What changes when robots deliver everything?
Starship Technologies has already completed 9 million autonomous deliveries, crossed roads over 200 million times, and operates thousands of sidewalk delivery robots across Europe and the U.S. Now they’re scaling into American cities ... and they say they’re ready to change your world
In this episode of TechFirst, I speak with Ahti Heinla, co-founder and CEO of Starship and co-founder of Skype, about:
- How Starship’s robots navigate without GPS
- What makes sidewalk delivery better than drones
- Solving the last-mile problem in snow, darkness, and dense cities
- How Starship is already profitable and fully autonomous
- What it all means for the future of commerce and city life
Heinla says:
“Ten years ago we had a prototype. Now we have a commercial product that is doing millions of deliveries.”
Watch to learn why the future of delivery might roll ... as well as fly.
🔗 Learn more: https://www.starship.xyz
🎧 Subscribe to TechFirst: https://www.youtube.com/@johnkoetsier
00:00 - Intro: What changes when robots deliver everything?
01:37 - Meet Starship: 9 million robot deliveries and counting
02:45 - Why it took 10 years to go from prototype to product
05:03 - When robot delivery becomes normal (and where it already is)
08:30 - How Starship robots handle cities, traffic, and construction
11:20 - Snow, darkness, and all-weather autonomy
13:19 - Reliability, unit economics, and competing with human couriers
16:23 - Inside the tech: sensors, AI, and why GPS isn’t enough
18:03 - Real-time mapping, climbing curbs, and reaching your door
19:54 - How Starship scales without local depots or chargers
22:04 - How city life and commerce change with robot delivery
25:53 - Do robots increase customer orders? (Short answer: yes)
27:05 - Hot food, Grubhub integration, and thermal insulation
28:26 - Will Starship use drones in the future?
29:38 - What U.S. cities are next for robot delivery?
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