While others are still piloting their way through the future of last-mile delivery, Starship Technologies just passed another major milestone: over 8 million autonomous deliveries completed by its fleet of sidewalk robots.

That’s not just momentum — it’s market leadership. With operations across multiple countries and US university campuses, Starship is now the undisputed global leader in autonomous delivery, both in scale and in real-world deployment.

“While many robotics companies are still launching pilot projects with just a couple of robots or building their first prototypes, we’ve proven ourselves as a real-world solution,” said Ahti Heinla, Starship’s co-founder and CEO. “With millions of deliveries behind us, we’re not just imagining the future—we’re already operating in it.”

How Starship stacks up across the autonomous delivery landscape

While most companies in the sidewalk robot category don’t disclose delivery volumes, Starship’s scale stands out even when compared to leaders in adjacent autonomous sectors:

• Zipline, founded in 2014, has delivered 1.45 million orders ^[1] across seven countries, including the US, Ghana, and Japan, primarily in healthcare and e-commerce.
• Waymo, Alphabet’s self-driving car unit and the most established player in autonomous ride-hailing, announced in late 2024 (mid-December) that it had surpassed 5 million driverless trips ^[2] to date.

With 8 million autonomous deliveries, Starship not only leads the sidewalk robot category—it’s ahead of some of the most recognized names in the broader autonomous mobility space.

According to Transforma Insights’ recent report, Delivery Robots: 4.7 million automated urban delivery vehicles by 2032, the market for delivery robots is expected to grow at a 64% CAGR between 2022 and 2032, reaching 4.7 million active robots globally by the end of the decade.

Facts about Starship’s robots

• Starship’s fleet of 2000+ robots operates across 150+ locations in six countries
• They are fully autonomous, operating at Level 4 autonomy 
• 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 is the world leader in autonomous delivery robots, revolutionizing how goods are delivered. Across the US and Europe, we help businesses deliver groceries, hot food, and industrial supplies with cutting-edge technology that’s reliable, efficient, and eco-friendly.

Starship was founded by Ahti Heinla (Skype chief architect) and Janus Friis (Skype co-founder) in 2014, and since then, we’ve been redefining last-mile delivery with real-world solutions for top universities, delivery apps, grocery retailers, and industrial sites in 150+ locations worldwide. 

Our fleet of over 2,000 autonomous robots delivers daily, creating unmatched convenience for communities while reducing car journeys and cutting carbon emissions on a global scale. We’re transforming the least efficient stretch of the supply chain, making the last mile more cost-effective and ethical.

[¹] Source: ZipLine
^[2] Source: The Verge

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Robots are now set to deliver food to 50,000 households in Stockholm

Stockholm, Sweden (13 March 2025): Starship Technologies, the global leader in autonomous delivery services, is taking the next step in innovation through a partnership with foodora, Sweden’s leading q-commerce platform for fast home delivery. As part of this collaboration, Starship’s fleet of fully electric delivery robots will start delivering foodora orders today in Stockholm.

Starship robots, which have completed over 7 million deliveries worldwide, will begin delivering food and other goods to households in Södermalm, expanding to Solna and Sundbyberg soon.

From today there will be a small fleet in Stockholm, with more robots gradually rolling out to meet demand. The robots will pick up orders from foodora market stores located on Högbergsgatan in Södermalm and Bangatan in Solna, with a range of up to 3 kilometres. Customers in these areas can easily order directly in the foodora app and have their items delivered by a robot within minutes.

“We see enormous potential for our autonomous delivery robots in Sweden. This collaboration with foodora makes it possible to offer fast and sustainable deliveries to Swedish consumers. We look forward to expanding and transforming how people have their food delivered,” says Ahti Heinla, Co-founder and CEO of Starship Technologies.

“We are incredibly proud to be the first in Sweden to integrate autonomous deliveries into our service. Through our collaboration with Starship Technologies we can offer our customers an even smoother, faster, and more sustainable delivery experience. This is an important part of our vision to shape the future of deliveries and create a world-class service,” says Daniel Gustafsson Raba, COO of foodora Sweden.

