US — TechCrunch
This startup’s self-driving excavators help dig up $600M in new funding
Robotics1 min read
Bedrock Robotics, a two-year-old startup, raised $600 million to build self-driving kits for construction excavators. The funding values the company at $4.1 billion.
A big new investment
Bedrock Robotics raised $600 million in a Series C round. The round was co-led by CapitalG and Emergence Capital. Bedrock makes a self-driving kit that can be added to construction and other worksite vehicles. Two months before this round, its autonomous excavators began real paid work on active construction sites, not just tests.
Key numbers and facts
- Funding raised: $600 million
- Company value after the round: $4.1 billion
- Total raised since it was founded in 2024: nearly $1 billion
- Largest job named: a 1.2 million-cubic-yard civil sitework project with Zachry Construction Corporation
- Learning to run an excavator well takes five years or more, according to Bedrock
Who is behind Bedrock
Bedrock was founded in 2024 by people who worked on self-driving cars and robots. CEO Boris Sofman once led Waymo's self-driving trucks program, which has now shut down. He also started Anki Robotics, the maker of the Cozmo toy robot, which closed in 2019. Other founders include former Waymo staff Kevin Peterson and Ajay Gummalla, plus Tom Eliaz, who came from Segment and Twilio.
Why this matters
Many experienced workers who run heavy machines are getting close to retirement, and it takes years to train new ones. Bedrock thinks self-driving machines can help fill that gap. If the technology works well across many job sites, it could change how buildings, roads, and water plants are built.
What to watch
- How quickly Bedrock adds more construction sites and customers
- Its new partner Haydon, an Arizona general contractor, which plans to use Bedrock machines on data centers, healthcare buildings, and other projects
- Whether the company can support customers in the field as it grows
- New leaders: Amy Jones Satrom as vice president of operations and Lando Juarez as general counsel
Glossary
- Bedrock Robotics
- A startup that makes self-driving kits for construction machines like excavators.
- Series C
- A later round of money raised from investors by a young company that is already growing.
- Waymo
- A company that develops self-driving cars and has tested self-driving trucks.