Gritt has launched with $32.4 million in pre-seed and Series A funding to develop AI-powered robotic systems for large-scale construction sites. The financing includes a $26 million Series A led by Obvious Ventures. Union Square Ventures and Active Impact Investments participated in the Series A, with support from existing investors First Round Capital, Climactic, Congruent Ventures and VSC Ventures.
Gritt combines artificial intelligence, robotics and construction equipment to automate repetitive and labor-intensive work. Its systems attach to existing machinery, including skid steers and forklifts, rather than requiring contractors to replace equipment they already own.
The company’s robotic arms can pick and place materials, assemble components and transport supplies with millimeter-level precision. Gritt is initially deploying its technology on large solar projects, with potential applications across data centers, bridges, roads and other infrastructure developments.
Physical AI refers to artificial intelligence systems capable of perceiving conditions, making decisions and performing actions in the physical world. Construction sites present a particularly difficult environment because terrain, weather, materials, workers and equipment can change throughout the day.
Gritt’s system is designed to learn from each deployment and adapt to new tasks and operating environments. The company said activities that initially required months of training can eventually be configured within days as its software and operational data improve.
The machines also collect information about completed work, material movement and changing jobsite conditions. Gritt plans to use that data to help supervisors monitor progress, identify potential problems and make operational decisions.
Rather than operating without limits, the systems are designed to work alongside construction crews within defined safety parameters. Attaching the technology to familiar equipment also allows contractors to rely on machinery that their teams already understand and know how to maintain.
Gritt said its machines are already operating on active projects for major U.S. construction companies, including contractors developing large solar farms. The company reported that its systems have autonomously placed tens of thousands of solar panels without breaking a panel.
The company is targeting a construction sector facing labor availability and productivity challenges. Gritt cited estimates suggesting that more than 41% of the U.S. construction workforce could retire by 2031, while the industry has experienced a 46% decline in productivity.
Gritt believes automation can help contractors complete repetitive, physically demanding tasks while allowing workers to focus on higher-value responsibilities. The company’s longer-term goal is to help infrastructure projects move from planning to completion more quickly.
Future versions of the platform could provide a decision-making layer for site supervisors. The technology could track resource flows, anticipate delays and recommend or initiate actions needed to keep projects moving.
Gritt’s founding team includes robotics and AI specialists with experience at Carnegie Mellon University, Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The new funding will support continued product development and deployment across demanding outdoor construction environments.
KEY QUOTES:
“Every industry has embraced automation, but outdoor construction sites are exposed, with unforgiving terrain and variable weather. You can’t tell a construction site to be less muddy or to stop snowing.”
“Gritt’s physical AI is designed to work in this unstructured, outdoor world. Infrastructure is what moves civilization forward, and now Gritt can help build it faster, including solar arrays, data centers, bridges, and roads.”
Puneet Puri, CEO and Co-Founder of Gritt
“Nobody is solving the repetitive, high-volume manual work that shapes the world’s infrastructure.”
“We need an intelligence layer that can complete dexterous tasks and make decisions in an environment that changes every hour. This is one of the most challenging frontiers in physical AI.”
Vishal Dugar, CTO and Co-Founder of Gritt
“Every wave of automation started with someone willing to go where the work was hardest and least predictable.”
“Gritt is bringing physical AI to the toughest construction sites in the world. Every site they deploy builds the flywheel that makes the system smarter and more capable. That’s a compounding advantage that’s challenging to replicate from the outside. We look forward to helping Gritt build this new and ambitious category in physical AI.”
Andrew Beebe, Managing Director at Obvious Ventures
