Gravis Robotics, a Zurich-based startup that emerged from ETH Zurich’s renowned research teams, recently made headlines by securing $23 million to advance its vision of automating construction machinery. With this fresh investment, led by IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures, the company aims to expand operations across the U.K., U.S., and EU markets while strengthening partnerships and scaling production. The timing could not be more critical, as the construction industry faces workforce shortages and productivity challenges globally.
What Makes Gravis Robotics Stand Out
Gravis Robotics focuses on retrofitting existing earthmoving machines with AI-enabled hardware kits that transform excavators and loaders into autonomous or semi-autonomous systems. The innovation lies in the simplicity of installation and compatibility across major equipment brands. At its core is the “Rack,” which combines machine vision, sensors, and hydraulic monitoring with a human-friendly interface that allows operators to manage the machine remotely or autonomously.
The approach contrasts with larger competitors like Caterpillar and Komatsu, which prioritize built-in autonomy in brand-new machines. Gravis’s retrofit kits make it possible for construction firms to upgrade their equipment without heavy upfront investments.
The result? A 30% increase in site productivity and fewer risks for operators, helping firms meet the demands of infrastructure projects that are growing in complexity and scale.
Who’s Backing Gravis Robotics
Beyond IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures, several other prominent investors joined this funding round, such as Pear VC, Sunna Ventures, and Holcim. Holcim, a leading global cement company, invested strategically to explore automation possibilities in mining and material handling.
Gravis also has meaningful partnerships with notable names such as Taylor Woodrow and HD Hyundai, further validating its market relevance.
Market Insights
The success of Gravis Robotics highlights a growing trend: automation, especially autonomous-heavy machinery, is becoming indispensable in construction. The industry, valued at $8.8 billion in machine autonomy in 2023, has an annual growth rate of over 7.5%, driven largely by labor shortages and increasing infrastructure investments. The unique selling point of Gravis aligns perfectly with this need, it upgrades machinery in a way that leverages existing operator skill sets rather than replacing them outright.
Archie Muirhead of IQ Capital aptly described the situation: “The market is ripe for autonomy, and Gravis is leading the charge by not just innovating but delivering tried-and-tested systems for contractors and OEMs.”
Lessons for Female Entrepreneurs
As a female entrepreneur deeply immersed in STEM and tech commercialization, I found several inspiring takeaways from Gravis Robotics:
- Start Small but Impact Big: Gravis began with simple but transformative add-ons and built trust by showing real-world results, proving that small steps can lead to massive industry disruptions.
- Leverage University Resources: Being spun out of ETH Zurich gave the startup access to world-class expertise, opening doors to collaborations that ensure technical precision.
- Strategic Partnerships Matter: Building alliances with OEMs and construction firms has helped Gravis deploy its solutions on practical job sites across seven countries.
If you are in the early stages of building your startup, take cues from Gravis and focus early efforts on genuine industry problems. For instance, scaling too fast or relying heavily on funding without validating your product in the field is a mistake many entrepreneurs make.
How Female Founders Can Apply Gravis Lessons
Thinking globally and forming meaningful partnerships will be your goldmine. Female founders, especially in Europe, often face challenges around confidence and visibility. Here are steps to build momentum:
- Start Local: Launch field trials close to home, where regulations and logistics are easier to navigate, and use those results to scale.
- Identify Industry Bottlenecks: Like Gravis tackled labor shortages with efficient robotics, pick an issue that aligns with urgent challenges in your niche.
- Focus on Non-Replaceable Tech: Build products that augment human abilities rather than trying to displace jobs outright. Collaboration tools tend to gain traction faster because they meet resistance from fewer industry stakeholders.
Remember, confidence paired with a thorough understanding of market needs is your strongest asset.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
While Gravis represents a model of success, entrepreneurship has its hurdles:
- Neglecting the Bigger Picture: It’s tempting to focus all your energy on product development, but ignoring operational scalability and user collaboration is a costly error.
- Underestimating Marketing Costs: Technical proficiency must be matched with insightful storytelling to attract meaningful partnerships.
- Ignoring Field Validation: Product-market fit is crucial, and deploying solutions in real environments should happen sooner rather than later.
