Gravis Robotics, a Zurich-based startup that is turning heavyweight construction machines into autonomous robots, has raised $23 million to expand its operations in the U.K., U.S., and EU. The funding was led by IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures, with participation from Pear VC, Imad, Sunna Ventures, Armada Investment, and Holcim. Gravis plans to use the funds to build more machines and expand partnerships with construction firms.
Founded in 2022, Gravis is trying to solve one of the construction industry’s key problems—a looming talent shortage. A large proportion of skilled machine operators are nearing retirement, and not enough younger workers are entering the field to replace them, co-founder and CEO Ryan Luke Johns told Fortune.
“There’s a massive peak in demand for renewable, resilient infrastructure, which means we need more operators—and there just isn’t enough,” he said. “It’s not a sexy job. It’s not a job that any young person really wants to go into.”
Across the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., governments are building wind farms and grid infrastructure to meet clean‑energy goals, tech companies are rushing to construct huge data centers to power AI, and cities desperately need more housing. The talent shortage threatens to slow all of this, potentially driving up costs and stretching timelines on projects that power everything from renewable energy to the servers running ChatGPT.
