Robot delivery company Starship has raised $40 million in new funding as it announces plans to expand to new locations.
The funds, which brings Starship’s total up to $85 million, will be used to expand to 100 further university campuses over the next two years. Starship offers an app, which allows consumers to order products from food companies and retailers.
Starship launched the service at the University of Pittsburgh today (20 August) and will launch at Purdue University, Indiana, on 9 September.
Lex Bayer, CEO of Starship Technologies, said: “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.
“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 neighbourhoods has been phenomenal. Our customers appreciate how we make their lives easier and give them back the gift of time.”
UK retailer the Co-op has been running a trial of delivery robots in Milton Keynes since April 2018. The robots mostly ship orders sized within the retailer’s “top-up” vision of convenience shopping rather than being used for large weekly shops.