Learning from smaller successes, as Gravis did, leads founders to solutions that bigger players might overlook.
European female founders looking for inspiration don’t need to look far, whether their niche is deeptech, AI, or education. With recent funding livening up the tech entrepreneurial ecosystem, opportunities abound for those seeking scalable and meaningful contributions to their industries.
By focusing on real-world applications, building teams that echo the company’s vision, and empowering both internal and external communities, success becomes a natural byproduct of persistent problem-solving. You might not need $23 million to kickstart your venture, but knowing your industry, staying adaptable, and delivering practical solutions like Gravis Robotics might be enough to solidify your place in the European startup scene.
FAQ
1. What is Gravis Robotics and what does it do?
Gravis Robotics is a Zurich-based startup specializing in automating construction machinery by retrofitting excavators and loaders with AI-powered hardware kits, specifically designed for earthmoving tasks. Learn more about Gravis Robotics
2. How much funding has Gravis Robotics raised?
Gravis Robotics secured $23 million in funding in November 2025 to scale operations, enhance partnerships, and advance its earthmoving automation technology. Check out Gravis Robotics’ funding details
3. What differentiates Gravis Robotics from its competitors?
Unlike competitors such as Caterpillar and Komatsu that focus on built-in autonomy in new machines, Gravis Robotics offers retrofit kits compatible across various major equipment brands, enabling firms to upgrade existing machinery without massive investment. Explore retrofit technology
4. Who led the latest round of investment for Gravis Robotics?
The funding round was led by IQ Capital and Zacua Ventures, with participation from Pear VC, Sunna Ventures, Holcim, and other strategic investors. Discover Zacua Ventures’ involvement
5. How has Gravis Robotics impacted the construction industry?
Gravis Robotics has achieved a 30% increase in site productivity and improved worker safety thanks to its AI-driven kits, which address global workforce shortages and construction inefficiencies. Learn about construction challenges
6. Who are Gravis Robotics’ notable partners?
Gravis Robotics has formed partnerships with companies like Taylor Woodrow, HD Hyundai, and Holcim, showcasing its market relevance through real-world deployments. Discover key collaborations
7. What is the primary market focus of Gravis Robotics?
Gravis Robotics aims to expand its automation solutions to the U.K., U.S., and EU markets, catering to the construction industry facing high demand for infrastructure projects. Explore market insights
8. What are the major trends driving the adoption of autonomous construction machines?
Increasing infrastructure investments, global workforce shortages, and aging labor forces are key factors fueling the demand for automated machinery systems like those offered by Gravis Robotics. Learn about industry trends
9. How does Gravis Robotics align with sustainability goals in construction?
By reducing worker risks through precise machinery automation and boosting productivity, Gravis Robotics supports safer and more efficient infrastructure development in line with global sustainability efforts. Explore Gravis Robotics' impact
10. What lessons can female entrepreneurs learn from Gravis Robotics?
Gravis Robotics exemplifies the benefits of small impactful innovations, leveraging university research resources, and forming strategic industry partnerships, all valuable lessons for entrepreneurs seeking to solve real-world problems. Find inspiration for entrepreneurs
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
Violetta Bonenkamp's expertise in CAD sector, IP protection and blockchain
Violetta Bonenkamp is recognized as a multidisciplinary expert with significant achievements in the CAD sector, intellectual property (IP) protection, and blockchain technology.
CAD Sector:
- Violetta is the CEO and co-founder of CADChain, a deep tech startup focused on developing IP management software specifically for CAD (Computer-Aided Design) data. CADChain addresses the lack of industry standards for CAD data protection and sharing, using innovative technology to secure and manage design data.
- She has led the company since its inception in 2018, overseeing R&D, PR, and business development, and driving the creation of products for platforms such as Autodesk Inventor, Blender, and SolidWorks.
- Her leadership has been instrumental in scaling CADChain from a small team to a significant player in the deeptech space, with a diverse, international team.
IP Protection:
- Violetta has built deep expertise in intellectual property, combining academic training with practical startup experience. She has taken specialized courses in IP from institutions like WIPO and the EU IPO.
