methods converge into one, the outcome is the most efficient, cost effective and convenient local delivery method in the world’’, said Ahti Heinla, CEO of Starship Technologies.

Instead of completing door-to-door delivery, the vans will drive to pre-agreed locations to load and unload goods and then dispatch the robots in the final step for on-demand delivery. Upon making the customer delivery, the robots will autonomously find their way back to the van for re-loading.

The robots will be loaded with their goods in the ‘Robovan’ using a racking system that enables 400 packages to be delivered every 9 hour shift, compared to 180 packages using previously available methods, an increase of over 120%.

“A typical van delivery today involves driving to a delivery area, and then spending an entire day on door-to-door deliveries. By leaving the door-to- door part to delivery robots the van drivers’ productivity will significantly rise while reducing congestion on the streets and CO2 emissions” said Allan Martinson, Starship’s Chief Operating Officer.

“At Mercedes-Benz Vans we are constantly seeking for innovations to improve the efficiency for our customers and actively supporting their businesses. In Starship we found an innovative and creative partner to dramatically improve the way of transportation for the last mile”, said Volker Mornhinweg, Head of Mercedes-Benz Vans. “We see a huge potential for robotic delivery systems in the future and by combining our vans and the robots – we call it the mothership concept. With this we are able to increase the efficiency of delivery by an order of magnitude. Working together is like having best of both worlds – the power of a leading van manufacturer combined with the agility and spirit of a startup”.

Starship Technologies and Mercedes-Benz Vans entered a cooperation earlier this summer after studying the needs and requirements of their customers, with a view to offer customers unprecedented flexibility, convenience and control over their deliveries. The Mercedes-Benz Vans partnership follows Starship Technologies’ launch of commercial delivery tests in the UK, Germany and Switzerland last month with partners Just Eat, Hermes, Metro Group, and Swiss Post, offering robotic delivery for the food, grocery and parcel industries.

Starship Technologies’ delivery robots have now covered over 12,000km around the world in 12 countries and 47 cities, coming into contact with over 1.2 million people.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 2-3 mile radius. The robots drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched in July 2014, by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is changing the way parcels, groceries and food are delivered. Starship Technologies is a European company with Business headquarters in London and R&D headquarters in Estonia.

Website: www.starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

THE MERCEDES-BENZ VANS DIVISION:

Mercedes-Benz Vans is a global full-line supplier of vans and related services. Alongside the large-size Sprinter van and the mid-size Vito van (known in the U.S. as Metris), the division’s worldwide product portfolio includes the Mercedes-Benz Citan urban delivery van. Mercedes-Benz Vans is also represented in the private segment with the V-Class MPV and the Marco Polo and Marco Polo ACTIVITY travel vans. The division has a total of nine production locations: in Germany, Spain, the USA, Argentina, China (joint venture with Fujian Benz Automotive Co., Ltd), France (strategic alliance with Renault-Nissan) and Russia (partnerships with GAZ and YaMZ). To date, the main markets have been in Western Europe, accounting for a total of 65 percent of unit sales in 2015.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
Marketing and Communications Manager
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz
+44 (0) 7732552891

TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES RELATED NEWS AND CONTENT, SIGN UP AT:

https://www.starship.xyz/press/

MEDIA MATERIALS:

Hires Images (password: starship):
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/dxjt1l42xwt1b5k/AABiqE2iX2htkMNLUcECkPgoa?dl=0

Videos:
https://youtu.be/lzwz1UsxYdk

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Testing of Starship Technologies’ delivery robots in Switzerland will begin in September

LONDON | AUGUST 23, 2016

Starship Technologies, the company behind the local delivery robot, is today announcing that Swiss Post, the national postal service in Switzerland, will join its global testing programme. Swiss Post will start using Starship Technologies’ delivery robots on the pavements of several Swiss cities in cooperation with various partners in the food and healthcare industries.

The partnership will allow Swiss Post to test potential uses within its delivery portfolio, starting in September, with the aim of rolling the solution out to other areas of its business if successful. Swiss Post understands the robotic delivery as a potential additional service which could in future be used selectively to complement parcel delivery.

