Deal Ticker – Kellerhals Carrard with Gravis Robotics on its USD 23 million financing round

Imagine a construction site where the engines roar — but the operator seats stay empty. The heavy machines move on their own, perceive their surroundings, execute precise tasks, and operate intelligently. This is the future Gravis Robotics is bringing to life. 

Gravis Robotics, the Zurich-based construction-tech company enabling autonomous operation of heavy machinery, has raised USD 23 million to accelerate its expansion across the U.K., U.S., and EU.

The round was co-led by IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures, with participation from Pear VC, Imad Ventures, Sunna Ventures, Armada Investment, and Holcim. Founded in 2022 at ETH Zurich, Gravis addresses a fundamental industry challenge: the global shortage of skilled machine operators.

Gravis’ retrofit platform equips existing excavators, loaders, and earthmoving machines with advanced sensors, cameras, and AI-driven perception, enabling autonomous or remotely guided operation through the company’s Slate tablet. The system is designed to improve on-site workflows, reduce workers’ exposure to hazardous environments, and support more precise, digitally assisted machine operation.

Already active in seven countries and collaborating with Holcim, Taylor Woodrow, and HD Hyundai, Gravis has demonstrated its technology on major infrastructure projects — including recent autonomous-excavation trials at Manchester Airport. 

This financing will accelerate production, strengthen global partnerships, and reinforce Gravis’ position in the fast-growing autonomy market.

Kellerhals Carrard had the privilege of supporting its long-standing client Gravis Robotics on this milestone round.

The KC Core Team comprised of: Dario Silberschmidt, Lead (Partner, Corporate/VC), Marine Jorio (Associate, Corporate/VC), Danica Hafner (Paralegal, Corporate/VC).

This transaction also highlights something bigger: Switzerland’s robotics ecosystem has become one of the world’s most advanced — from ETH Zurich’s research depth to the density of frontier-tech startups now scaling globally. The rise of companies like Gravis demonstrates how strongly Swiss engineering shapes the future of autonomy.

Warm congratulations to Ryan Luke Johns, Dominic Jud, Hanspeter Fässler and the entire Gravis team on this achievement. We look forward to supporting your continued growth and impact!