SoftBank backs Gravis Robotics with $200M Series A at >$1B valuation for excavator autonomy
lukas_m_ziegler · x · 2026-09-09
After visiting Gravis Robotics in Zurich, the author interviewed CEO Ryan Luke Johns. The startup just raised a $200M Series A led by SoftBank at a valuation above $1B. Its approach: adding an autonomy layer to existing heavy equipment, especially excavators. The hard part is that construction robots constantly reshape their environment — every bucket changes terrain across soil conditions from soft dirt to frozen rock — so Gravis uses simulation to model soil dynamics for training. Context: construction productivity has stagnated for decades while infrastructure and data center demand grows.
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