“The addition of Swiss Post to our testing programme is an exciting development for Starship Technologies,” said Allan Martinson, COO, Starship Technologies. “Not only do we extend robotic delivery to Switzerland, but for the first time anywhere in the world, patients will be able to get medicines delivered to their homes using our on-demand robots. The convenience, and quick nature of robotic delivery will prove invaluable to people in need, who may not be physically able to travel to the pharmacy.”

The partnership with Swiss Post follows the launch of commercial tests in the UK and Germany last month, with partners Just Eat, Pronto, Hermes and Metro Group, offering robotic delivery for the food, grocery and parcel industries. Partners in the US will be announced shortly.

Starship Technologies’ delivery robots have now covered over 10,000km around the world in 12 countries and 42 cities, coming into contact with over 1 million people on their travels without incident.

Robots developed by Starship Technologies are designed for delivering packages, groceries and food to consumers within a 5 km radius. The robots can drive 99% autonomously, while being monitored by human operators in control centres. When placing an order online with a participating company, consumers simply choose Starship Technologies’ robotic delivery. When the order is ready, consumers are notified through their mobile phone. The power is then in the hands of the consumer. They can call the robot to their house at a time convenient to them, at any time of the day.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 2-3 mile radius. The robots drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship Technologies’ aim is to fundamentally reshape how goods are shipped and delivered, and make local delivery, almost free. Starship is a European company with Business headquarters in London and R&D headquarters in Estonia. The company employs 55 people. Former Skype co-founder Ahti Heinla serves as the company’s CEO and CTO and serial tech entrepreneur Allan Martinson is Chief Operating Officer.

Website: www.starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

ABOUT SWISS POST:

As a diversified company, Swiss Post operates in the communication, logistics, retail financial and passenger transport markets. Within the communication market, its services include delivery of letters and newspapers, direct marketing, and information and document solutions. In logistics, it operates in Switzerland and internationally as a parcels, courier and express service provider, and provides tailored and comprehensive logistics solutions. In retail finance its subsidiary PostFinance Ltd offers extensive services for payment transactions, savings, investments, retirement planning and financing solutions, and has had a banking licence since 2013. In the public passenger transport market its subsidiary PostBus Switzerland Ltd operates regional, municipal and urban bus services, and also develops value-added system and mobility management services. Swiss Post operates in approximately 25 countries. The company employs more than 62,000 members of staff worldwide and generated turnover of over CHF 8.2 billion in 2015.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
Marketing and Communications Manager
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz
+44 (0) 7732552891

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https://www.starship.xyz/press

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Cities in UK, Germany and Switzerland to experience robotic local delivery

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM | 6 JULY

Starting from July, millions of people will have a chance to encounter autonomous delivery robots on the pavements of the United Kingdom, Germany and Switzerland as part of the testing program announced today by Starship Technologies and major industry partners. A similar program will be announced for the United States shortly.

The largest European food delivery company Just Eat, leading German parcel delivery company Hermes, leading German retailer Metro Group, and innovative London food delivery startup Pronto.co.uk will test the delivery robots developed by Starship Technologies, a company launched in 2014 by Skype co-founders.

As part of the program, dozens of robots will be deployed in five cities to run first test deliveries and introduce the innovative devices to the general public.

“By launching partnerships with major companies we will enter the next phase in our development. While Starship has been testing the robots in 12 countries in the last nine months, we will now develop know-how on running real robotic delivery services,” said Ahti Heinla, co-founder, CEO and CTO of Starship Technologies.

Robots developed by Starship Technologies are meant for delivering packages, groceries and food to consumers in a 2-3 mile radius. The robots can drive autonomously while being monitored by human operators in control centers. Introduced to European and American cities since the end of last year, the robots have already driven close to 5,000 miles and met over 400,000 people without a single accident.

“The partners we’re working with are at the top of their game – passionate, driven and quick to embrace new technology, making them the perfect choice for us to truly demonstrate our robotic delivery solution,” said Allan Martinson, Chief Operating Officer of Starship Technologies. “We’re sure to come up against challenges on our journey, but our aim will never change – to re-define convenience and customer service for the consumer, whilst making the last mile industry for businesses cost effective, efficient and profitable”.

David Buttress, CEO of Just Eat said “We are continuously looking for ways to use technology to make our customers’ lives easier – whether that’s how people order or pay for their food or how the food is delivered. Starship are right at the forefront of innovation in the delivery sector and so it’s a natural fit for us to be partnering with them to bring delivery robots to our high streets.”