Starship’s fleet of over 2,000 robots already operates in more than 100 cities, towns, university campuses and industrial sites in Europe and the US, completing thousands of autonomous deliveries every day. The robots are small, lightweight and move mainly on sidewalks at walking speed. Equipped with cameras and sensors, they navigate avoiding obstacles and stopping for cars and pedestrians when necessary. The robots safely make 150,000 road crossings per day around the world, and they’re monitored by humans who can assist at any time.

The battery-powered robots provide an alternative to delivery by car and by doing so they have already saved over 500 tonnes of CO2 from entering the atmosphere in Europe. The average Starship delivery uses as little energy as it takes to boil a kettle. The service officially launches today.

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 15 million kilometres and made more than 7 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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George Mason University to become first university to have Starship x Topanga ReusePass zero waste integration

SAN FRANCISCO and LOS ANGELES (January 21, 2025) – Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, and Topanga.io, a leading reusable packaging management platform, today announced that they are partnering to offer reusable packaging for food orders at U.S. campuses. George Mason University will be the first Starship campus to introduce the ReusePass integration and the first university to offer a fully integrated reusables experience for kiosks. There are plans to expand the service to additional Starship campuses. Initially available for mobile pickup and kiosk orders, it will be available for robot deliveries after the launch. 

Topanga’s ReusePass program, proven to scale across colleges and university campuses, is fully integrated with the Starship app. Students who place an order for mobile pickup or from a self-order kiosk can select reusable packing during the checkout process. Those orders will be packaged in a reusable container and managed using Topanga’s track-and-trace technology so students can see what containers they have and what needs to be returned. The reusable packing is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized before being placed back in the program. 

“Sustainability has been a core part of Starship’s service since the beginning and we couldn’t be more excited about adding Topanga’s ReusePass,” said Chris Neider, VP of business development at Starship Technologies. “Our university partners have told us that sustainability is important to them and their campus communities. George Mason University was our first university partner, the first campus where we rolled out wireless charging and now the first location where we are introducing reusable packaging. We think it will be a big hit and look forward to adding this option to more campuses.”   

Topanga’s ReusePass program will be live on more than 65 campuses this academic year and over 100,000 students have already used the program. During the 2023-2024 academic year, the program served 1.2 million meals in reusable containers with an average return rate above 97%. This helped divert 123,500 pounds of waste from entering streams and avoided 859,934 lbs of GHG CO2e by choosing to reuse over manufacturing single-use containers.  

Page Schult, CEO at Topanga, said, “Starship’s technology has empowered campus communities to offer sustainable food delivery solutions, making our partnership a natural extension of their commitment to sustainable dining. Topanga’s ReusePass integration with the Starship app and kiosks provides students with a seamless way to embrace sustainability without sacrificing convenience. It’s a win-win-win for campuses, students, and the environment.”

“At Mason Dining, sustainability is a top priority, and this seamless integration makes it easier than ever for our students to choose environmentally responsible dining options,” said Roshonda Alexander, Sodexo Retail General Manager at George Mason University. “We believe this will be a great success, furthering our commitment to a greener campus.”

Starship now reaches 1.5 million students with dining options from 900 merchants for its on-demand autonomous delivery at 55 US campuses. Globally, Starship has completed more than 7 million deliveries. 

Starship Technologies operates commercially on a daily basis around the world. Its zero-emission robots make more than 150,000 road crossings every day and have completed nearly seven million commercial deliveries globally, more than any other autonomous delivery provider. 

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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 millions of miles and completed seven million autonomous deliveries around the world. Starship was founded by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis (Skype Chief Architect and Co-founder). 

About Topanga.io

Topanga revolutionizes kitchen operations by helping culinary teams waste less and save more through innovative, AI-powered solutions. Focused on reducing food and packaging waste, improving operational efficiency, and cutting costs, Topanga empowers culinary teams with reliable data that enhances daily decision-making and sustainability efforts.

