The verified answer
As of Oct 2026, DEPLOY verifies Gravis Robotics: 1 model, 4 deployments across 3 regions, $223.0M raised. 3 sources back the record.
Overview
ETH Zürich spinout (founded 2022) building autonomous control systems for heavy construction machinery — excavators, earthmoving equipment, and other machines that actively reshape the physical world rather than navigate static environments. The retrofit Gravis Rack kit and AI software turn standard excavators from 9+ major OEMs (Caterpillar, Case, Develon, John Deere, JCB, Hitachi, Sumitomo, Yanmar, Volvo) into autonomous robotic systems, boosting jobsite productivity by up to 30%.
Deployed across four continents with partnerships including Holcim, Taylor Woodrow, Morgan Sindall Construction, and Flannery Plant Hire. Headquartered in Zürich with offices in Austin, TX and Oxford, UK. Raised $200M Series A led by SoftBank in August 2026.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- 4 deployments on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
Valuation of record
Company-claimedPriced roundSeries A post-money
Key facts
HQ
Origin
CTO
Board Member
Offices
Productivity Gain
OEM Support
Product
Data & sources
News coverage
1
Web sources
2
3 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →Partnerships
Every company Gravis Robotics has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most-frequent partners
- 1Flannery Plant Hire1× joint
- 2Holcim1× joint
- 3Morgan Sindall Construction1× joint
- 4Taylor Woodrow1× joint
Most recent
- with Flannery Plant Hireoperating
- with Morgan Sindall Constructionoperating
- Gravis Robotics x Taylor Woodrow2025-04-29with Taylor Woodrowoperating
- Gravis Robotics x Holcim2025-04-11with Holcimoperating
Gravis Robotics on the deployment map
View the global map4 verified deployments across 3 regions, newest verified Mar 2026. Explore where Gravis Robotics's robots are operating, by place and type.
- operationalGravis Autonomous Excavator System at Austin, Texas, USA →Southwest · verified Mar 2026
- operationalGravis Autonomous Excavator System at Manchester, England, UK →Greater Manchester · verified Oct 2025
- operationalGravis Autonomous Excavator System at Plymouth, England, UK →Western Europe · verified May 2025
- operationalGravis Autonomous Excavator System at Zürich, Switzerland →Western Europe · verified Apr 2025
View the full Gravis Robotics deployment record →
Relationships
Current leadership (3)
- Ryan Luke Johns CEO & Co-foundersecondary-verified
- Dominic Jud CTO & Co-foundersecondary-verified
- Marco Hutter Co-founder & Board Membersecondary-verified
Founders (3)
- Ryan Luke Johnscofounder
- Dominic Judcofounder
- Marco Huttercofounder
Safety record
No incidents on record for Gravis Robotics.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- Gravis Robotics4 deployments
Recent coverage
Gravis Robotics in third-party press
SoftBank is putting $200 million into the excavator-automation startup Gravis Robotics, whose headline productivity figure was stated two different ways on announcement day, with no published method behind either version
Gravis Robotics bags $200M, a safer marketplace for teen odd jobs, and Monzo chairman Gary Hoffman to stand down
Gravis Robotics CEO on Softbank Backing, Construction
Peers
75 peers across 1 segment. Every Gravis Robotics competitor derived from shared form-factor and application-domain edges.
industrial robot(75)
33 companies in this segment · moderately_concentrated (HHI 2051.61304640928) · leader Mind Robotics at 3415%
- Bedrock Roboticsdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Grittdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- Xpannerdirect competitor(inferred)strong
- ABB Roboticsdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- AMP Roboticsdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
- ASUSdirect competitor(inferred)moderate
Financial state
- Total funding
- $223.0M
- Reporting basis
- private_reported
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Partnerships
4 total · 4 operating
Every company Gravis Robotics has built with, alongside the ones only announced in a press release.