Frank Rausch, CEO of Hermes Germany, said: “We are very proud to be Starship’s exclusive logistics partner in Germany. At Hermes we believe that parcel delivery’s main goal is to fully satisfy the customers’ needs in receiving their online shopping orders as fast and convenient as possible. Nobody likes to spend hours waiting for the courier just to have a parcel delivered. Therefore, individually scheduled delivery services will become increasingly important within the coming years. By testing Starship robots for the last mile, we use the opportunity to boost our service level and make parcel delivery even easier and more comfortable than it is today.”

James Roy Poulter, CEO and Co-founder at Pronto said “As soon as we saw the Starship delivery robot we knew this was the solution we’d been looking for in our mission to make it even easier for people to access quality, affordable food at the touch of a button.

We can’t wait to launch this test programme in London and roll it out in time across other cities as we expand our reach both in the UK and abroad. We hope to see the streets lined with thousands of these robots bringing people their hot, ready-to-eat Pronto meal on-demand and providing an even more cost-effective, efficient and environmentally friendly delivery solution for our customers.”

The test programs will run in London, Düsseldorf, Bern and another German city to start, before moving to several other European and American cities. Starship Technologies will also continue testing in Tallinn, Estonia where its R&D facilities are located.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is building a fleet of autonomous robots designed to deliver goods locally in 15-30 minutes within a 2-3 mile radius. The robots drive autonomously but are monitored by humans who can take over control at any time. Launched by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship Technologies’ aim is to fundamentally reshape how goods are shipped and delivered, and make local delivery, almost free. Starship is a European company with Estonian R&D headquarters and Business headquarters in London. The company employs 55 people. Former Skype co-founder Ahti Heinla serves as the company’s CEO and CTO and serial tech entrepreneur Allan Martinson is Chief Operating Officer.

Website: www.starship.xyz
Facebook: @Starshiptech
Twitter: @Starshiprobots
Instagram: @Starshiprobots

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Henry Harris-Burland
Marketing and Communications Manager
Starship Technologies
henry.harris-burland@starship.xyz
+44 (0) 7732552891

WANT TO KEEP UP TO DATE WITH STARSHIP RELATED NEWS AND CONTENT? SIGN UP AT:

https://www.starship.xyz/press

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Land-based robots set to hit the streets of Greenwich, London

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM | 10 MARCH

Starship Technologies, a company launched by the former co-founders of Skype, is announcing today that the UK will be the first major country to host trials of its revolutionary self-driving delivery robots, starting in Greenwich, London.

Throughout the next six months, the robots will be visiting towns and cities in all four nations of the UK, culminating with launch of pilot delivery services later this year.

The six wheeled intelligent robot will make its debut in Greenwich after talks with the local authority led to a partnership with the firm, which means that Greenwich will be the first location in the UK to experience the revolutionary delivery system. First launched in November 2015, the robot is designed for local delivery of goods and groceries for consumers for under £1 per shipment. The robots use pavements like pedestrians, travelling at slow speeds and with zero emissions. The public introduction program aims to demonstrate how easily the friendly curbside robots can integrate into human life.

The UK has been chosen for this work because of the Government’s clear commitment to autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles, making the country a world leader in this new and ground-breaking technology.

“Our robots are a totally new class of devices that will provide a combination of low cost and convenience with less congested streets and zero emissions,” said Ahti Heinla, CEO, Starship Technologies. “The robot has been in development for almost two years, and we’ve experienced unprecedented levels of interest and goodwill – so it’s great to now be taking the first step to rolling our little robot out for real. The robot has been very well-received by pedestrians in all of the interactions we’ve seen so far, so it’s very exciting to be officially introducing the robot to the British public.”

“I am delighted that The Royal Borough of Greenwich has been chosen as the first location in the UK to trial this revolutionary delivery system, and that Starship Technologies has chosen to base their UK offices in Greenwich” said Denise Hyland, Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich. “This technology has the potential to transform the local delivery of goods and groceries. The trial complements the work being undertaken by the Royal Borough of Greenwich on smart city innovation – work that we believe will be significant for all cities in the future.”

