# Starsky Robotics: autonomous trucking company

Canonical ID: `99e092dd-79e4-430d-b418-a36bd80a8b12`

## Key facts

- **CEO:** [Stefan Seltz-Axmacher](/people/stefan-seltz-axmacher.md) (co-founder)
- **Co-founder:** [Kartik Tiwati](/people/kartik-tiwati.md)
- **Total funding:** [$21.5M (Seed + Series A)](/investors.md) ([see investors](/investors.md))
- **First driverless freight run:** 9.4 miles on Florida Turnpike, June 2019 — first on a public highway
- **Shutdown date:** March 19, 2020 — Series B ($20M) fell through
- **Autonomy level:** 85% autonomous, 15% remote teleoperation
- **Notable investor:** [Shasta Ventures](/investors/shasta-ventures.md) (led $16.5M Series A)
- **Partnership:** Loadsmart — first-ever automated dispatch and delivery with an [autonomous truck](/trucks)

- **Slug:** starsky-robotics
- **Status:** defunct
- **Founded:** 2016
- **HQ:** San Francisco, California, USA
- **Category:** [Trucks](/trucks)

## Models

- [Starsky Autonomous Truck System](/models/starsky-autonomous-truck.md) (truck) (id: `d409d33b-7b07-4a37-b1cc-7d2198643805`)

## Former / Previously (3)

- [Stefan Seltz-Axmacher](/people/stefan-seltz-axmacher.md) Co-founder & CEO (secondary-verified)
- [Kartik Tiwati](/people/kartik-tiwati.md) Co-founder (secondary-verified)
- [Stefan Seltz-Axmacher](/people/stefan-seltz-axmacher.md) Co-founder & CEO (secondary-verified)

## Partnerships (1)

- [Starsky Robotics x Loadsmart](/partnerships/starsky-robotics-x-loadsmart.md) with Loadsmart _deployment_ (concluded)

## Supplies to

_No verified supply relationships on file. Supply-chain coverage is being added across the registry; check back as the seed populates this company's outbound edges._

_Outbound supply edges. Each appears when verified with at least two strong sources. Sources are append-only; corrections add new sources rather than rewrite history._

## Common questions

### What is Starsky Robotics?

Starsky Robotics was an autonomous trucking company based in San Francisco, California, that developed a hybrid system combining highway autonomy with remote human teleoperation for last-mile navigation. Founded in 2016 by Stefan Seltz-Axmacher and Kartik Tiwari, the company conducted the first driverless freight run on a public highway—a 9.4-mile trip on the Florida Turnpike in June 2019 with no safety driver. Starsky ceased operations in March 2020 after a $20M Series B fell through, citing declining investor enthusiasm for AV technology and slower-than-expected technical progress.

### What does Starsky Robotics make?

Starsky Robotics has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: Starsky Autonomous Truck System (Starsky Robotics builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).

### Who competes with Starsky Robotics?

On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Starsky Robotics building in the same form factors include Tesla, Aurora Innovation, Waymo, BelAZ.

### Where is Starsky Robotics headquartered?

Starsky Robotics is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA.

### Where does Starsky Robotics operate robots?

Starsky Robotics is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.

### Is Starsky Robotics a top robotics company?

On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Starsky Robotics ranks in roughly the top 99% of companies tracked by the registry.


## Sources (3)

1. https://medium.com/starsky-robotics-blog/the-end-of-starsky-robotics-acb8a6a8a5f5
2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-driving_truck
3. https://www.therobotreport.com/starsky-robotics-co-founder-on-self-driving-truck-shutdown/

## The verified answers

- [Which companies have the most robots deployed](/which-companies-have-the-most-robots-deployed.md)
- [Which operators run the most robots](/which-operators-run-the-most-robots.md)
- [Which robot operators cover the most countries](/which-robot-operators-cover-the-most-countries.md)

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