Gravis Robotics, a Zurich-based autonomous earthmoving technology company, announced $23 million in funding to accelerate global expansion across the UK, US, and EU, alongside a series of industry partnerships. The round was co-led by IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures, with participation from Pear VC, Imad (CVC of Nesma & Partners), Sunna Ventures, Armada Investment, and Holcim. Funds will support global rollout, team growth, and expansion of partnerships with OEMs, contractors, and dealers.
Gravis Robotics provides autonomous systems for construction and quarry operations, including site preparation, stockpile management, and truck loading. Deployments include Holcim projects and the UK’s first large-scale autonomous excavation at Manchester Airport with Taylor Woodrow. Partnerships with Flannery and OEM networks, such as Develon in the UK and Kibag in Switzerland, deliver turnkey autonomous excavator solutions to construction customers.
Live in seven countries across the UK, EU, US, LATAM, and Asia, Gravis’ technology integrates mixed-fleet and OEM equipment, bringing autonomy into the equipment rental market. Founded in late 2022 as an ETH Zurich spinout, Gravis targets construction productivity with a retrofit system that adapts to real ground conditions using AI-driven learning, hydraulics, LiDAR, cameras, and GNSS. Gravis Slate, a tablet interface, integrates the robotic sensor suite into workflows, augmenting manual operations and creating a continuous data loop to improve performance and expand capabilities.
Purpose-built for trenching, earthworks, grading, and material handling, Gravis boosts human team productivity by 30%, reduces rework, and enhances safety. “As productive as a skilled machine driver – and in some instances, enhanced team efficiency,” said Morgan Sindall Construction of the robotic excavator. European projects provide a proving ground for global deployment, leveraging high cross-border standards and Zurich’s robotics ecosystem.
Founded by CEO Ryan Luke Johns, architect and roboticist, and CTO Dominic Jud, expert in autonomous control systems, the Gravis team combines construction insights with cutting-edge robotics. “The fastest path to autonomy is delivering productivity today. By giving operators real-time 3D intelligence and the ability to shift seamlessly between autonomy and augmented control, we cover more of the work, accelerate adoption, and create the data pipeline needed to learn new capabilities from the industry’s hardest jobs,” said Johns.