From Skype to Delivery Robots

From Skype to Delivery Robots

From EU-Startups Podcast by Thomas Ohr

April 23, 2026 · 39 min · Episode 168

About this episode

Ahti Heinla discusses his journey from Skype to leading Starship Technologies and the impact of autonomous delivery robots.

In this interview, Ahti Heinla - co-founder, CEO, and CTO of Starship Technologies and one of the original engineers behind Skype - shares his journey from a young programmer in Estonia to leading one of the world’s most advanced autonomous delivery companies. Ahti reflects on how his early exposure to coding shaped his mindset, and the lessons he carried from building Skype into scaling Starship. He dives into why last-mile delivery became the problem he wanted to solve, and how autonomous robots are changing the way goods move through cities. The conversation explores the human side of automation - addressing concerns about jobs, the evolving role of delivery workers, and how technology can support rather than replace people. Ahti also discusses the importance of sustainability and impact in decision-making, highlighting how zero-emission delivery can reshape urban environments. From navigating regulation in different markets to working with major delivery platforms across Europe and the US, Ahti offers a look at what it takes to deploy robotics in the real world.

People in this episode

Host: Thomas Ohr

Guest: Ahti Heinla

Topics covered

  • autonomous delivery
  • technology
  • entrepreneurship
  • sustainability
  • automation
  • last-mile delivery

Keywords

  • autonomous robots
  • delivery
  • Skype
  • Starship Technologies
  • sustainability
  • urban environments
  • last-mile delivery
  • automation
  • technology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Starship Technologies, Skype

Places: Estonia, Europe, US

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