Company
TerraFirma
Tech-enabled, vertically integrated construction company building the robotic infrastructure stack for modern construction.
- Founded
- 2024
- HQ
- Austin, Texas, USA
- Status
- private
Models
1
Overview
Tech-enabled, vertically integrated construction company building the robotic infrastructure stack for modern construction. Founded in 2024 by former SpaceX engineers, TerraFirma combines AI-enabled pre-construction software, a remote command-and-control center, and retrofitted semi-autonomous heavy machinery — excavators, dozers, loaders, rollers, and skid steers — operated via Xbox-style controllers from a central mission control. The company operates its own robotics in the field rather than selling hardware, giving direct feedback loops from commercial projects. Its long-term vision extends to lunar and Martian construction.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
CEO
Noah Schochet (ex-SpaceX Starlink/Starship)
CTO
Noah McGuinness (ex-SpaceX Starshield)
Founders
Noah Schochet and Noah McGuinness — Princeton engineering classmates, met on first day of class
Funding
$115M total ($100M Series A led by Kleiner Perkins, July 2026)
Employees
Plans to hire 300 employees over next year (company-reported)
Product
Full-stack platform: AI pre-construction software + remote command center + retrofitted semi-autonomous heavy equipment (excavators, dozers, loaders, rollers, skid steers)
Operator interface
Xbox controllers for remote operation of heavy equipment
Deployments
Commercial projects: Starbucks (North Austin), sports arena (Spicewood TX), power substation (New Braunfels TX); also US government international infrastructure projects
Financial stage
Growth — Series A funded, expanding engineering and manufacturing teams
Engineering pedigree
~50% of engineering team previously worked at SpaceX, Tesla, or the Boring Company
Hero image candidate
mms.businesswire.com ).jpg (source: BusinessWire press kit)
Data & sources
Press releases
1
News coverage
1
Web sources
1
3 sources backing this record.View all →
Models (1)
View all models →TerraFirma on the deployment map
Where TerraFirma's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Relationships
Current leadership (2)
- Noah Schochet CEO & Co-Founder
- Noah McGuinness CTO & Co-Founder
Founders (2)
- Noah Schochetno longer at company
- Noah McGuinnessno longer at company
Safety record
No incidents on record for TerraFirma.
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 →
Recent coverage
TerraFirma in third-party press
Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Lightwheel3 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- Anvil Robotics2 models
Funding rounds (1)
- Series A2026-07-14
$115M(reported)
Investors: Kleiner Perkins (lead), Bain Capital Ventures, Glade Brook Capital Partners, BANNER VC, Saga Ventures, Trust Ventures, Definition, PEAK6, Magnetar Capital, Ravelin Capital
Sources (3)
- SpaceX alumni building remote-controlled construction equipment land $115 million fund round · https://www.cnbc.com/2026/07/14/terrafirma-construction-tech-spacex.html
- TerraFirma Raises $115M to Accelerate Construction on Earth and Beyond · https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260714397606/en/TerraFirma-Raises-%24115M-to-Accelerate-Construction-on-Earth-and-Beyond
- TerraFirma: Homepage · https://terrafirma.inc/
Common questions
- What is TerraFirma?
- Tech-enabled, vertically integrated construction company building the robotic infrastructure stack for modern construction. Founded in 2024 by former SpaceX engineers, TerraFirma combines AI-enabled pre-construction software, a remote command-and-control center, and retrofitted semi-autonomous heavy machinery — excavators, dozers, loaders, rollers, and skid steers — operated via Xbox-style controllers from a central mission control. The company operates its own robotics in the field rather than selling hardware, giving direct feedback loops from commercial projects. Its long-term vision extends to lunar and Martian construction.
- What does TerraFirma make?
- TerraFirma has 1 robot model on the DEPLOY registry: TerraFirma Semi-Autonomous Construction Equipment (TerraFirma builds both physical robots and the AI that runs them).
- Is TerraFirma publicly traded?
- No. TerraFirma is privately held and not publicly traded, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with TerraFirma?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to TerraFirma building in the same form factors include DJI, Boston Dynamics, Robotphoenix, Lightwheel.
- Where is TerraFirma headquartered?
- TerraFirma is headquartered in Austin, Texas, USA.
- Where does TerraFirma operate robots?
- TerraFirma 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.
- When was TerraFirma founded?
- TerraFirma was founded in 2024.
- Is TerraFirma safe?
- TerraFirma has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 3 sources (1 primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-14
Verification posture
Verified
High confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-14
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- secondary-established-publication
- Established publication
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
- 1
- primary-company-ir
- Company IR disclosure
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for TerraFirma.Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Lightwheel3 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- Anvil Robotics2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning TerraFirma from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
TerraFirma Raises $115M to Accelerate Construction on Earth and Beyond
TerraFirma announces $115M funding including $100M Series A led by Kleiner Perkins, with participation from Bain Capital Ventures and others, to scale semi-autonomous construction…
SpaceX alumni building remote-controlled construction equipment land $115 million fund round
CNBC covers TerraFirma's $115M raise, profiling ex-SpaceX founders Noah Schochet and Noah McGuinness and their mission to bring SpaceX-style speed to construction using…
TerraFirma Raises $115M in Funding to Develop Semi-autonomous Heavy Equipment Systems
AI Insider covers TerraFirma's $115M funding round, detailing the full-stack platform combining AI software, remote command center, and retrofitted semi-autonomous heavy machinery.
TerraFirma Raises $115 Million To Scale Semi-Autonomous Construction Robotics For Critical Infrastructure On Earth And Beyond
Pulse2 covers TerraFirma's funding round, noting the company's vertically-integrated approach of building and operating its own robotics in the field.
Wilson Sonsini Advises TerraFirma on $115 Million Financing
Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati announces it advised TerraFirma on its $115 million financing round led by Kleiner Perkins.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/terrafirma.md
- RSS feed: /companies/terrafirma/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/2187bca5-206f-4833-b341-f887e3fb70dc
- Revision history: /companies/terrafirma/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- DJI7 models
- Boston Dynamics5 models
- Robotphoenix5 models
- Lightwheel3 models
- ATI Industrial Automation2 models
- Anvil Robotics2 models
Video
TerraFirma just wrapped up site excavation for a new Starbucks in North Austin. Thank you to our friends at Starbucks and Reger Holdings and our partners at Fli
At TerraFirma, we’re redefining how the world moves earth for construction. Founded by former SpaceX engineers and backed by Bain Capital Ventures, TerraFirma i
Autonomous construction company Terrafirma is relocating its headquarters from Austin to Buda.
AI News Flash for July 14, 2026 at 16:00 UTC. Topics: 1. Spotify launches a ChatGPT-like conversational AI music assistant https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/14