Most recent
- with Flannery Plant Hireoperating
- with Morgan Sindall Constructionoperating
- Gravis Robotics x Taylor Woodrow2025-04-29with Taylor Woodrowoperating
- Gravis Robotics x Holcim2025-04-11with Holcimoperating
Most-frequent partners
- 1Flannery Plant Hire1× joint
- 2Holcim1× joint
- 3Morgan Sindall Construction1× joint
- 4Taylor Woodrow1× joint
All 4 partnerships
open in the atlas →- Gravis Robotics x Flannery Plant Hire (CAM Pathfinder)withFlannery Plant Hiredeployment2026-08-17operating
- Gravis Robotics x Morgan Sindall ConstructionwithMorgan Sindall Constructiondeployment2025-11-28operating
- Gravis Robotics x Taylor WoodrowwithTaylor Woodrowdeployment2025-04-29operating
- Gravis Robotics x HolcimwithHolcimdeployment2025-04-11operating
Funding rounds (2)
Gravis Robotics’s 2 disclosed rounds, $223M in total, oldest to newest.
- Series A2026-08-17
$200M(reported) · $1.0B post
Investors: SoftBank Vision Fund (lead)
- Seed2025-11-28
$23M(undisclosed) · $92M post
Investors: Zacua Ventures (co_lead), IQ Capital (lead), Pear VC (follow), Armada Investment (follow), Sunna Ventures (follow), Holcim (strategic)
Timeline
Every recorded move in Gravis Robotics’s history, most recent first: funding rounds, partnerships, acquisitions, supply-chain starts, key hires, and press.
Funding roundSeries A funding round
2026-08-17Series A raising $200000000
PartnershipGravis Robotics x Flannery Plant Hire (CAM Pathfinder)
2026-08-17$8M UK government-backed CAM Pathfinder project. Gravis Robotics and Flannery Plant Hire (UK's largest operated heavy-equipment rental provider) retrofit excavator fleets with Gravis Rack, giving contractors turnkey on-demand access to autonomous machinery to help accelerate Britain's $716B infrastructure pipeline.
Funding roundSeed funding round
2025-11-28Seed raising $23000000
PartnershipGravis Robotics x Morgan Sindall Construction
2025-11-28Morgan Sindall Construction described Gravis' robotic excavator as 'as productive as a skilled machine driver — and in some instances, enhanced team efficiency.' Technical Director Steffan Speer cited changing the industry's slow technology adoption.
PartnershipGravis Robotics x Taylor Woodrow
2025-04-29Taylor Woodrow engages Gravis Robotics for the UK's first large-scale autonomous excavation on an active construction site at Manchester Airport. Taylor Woodrow's MD Phil Skegg cited innovation as essential for remaining relevant.
PartnershipGravis Robotics x Holcim
2025-04-11Gravis Robotics partners with Holcim to deploy autonomous excavators in Holcim quarries for autonomous material handling, stockpile management, and truck loading. Holcim's Maqer Ventures sees significant opportunities to apply Gravis solutions at scale.
Recent activity
Every change to this record is dated, sourced, and independently verified where marked.
- Record createdAug 17, 2026
Added to the verified registry
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedMar 4, 2026
Gravis Autonomous Excavator System at Austin, Texas, USA
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedOct 24, 2025
Gravis Autonomous Excavator System at Manchester, England, UK
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedMay 2, 2025
Gravis Autonomous Excavator System at Plymouth, England, UK
- Deployment verifiedVerifiedApr 11, 2025
Gravis Autonomous Excavator System at Zürich, Switzerland
Sources (3)
Common questions
What is Gravis Robotics?
What does Gravis Robotics make?
Is Gravis Robotics publicly traded?
Who competes with Gravis Robotics?
Who is the CEO of Gravis Robotics?
How can I invest in Gravis Robotics?
Where is Gravis Robotics headquartered?
How much funding has Gravis Robotics raised?
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Where does Gravis Robotics operate robots?
How many robots has Gravis Robotics deployed?
Is Gravis Robotics a top robotics company?
Is Gravis Robotics safe?
