Grubhub and Starship are bringing delivery robots to five additional U.S. college campuses by the end of the year through a new, formalized partnership. The new schools will join a list of more than 25 U.S. campuses where Starship robots are already providing deliveries.
This deal comes 8 months after Starship raised $100 million to expand and accelerate the growth of its autonomous drone delivery service, which was slated to include launching in new cities and campuses.
Starship robot
More than 170,000 students will have access to robot deliveries across these campuses. This delivery is currently available at the University of Kentucky, the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV), Wayne State University, Southern Methodist University and Fairfield University, and will be available at multiple other college campuses later this year.
“Robot delivery solves the unique challenges of accessing hard-to-reach areas that come from operating on a college campus,” said Adam Herbert, senior director of campus partnerships at Grubhub. “With Starship’s robots, students can enjoy a fun, new way to order their favorite meals right to their door—whether that be the library, their dorm, academic hall or another campus building. Offering this type of delivery further improves the Grubhub dining experience as we continue to provide innovative solutions for students and our campus partners.”
“We’re excited to partner with Grubhub on such a diverse and exciting roster of schools as we’ve worked hard to become a trusted and integrated partner on our campus communities,” said Alastair Westgarth, CEO of Starship Technologies. “Over 90 percent of students say that Starship robots are helpful and convenient, so we are looking forward to bringing our service to more students across the country.”
“Fairfield University is thrilled to partner with Starship and Grubhub—our official mobile food-ordering and delivery partner—on this innovative robot delivery initiative,” said Matt Dinnan, assistant vice president of auxiliary services at Fairfield University. “As the first college in the Northeast to roll out this technology, our campus is already buzzing with enthusiasm about the new robotic pick-up and delivery service option that will no doubt enhance the student experience here at Fairfield.”
Grubhub partners with more than 250 college campuses across the United States to give students the ability to integrate meal plans directly into their Grubhub account and access restaurants both on- and off-campus for delivery and pickup.
Starship continues to drive innovation within the food delivery industry by offering its world leading, robot delivery experience to partners as a B2B delivery-as-a-service solution. Delivery by Starship integrates into retailers’ existing platforms to make food delivery more sustainable and efficient.
Starship’s zero-emission robots make more than 140,000 road crossings daily and have made a total of more than 3.5 million autonomous deliveries and traveled millions of miles. The robots can travel up to 4 mph, carry the equivalent of three bags of groceries and operate in various weather conditions, including rain and snow.