Topanga’s flagship ReusePass program sets the standard in track-and-trace reusable packaging, boasting 97%+ return rates across 430+ commercial kitchens in the US and Canada. Their latest innovation, StreamLine, combines AI-powered smart scales with advanced data analysis to minimize food waste and automate post-production processes, further driving efficiency and sustainability in the kitchen.

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American Sentiment Has Changed from 61% Who Were Uncomfortable with Robots in 2018 vs 91.5% Today Who Would Recommend to Friends

SAN FRANCISCO | December 10, 2024 –

Starship Technologies, the world’s leading provider of autonomous delivery services, announced today findings from a new national survey of US college students. The survey results provide a dramatic shift in the way people view robots. In 2018, a Brookings survey found that 61% of US respondents were uncomfortable with robots. In the new survey conducted by Starship, 91.5% of respondents said they would recommend the robots to a friend, and two-thirds (66%) felt more positive about the robots since seeing them on campus. 

It’s not just attitudes that have shifted in a positive direction, as the robots are also having a positive impact on behavior. According to the Starship survey, nearly two-thirds (63.2%) said the robots helped them avoid skipping meals. In addition, over half (53%) said they could study more because the robots deliver when and where they need them.

The Starship robots, purposely designed to be non-threatening, seemed to have won over students on the campuses where they provide service. The survey found that the robots are overwhelmingly popular, with more than 98% saying they love them (71.1%) or like them (27.3%) on their campus, and half (50.8%) say the robots are an asset to the campus.

“I’ve had a great experience using Starship delivery,” said a James Madison University student. “The service is incredibly convenient, and I love how easy it is to place an order through the app. The delivery robot is always on time, and it’s fun to watch it arrive at my location. The accuracy and reliability of the service have made my daily routine more efficient, and I appreciate how eco-friendly the whole system is. Overall, it’s been a positive addition to my community, and I look forward to continuing to use it!”

“We’ve noticed a positive difference since Starship robots have been on campus,” said Houston Freeman, director of customer experience at Georgia Tech Dining. “Our students can eat more on their schedule and find ways to fit in a meal they otherwise would not have time to do.” 

“We’re thrilled that the care we put into developing a convenient service with leading-edge technology and a friendly design has exceeded our expectations in the real world,” said Chris Neider, VP of Business Development at Starship Technologies. “Our robots have had a positive impact on the campuses they serve, both for the students and faculty as well as our dining partners. Providing this convenient service that helps students feel safer, study more and have greater food accessibility is a huge win for everyone involved. We look forward to making a positive difference as we launch at more campuses.” 

Additional survey findings include:

• Nearly 6 in 10 (56.7%) said they saved time by skipping long dining lines
• One in four (25.4%) said they felt safer on campus because of the contactless delivery offered by the robots
• Four in 10 (40.8%) say the robots have provided them with greater food accessibility
• Nearly 1 in 5 (17%) say the robots have improved their mental health
• More than 9 out of 10 (94.2%) say the robots are convenient/helpful
• Eight out of 10 (80.2%) say the robots are friendly/cute
• More than 40% (43.3%) say they have treated the robot as they would a person by saying thank you, excuse me, etc.
• Nearly one-third (32.2%) say the robots are environmentally friendly
• More than half (56%) say they have helped a robot if it appeared to be in need 
• Other popular responses included patted the robot (35.6%) or took a selfie with it (16.6%) 

In October and November 2024, Starship conducted an online survey of 1,632 college students on 35 campuses across the US where it provides delivery services. 

Starship Technologies operates commercially daily around the world. Its zero-emission robots make more than 150,000 road crossings daily and have completed over 7 million autonomous commercial deliveries. 

# # #

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 millions of miles and completed more than seven million autonomous deliveries around the world. Starship was founded by Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis (Skype Chief Architect and Co-founder). 

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