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-08-21
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-08-21
Sources by quality tier
- 2
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- secondary-trade-publication
- Trade publication
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Gravis Robotics.Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- Unitree Robotics10 models
- DJI7 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
- Gobio Robot6 models
- Orbbec6 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Gravis Robotics from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
SoftBank is putting $200 million into the excavator-automation startup Gravis Robotics, whose headline productivity figure was stated two different ways on announcement day, with no published method behind either version
Gravis says its retrofit kits deliver "up to a 30% boost" against peak manual operation. It also told Inc. the machines have delivered "about 30 percent on multiple projects"…
Gravis Robotics bags $200M, a safer marketplace for teen odd jobs, and Monzo chairman Gary Hoffman to stand down
This week, we tracked more than 45 tech funding deals worth over €684 million and over 5 exits, M&A transactions, rumours, and related news stories across Europe.If email is more…
Gravis Robotics CEO on Softbank Backing, Construction
SoftBank has made a $200 million investment in Gravis Robotics, a construction technology startup specializing in retrofitting existing excavators and heavy machinery with…
Gravis Robotics becomes a Swiss unicorn after $200m raise
EU-Startups reported that a $1bn post-money valuation is the end result of the funding round, in which Japan’s SoftBank was the sole investor. Read more: Gravis Robotics becomes a…
SoftBank invests $200 million in construction startup Gravis Robotics
The deal marks another splashy investment into robotics from SoftBank, whose founder, Masayoshi Son, is trying to make his firm a pivotal player in the global AI race.
Autonomous equipment tech firm Gravis Robotics raises 00M
Zurich-based Gravis Robotics raised a 200 million dollar Series A from SoftBank, the largest Series A in construction robotics history, to scale its AI control kit for heavy…
Gravis Robotics Raises $200 Million Series A From SoftBank To Automate Heavy Construction Machinery
Gravis Robotics has raised $200 million in Series A funding from SoftBank to accelerate the global deployment of autonomous heavy construction machinery, describing the financing…
Gravis Robotics Raises $200M in Series A Funding From SoftBank to Expand Autonomous Heavy Equipment Platform
Insider Brief Gravis Robotics has raised $200 million in a Series A investment from SoftBank to expand autonomous heavy machinery development and deployments. According to the…
Gravis Robotics hits $1bn valuation with $200m investment from SoftBank
Gravis Robotics raises $200 million to scale its construction robotics business
Gravis Robotics has raised $200 million in a Series A investment from SoftBank to scale its autonomous heavy machinery technology across construction sites globally. The company…
SoftBank Invests $200 Million in Construction Startup Gravis Robotics
SoftBank Group Corp. has invested $200 million in Gravis Robotics, a Swiss startup that makes autonomous software for construction machinery.
SoftBank invests $200M in Swiss robotics startup Gravis Robotics
SoftBank has invested $200m in Swiss robotics startup Gravis Robotics, in what has been billed as a record investment. Gravis says the Series A funding round, in which the…
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/gravis-robotics.md
- RSS feed: /companies/gravis-robotics/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/be62b404-ddf6-448a-a265-a638a14b2ed4
- Revision history: /companies/gravis-robotics/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Roborock20 models
- Unitree Robotics10 models
- DJI7 models
- DLR Institute of Robotics and Mechatronics6 models
- Gobio Robot6 models
- Orbbec6 models
Video
Our autonomous excavators do what excavators should do: get work done. Visit: https://www.gravisrobotics.com Gravis has developed the world's most advanced ro
In this special episode of the EU-Startups Podcast, we kick off a five-part interview series recorded during Leonard Launch Day in Paris, in partnership with Le
Peter Haddock caught up with Gravis Robotics Chief Technology Officer Dominic Judd to find out how it has worked with Develon engineers to develop the solution.
Gravis Robotics brings robotic intelligence to heavy construction machines. Our retrofit kit, the Gravis Rack, turns off-the-shelf hydraulic machines into robot
At Bauma 2025, Gravis Robotics showcased fully autonomous remote operation with live demos running daily at booth FN 823.7—featuring a machine located over 200
KIBAG, DEVELON, and AG für Baumaschinen Schmerikon are putting the Gravis system to work on a mass excavation project in Switzerland. In the video they tell you
Robotics—Hardware & Industry: Ryan Luke Johns Co-founder & CEO, Gravis Robotics Slush is the most founder-focused event on Earth, delivering actionable company
Heat Index
Category contender83/100
A composite of competitive footprint, funding, press velocity, active partnerships, and supply-chain edges. Different from the Intelligence score below (which is per-form-factor productization). Non-robotics companies cap at 25.
Reality vs attention
Gravis Robotics draws attention at the 95th percentile but verifies reality at the 85th percentile among other robots. Hype Gap +10, 126th widest among other robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 4 verified deployments. Well-capitalized with $223M raised and recent funding activity. Deployment footprint remains limited relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Oct 1, 2026