Starship Technologies pulls delivery robots from US campuses and focuses on grocery and food retailers
Autonomous delivery specialist Starship Technologies is shifting its focus to retail grocery chains and hot food delivery in cities across Europe and the United States as it winds down its US university campus operations. Over 1,200 robots from its US campus fleet will now be redeployed accordingly.
"We're seeing a lot of traction for delivery robots across numerous industries including industrial, universities, and corporate, but it's time for us to focus on the vertical we feel will have the most value, both for our clients and for Starship," says Ahti Heinla, CEO and Co-founder at Starship Technologies.
"We built something remarkable on US campuses, and we're proud of that work. When we started in 2018, operating in closed, controlled environments was the right foundation: it gave us the operational depth and real-world delivery data that no lab could provide. Now we can operate reliably at scale in open urban environments, which is exactly what grocery delivery demands."
"The unit economics are clear: our robots deliver groceries at a cost $3-4 lower per delivery than traditional courier fulfilment. That gap is the difference between last mile delivery being a margin problem and a competitive advantage. The opportunity in grocery is generational, and we owe it to our teams and our partners to focus where the impact is greatest."
2026 RTIH Innovation Awards
Autonomous delivery will be a key focus area at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards.
The awards are now open for entries and celebrate global retail technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world.
Our winners will be revealed at the 2026 RTIH Innovation Awards Ceremony, taking place at The HAC in Central London on Wednesday, 4th November.
Check out our 2025 winners here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
