If Starship Technologies Inc. has its way, delivery robots carrying restaurant orders and snacks will roam the grounds of more than 100 universities by 2021.

That’s the plan the San Francisco-based startup laid out today after announcing it has raised $40 million in funding to support expansion efforts.

• Launched five years ago by Skype co-founders Ahti Heinla and Janus Friis, Starship is one of the oldest players in the nascent autonomous delivery segment. The startup’s robots have made more than 100,000 food runs and parcel deliveries to date, covering a total of 350,000 miles in the process.

Starship’s robot (pictured) is a six-wheeled rover the size of a suitcase that travels on sidewalks at up to 4 miles per hour. Its cargo compartment has room for up to 20 pounds of goods, which the robot ferries to its designation with the help of an artificial intelligence-powered navigation system. The AI can steer the robot around the pedestrians with which it shares the sidewalk, stop at red lights and even drive in snow.

Starship robots are currently making delivery runs in three U.S. universities, up from two last week. The startup is steadily advancing towards its goal of launching in 100 campuses by 2021: Starship said it plans to start making deliveries in Indiana’s Purdue University next month with more locations “following shortly.”

Though the startup has found a receptive audience in tech-savvy students, it’s not limiting its focus to university campuses. Starship also operates delivery robots in the English town of Milton Keynes that have been bringing out packages to locals’ homes since last year. Earlier, the startup announced a pilot project with Intuit Inc. to transport items such as office supplies around the software maker’s corporate campus.

Starship’s new $40 million funding round was led by Morpheus Ventures. Shasta Ventures, Matrix Partners, Japanese electronics maker TDK Corp. and several other institutional investors contributed as well.

Starship’s robots face a surprising amount of competition. Amazon.com Inc. joined the fray this year with the launch of its Scout delivery robot in two test locations, while food delivery unicorn Postmates  Inc. and FedEx Corp. are piloting similar systems. 

Photo: Starship Technologies