Gravis Robotics Secures $23M to Scale Real-World Autonomy in Construction

Swiss-based Gravis Robotics has raised $23 million in new funding, co-led by IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures, with additional backing from Pear VC, Imad, Sunna Ventures, Armada Investment and Holcim. The investment fuels one of the most ambitious pushes yet to bring practical autonomy to earthmoving—without forcing the industry to abandon its existing workflows.

A 2022 spinout from ETH Zurich, Gravis tackles construction’s structural challenges—rising demand, falling productivity, and an aging workforce—through a retrofit autonomy platform that “feels the soil.” Using data from hydraulics, LiDAR, cameras and GNSS, its learning-based control system adapts to real ground conditions rather than relying on pre-scripted commands.

This core intelligence connects to Gravis Slate, a tablet interface designed for seamless operator use. The same sensors that enable autonomy also enhance manual work, creating a feedback loop that boosts performance and accelerates learning across trenching, grading, earthworks and material handling. The result: smoother collaboration between humans and machines, roughly 30% higher output, reduced rework and improved safety.

CEO and co-founder Ryan Luke Johns says the fastest path to autonomy is helping crews work better today—giving operators real-time 3D intelligence and the ability to shift instantly between autonomous and augmented control.

Gravis is already deployed with major contractors for site prep, stockpile management and truck loading. Taylor Woodrow recently used the system at Manchester Airport—the UK’s first large-scale autonomous excavation effort on an active site. Partnerships with firms like Flannery, Develon and Kibag are helping push turnkey autonomous excavators into rental fleets and OEM dealer networks.

Now active in seven countries across the UK, EU, US, LATAM and Asia, Gravis represents one of the broadest real-world deployments of autonomous earthmoving to date. With the new funding, the company plans to advance its autonomy stack, expand global partnerships and scale distribution—bringing construction’s autonomous future firmly into the present.