- She is known for sharing actionable strategies for startup IP protection, leveraging both legal and technological approaches, and has published guides and content on this topic for the entrepreneurial community.
- Her work at CADChain directly addresses the need for robust IP protection in the engineering and design industries, integrating cybersecurity and compliance measures to safeguard digital assets.
Blockchain:
- Violetta’s entry into the blockchain sector began with the founding of CADChain, which uses blockchain as a core technology for securing and managing CAD data.
- She holds several certifications in blockchain and has participated in major hackathons and policy forums, such as the OECD Global Blockchain Policy Forum.
- Her expertise extends to applying blockchain for IP management, ensuring data integrity, traceability, and secure sharing in the CAD industry.
Violetta is a true multiple specialist who has built expertise in Linguistics, Education, Business Management, Blockchain, Entrepreneurship, Intellectual Property, Game Design, AI, SEO, Digital Marketing, cyber security and zero code automations. Her extensive educational journey includes a Master of Arts in Linguistics and Education, an Advanced Master in Linguistics from Belgium (2006-2007), an MBA from Blekinge Institute of Technology in Sweden (2006-2008), and an Erasmus Mundus joint program European Master of Higher Education from universities in Norway, Finland, and Portugal (2009).
She is the founder of Fe/male Switch, a startup game that encourages women to enter STEM fields, and also leads CADChain, and multiple other projects like the Directory of 1,000 Startup Cities with a proprietary MeanCEO Index that ranks cities for female entrepreneurs. Violetta created the "gamepreneurship" methodology, which forms the scientific basis of her startup game. She also builds a lot of SEO tools for startups. Her achievements include being named one of the top 100 women in Europe by EU Startups in 2022 and being nominated for Impact Person of the year at the Dutch Blockchain Week. She is an author with Sifted and a speaker at different Universities. Recently she published a book on Startup Idea Validation the right way: from zero to first customers and beyond, launched a Directory of 1,500+ websites for startups to list themselves in order to gain traction and build backlinks and is building MELA AI to help local restaurants in Malta get more visibility online.
For the past several years Violetta has been living between the Netherlands and Malta, while also regularly traveling to different destinations around the globe, usually due to her entrepreneurial activities. This has led her to start writing about different locations and amenities from the POV of an entrepreneur. Here’s her recent article about the best hotels in Italy to work from.
About the Publication
Fe/male Switch is an innovative startup platform designed to empower women entrepreneurs through an immersive, game-like experience. Founded in 2020 during the pandemic "without any funding and without any code," this non-profit initiative has evolved into a comprehensive educational tool for aspiring female entrepreneurs.The platform was co-founded by Violetta Shishkina-Bonenkamp, who serves as CEO and one of the lead authors of the Startup News branch.
Mission and Purpose
Fe/male Switch Foundation was created to address the gender gap in the tech and entrepreneurship space. The platform aims to skill-up future female tech leaders and empower them to create resilient and innovative tech startups through what they call "gamepreneurship". By putting players in a virtual startup village where they must survive and thrive, the startup game allows women to test their entrepreneurial abilities without financial risk.
Key Features
The platform offers a unique blend of news, resources,learning, networking, and practical application within a supportive, female-focused environment:
- Skill Lab: Micro-modules covering essential startup skills
- Virtual Startup Building: Create or join startups and tackle real-world challenges
- AI Co-founder (PlayPal): Guides users through the startup process
- SANDBOX: A testing environment for idea validation before launch
- Wellness Integration: Virtual activities to balance work and self-care
- Marketplace: Buy or sell expert sessions and tutorials
Impact and Growth
Since its inception, Fe/male Switch has shown impressive growth:
- 5,000+ female entrepreneurs in the community
- 100+ startup tools built
- 5,000+ pieces of articles and news written
- 1,000 unique business ideas for women created
Partnerships
Fe/male Switch has formed strategic partnerships to enhance its offerings. In January 2022, it teamed up with global website builder Tilda to provide free access to website building tools and mentorship services for Fe/male Switch participants.
Recognition
Fe/male Switch has received media attention for its innovative approach to closing the gender gap in tech entrepreneurship. The platform has been featured in various publications highlighting its unique "play to learn and earn" model.
