SoftBank is in talks to acquire Gravis Robotics for over $500 million
SoftBank Group is in discussions to acquire Gravis Robotics AG, a Zurich-based startup developing autonomous hardware and software for excavators and heavy construction equipment, according to people familiar with the matter. A deal could value the company at more than $500 million, though no final decision has been made on size or structure, and the transaction may be completed in stages through secondary share purchases and fresh capital. Gravis was founded in 2022 as a spinout from ETH Zurich by Ryan Luke Johns, Dominic Jud, Marco Tranzatto, and Burak Çizmeci, working alongside lab mentor Marco Hutter. The company raised $23 million in venture funding in November 2025 and is backed by IQ Capital, Armada Investment Group, Zacua Ventures, and Holcim. Gravis would reportedly sit inside Roze, a new US-based company SoftBank is preparing for its robotics and AI assets, rather than Robo HD, the holding company for around 20 other robotics holdings.