The Bedrock Operator includes eight high-definition cameras, lidar, GPS, and IMU for survey-grade localization down to the centimeter. | Source: Bedrock Robotics
Bedrock Robotics Inc. yesterday emerged from stealth with $80 million in seed and Series A funding. The startup said it is developing advanced autonomous systems for the $13 trillion global construction industry.
Rather than design and sell costly new machinery, Bedrock upgrades customers’ existing heavy equipment fleets with reversible, same-day hardware and software installs to enable fully autonomous operations.
“The construction industry is facing so much pressure with the soaring demand for new factories and data centers, the housing crisis, and the mandate for re-industrialization in the U.S.,” stated Boris Sofman, co-founder and CEO of Bedrock Robotics. “The only way to rise to the occasion is by empowering construction teams with advanced automation they can trust. Together with our partners in the industry, we’re ushering in a new era where autonomy and intelligence supercharge building, which will benefit both contractors and society.”
Three former Waymo leaders — including the former head of its trucking program — co-founded Bedrock Robotics in 2024. A fourth co-founder previously led teams at Segment. The San Francisco-based company said it has active deployment sites across the U.S.
Construction demand intensifies
With the reindustrialization of the U.S. reportedly accelerating, Bedrock said its technology bridges the expanding gap between rapidly rising domestic infrastructure needs and shrinking workforce capacity. In 2024, investment in U.S. manufacturing facilities alone reached $238 billion, according to Deloitte.
Despite a shortage of 500,000 construction workers, 1.25 billion hours are spent annually on operating heavy equipment. With 40% of construction workers expected to retire in the next decade, the case for automation that enhances the availability and flexibility of labor for the industry has never been stronger, said Bedrock.
By integrating with existing construction machines and workflows, the Bedrock Operator provides machines with expert capabilities. The company claimed that it enables builders to work around the clock, accelerate project schedules, increase profitability and safety, and track progress on jobs.
Bedrock’s systems are running on machines, starting with excavators, across active customer construction sites in Arizona, Texas, and Arkansas. The latest funding rounds, Series A led by 8VC and Seed led by Eclipse, will help Bedrock grow its engineering, operations, and commercialization teams. It also plans to deepen partnerships to reach its target of initial operator-less deployment in 2026.
Bedrock already has early deployments running
Companies like Sundt Construction are looking for ways to expand operational capacity. The Phoenix-based general contractor has collaborated closely with Bedrock Robotics on field testing and product improvements.
“At Sundt, we pride ourselves on being one of the most forward-thinking builders in the country,” said Eric Cylwik, director at Sundt Construction. “Staying at the forefront of innovation means continuously exploring technologies that can improve how we work.”
“From our earliest conversations with Bedrock, it was clear they had a strong grasp on the challenges we were trying to solve with robotics,” he added. “Their thoughtful approach to safety and deployment made it an easy decision to partner and pilot their system on our projects. When a technology proves its value in the field, this industry will pick it up fast.”
Bedrock Robotics has also recently teamed with three Texas firms, Zachry Construction, Champion Site Prep, and Capitol Aggregates.
Bedrock’s fundraising has also included participation from Two Sigma Ventures, Valor Equity Partners, NVentures (NVIDIA‘s venture capital arm), Crossbeam Venture Partners, Raine Group, Tishman Speyer, Atreides Management, Al Rajhi Partners, and Samsara Ventures.