Starship Technologies is planning to launch similar testing programmes in the United States in April and plans to unveil the first pilot services in cooperation with its service partners in the UK later this year.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is a European technology start-up building a fleet of self-driving robots designed to deliver goods locally within 30 minutes. The robots are lightweight and low-cost, enabling the company to bring the current cost of delivery down by up to 15 times per shipment. The robots drive autonomously most of the time but are monitored by human remote controllers who can take over the control at any time.

Launched by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship Technologies’ aim is to fundamentally reshape how goods are shipped and delivered, and make local delivery, almost free. The company employs 45 people and has offices in London, United Kingdom, and Tallinn, Estonia. Former Skype co-founder Ahti Heinla serves as the company’s CEO and CTO and a serial tech entrepreneur Allan Martinson is Chief Operating Officer.

www.starship.xyz

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Starship Technologies announces the introduction of self-driving delivery robots.

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM | 2 NOVEMBER

Former Skype co-founders have today announced the launch of a new company, Starship Technologies, which aims to fundamentally improve local delivery of goods and groceries, making it almost free.

Starship Technologies will introduce fleets of small, safe, practical, free from CO2 emissions, and best of all, earthbound, delivery robots, which will create unprecedented convenience and cost savings for individuals, while opening up new opportunities for businesses such as parcel delivery firms or grocery stores.

“Our vision revolves around three zeroes – zero cost, zero waiting time and zero environmental impact. We want to do to local deliveries what Skype did to telecommunications.” said Ahti Heinla, a Skype co-founder and CEO at Starship Technologies.

Capable of carrying the equivalent of two grocery bags, the robots can complete local deliveries within 5-30 minutes from a local hub or retail outlet, for 10-15 times less than the cost of current last-mile delivery alternatives. Customers can choose from a selection of short, precise delivery slots – meaning goods arrive at a time that suits them. During delivery, shoppers can track the robot’s location in real time through a mobile app and on arrival only the app holder is able to unlock the cargo. Integrated navigation and obstacle avoidance software enables the robots to drive autonomously, but they are also overseen by human operators who can step in to ensure safety at all times.

For businesses, Starship’s technology eliminates the largest inefficiency in the delivery chain, the last mile. Instead of expensive and time-consuming door-to-door delivery, retailers can ship the goods in bulk to a local hub, then the robot fleet completes the delivery to the shopper’s door for a fraction of the cost.

Heinla continues: “With ecommerce continuing to grow consumers expect to have more convenient options for delivery – but at a cost that suits them. The last few miles often amounts to the majority of the total delivery cost. Our robots are purposely designed using the technologies made affordable by mobile phones and tablets – it’s fit for purpose, and allows for the cost savings to be passed on to the customer.”

The robots are intended to slip seamlessly and safely into the environment. “They travel at the slow speed of four miles per hour – a brisk walking pace. They don’t fly – these are not drones. They travel on pavements/sidewalks, blending safely in with pedestrian traffic.”

Presenting an entirely new and altogether better delivery option for shoppers and all kinds of businesses, robot delivery also opens up new opportunities, such as point-to-point delivery of goods, or “rental and return”. Starship Technologies is currently testing and demonstrating prototypes and plans to launch the first pilot services in cooperation with its service partners in the US, UK and other countries in 2016.

ABOUT STARSHIP TECHNOLOGIES:

Starship Technologies is a European technology start-up building a fleet of self-driving delivery robots designed to deliver goods locally within 30 minutes. Designed using ‘off the shelf’ components, the robots are lightweight and low-cost, enabling the company to bring the current cost of delivery down by 10-15 times per shipment.

The robots drive autonomously 99% of the time to make safe and environmentally friendly pavement/curb-side deliveries from a local hub. Launched by two Skype co-founders, Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship’s aim is to fundamentally reshape how goods are shipped and delivered, and make local delivery, almost free.

The company employs 30 people and has offices in London, United Kingdom, and Tallinn, Estonia. Former Skype co-founder Ahti Heinla serves as the company’s CEO and CTO, serial tech entrepreneur Allan Martinson is Chief Operating Officer and tech and mobile industry veteran Keith Cornell is Chief Commercial Officer.

www.starship.xyz

Media Contacts:

Laura Scott
Liberty Communications UK
lscott@libertycomms.com

Rene Musech
Liberty Communications US
rmusech@libertycomms.com

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