  We argue that the Starobinsky model of inflation, realised via an $R^2$ term
in the Lagrangian, can originate from quantum effects due to a tower of light
species. By means of two separate arguments, we show how this implies that the
scale of the $R^2$ term must be of order of the species scale $\Lambda_s$,
namely the energy at which gravity becomes strongly coupled. We discuss the
implications and challenges of this scenario for inflation, inflationary
reheating, and string theory embeddings. In this context, we collect strong
evidence to conclude that Starobinsky inflation lies in the Swampland.
