Gravis Robotics
ETH Zurich spinout that retrofits excavators and other heavy machines to work on their own; SoftBank put in $200M
Scaleup · Shipping · Robotics leader · Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland · Founded 2022 · gravisrobotics.com
Also active in United States, United Kingdom.
Reported Included as autonomous construction machinery, not a humanoid or general-purpose robot maker. The $200M round size is from the company's own announcement; the valuation is a press report and not confirmed by the company. The company lists Zurich, Austin and Oxford as headquarters; Zurich is shown here.
Profile
Gravis Robotics sells an autonomy kit that turns ordinary excavators and other heavy construction machines into machines that run on their own, while operators supervise from a safe spot. It was founded in 2022 as a spinout from ETH Zurich and says its kit is installed on machines from brands including Caterpillar, John Deere, JCB and Volvo. SoftBank invested $200M in August 2026, and the company lists offices in Zurich, Austin and Oxford.
People
- Ryan Luke Johns FounderCo-founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Dominic Jud FounderCo-founder and Chief Technology Officer
- Marco Hutter FounderCo-founder and board member (professor of robotics at ETH Zurich)
As of . X handles are shown only when we could confirm they belong to the person.
Flagship products
- Gravis Rack Autonomous machines
Autonomous control kit fitted to existing excavators and other heavy machinery of many brands, so one operator can supervise several machines - Gravis Copilot Software
In-cab 3D guidance and hazard detection for operators who stay in the machine
Funding and valuation
Latest round
$200M
Series A · Aug 17, 2026
Led by SoftBank.
SoftBank was the sole investor. EU-Startups reports the round as €172M.
Original amount: EUR 172,000,000. Dollar figures converted from other currencies are approximate.
Valuation
$1B Reported
reported post-money (Series A) · Aug 17, 2026
EU-Startups reports a post-money valuation of €862M, about $1B. Gravis' own announcement does not state a valuation.
Trademarks
No US filings since 2025 (last checked ).
Source: USPTO Trademark Search, matched on the company’s legal names. Rechecked on the 1st and 15th of each month. A filing shows intent to use a name in the US, not a launched product.
Competitors
Companies with overlapping products. Direct = same customers and same job; Adjacent = overlapping technology or market, different focus.
Bedrock Robotics
Direct competitorBoth sell autonomy kits that retrofit existing excavators: Bedrock Robotics retrofits excavators with autonomy kits aimed at operator-free operation, while Gravis Robotics sells the Gravis Rack, an autonomy kit fitted to existing excavators of many brands.
TerraFirma
Adjacent competitorBoth retrofit construction machines with autonomy: TerraFirma retrofits construction machines and runs them itself as a contractor rather than selling the machines, while Gravis Robotics sells the Gravis Rack, an autonomy kit fitted to existing excavators of many brands.
Recent news
- — SoftBank invests $200M in Gravis Robotics, the largest Series A in construction robotics to date Gravis Robotics
- — Gravis Robotics becomes Europe's latest robotics unicorn after a €172M Series A EU-Startups
Sources
- Reshaping the Physical World: Gravis Robotics Raises $200M for Construction Autonomy (Gravis Robotics) (Aug 17, 2026)
- SoftBank Is Investing $200 Million in Autonomous Construction Startup Gravis Robotics (Inc.) (Aug 17, 2026)
- Gravis Robotics becomes Europe's latest unicorn after €172 million Series A (EU-Startups) (Aug 17, 2026)
- Gravis Robotics website (Oct 9, 2026)
Confidence: high.