Starsky Robotics is a San Francisco-based company building self-driving long-haul trucks intended to operate without a human onboard. Its core product is autonomous trucking technology; the company recently completed a seven-minute closed-course drive with no person in the truck, documented on GoPro. CEO Stegan Seltz-Axmacher emphasizes full autonomy and argues that unmanned on-road testing is feasible now rather than merely a regulatory issue. Starsky plans to begin real-world deliveries before the end of the year. Financially, the company has just closed a $16.5 million Series A led by Shasta Ventures. Starsky positions itself against players like Uber and Embark by focusing on fully driverless operation. Starsky Robotics develops autonomous driving and remote-control systems for heavy trucks, using computer vision, radar and software rather than LiDAR. Its technology has been used in paid operations, including a 5,000-lb haul covering 140 miles with 120 miles driven by the truck itself, and in moving trailers around a truck yard with no one behind the wheel. The company pairs autonomous highway driving with remote human control off-highway so a driver need not be physically present for long stretches, aiming to reduce fatigue and improve driver quality of life. Starsky favors retrofittable small robots that actuate existing truck controls rather than overhauling vehicle systems, arguing this lowers cost and speeds deployment. The company has run initial highway hauls and planned to begin offering regular service within months and to remove human drivers from some vehicles by the end of 2017. Starsky began in 2015 and has $3.75 million in funding from investors including Y Combinator, Sam Altman, Trucks VC and Data Collective.

Total raised

$20M

Funding rounds

2

Latest round

Series A

Latest activity

Mar 2018