Founded in 2024 by former Waymo engineers, Bedrock is led by CEO Boris Sofman, who previously oversaw autonomous trucking development at Waymo. The company is applying technology developed for self-driving vehicles to construction equipment, where machines must navigate changing terrain and perform tasks alongside human crews.
Rather than manufacturing new excavators, Bedrock installs its autonomous technology on machinery that contractors already own. This approach reduces the need for customers to replace existing equipment and allows the company to focus on developing software and systems capable of handling construction tasks without an onboard operator.
“We have proven that fully autonomous excavators can perform real work of value alongside the crews and workflows already in place on job sites,” Sofman said.
The new capital will support additional equipment deployments and the field operations teams responsible for maintaining the technology at customer sites. Bedrock also plans to extend its capabilities beyond individual excavators, eventually coordinating different types of autonomous machines across construction projects.
Among its newest customers is Haydon, an employee-owned construction company headquartered in Tempe, Arizona. The contractor is operating Bedrock's technology at a remote Texas location, where autonomous excavators are performing earthmoving work. Haydon intends to evaluate additional applications, including trench excavation and larger equipment.
“For us, the biggest win is a safer, more predictable job site,” said Katie Haydon, the company's CEO and chair.
Bedrock also announced customers across several other states, including Wagner Construction in Minnesota, Smith Trucking Company in Florida, B&S Site Development in Virginia, Native Excavating in Colorado, Clarkson Construction in Missouri and C.W. Matthews in Georgia. Its technology will also be used on selected ArchKey Solutions projects in Arkansas.
The company is targeting an industry facing persistent challenges in hiring skilled workers. According to figures cited in Bedrock's announcement, construction is expected to have approximately 1.7 million job openings annually through 2035. About 87% of construction firms report vacancies for hourly craft workers, while 88% say filling those positions has become at least as difficult as it was a year earlier.
Bedrock's technology is intended to help contractors increase productivity and maintain more consistent operations despite those staffing pressures. Its systems must also account for the changing conditions of active construction sites, where equipment operates around workers, other machinery and evolving project requirements.
“Bedrock's AI lets heavy equipment reason through and adapt to the unpredictability of a live job site,” said Jake Saper, a general partner at Emergence Capital.
The Series C attracted several new investors, including the US Innovative Technology Fund, Bessemer Venture Partners and Temasek. Existing shareholders Nvidia, 8VC, Georgian, Valor Equity Partners, Xora, Eclipse and Perry Creek Capital also participated.
Bedrock's valuation has increased substantially since February, when the company raised $270 million at a reported $1.75 billion valuation. The latest financing more than doubles that figure, reflecting investor interest as the startup begins generating revenue from autonomous construction work.
The company is also expanding its leadership team. Amy Jones Satrom, previously with Amazon, Nuro and Uber, has been appointed vice president of operations. Lando Juarez, who formerly led legal operations for Uber's autonomous mobility and delivery business, joins as general counsel.
Bedrock's funding follows other substantial investments in industrial robotics. Switzerland-based Gravis Robotics raised $200 million in August, while Eka Robotics recently secured $150 million and factory automation company Formic raised $50 million.
For Bedrock, the immediate priority is increasing the number of autonomous machines working on customer projects while supporting their operation in real construction environments. Its longer-term plans involve extending the same technology to additional equipment categories and managing coordinated fleets across job sites.
The company has demonstrated that its excavators can perform paid commercial work without onboard operators. Its next challenge is expanding those deployments while maintaining performance across different contractors, equipment types and construction conditions.
This analysis is based on reporting from TNW.
Image courtesy of Bedrock Robotics.
This article was generated with AI assistance and reviewed for accuracy and quality.
