BUILT ROBOTICS

Noah Ready-Campbell was an engineer at Google working on robotics. He noticed that autonomous vehicle technology was advancing rapidly for cars, but nobody was applying it to construction equipment — machines that operate in controlled environments and follow repetitive patterns.

Perfect for automation.

He founded Built Robotics in 2016 to build autonomous guidance systems for heavy construction equipment. The key insight: don’t build new robots.

Retrofit existing excavators, dozers, and loaders with AI-powered autonomy kits.

Built Robotics sells and leases autonomous guidance systems that retrofit onto existing heavy equipment. Revenue comes from equipment sales/leases and software subscriptions for the autonomy platform.

Construction companies pay for the technology because it addresses the chronic labor shortage in heavy equipment operation.

Exosystem — autonomous guidance platform that retrofits onto standard heavy equipment. RPD 35 — autonomous track loader for solar farm construction.

Autonomous excavation for trenching and grading. Fleet management software for monitoring autonomous equipment remotely.

Partnerships with major construction and energy companies. Built Robotics has deployed autonomous equipment on solar farm construction, pipeline projects, and earthmoving operations.

Each successful deployment becomes a case study that attracts more customers.

Autonomous equipment in construction faces regulatory uncertainty, safety concerns, and resistance from equipment operators worried about job loss. The technology needs to prove it can handle the unpredictable conditions of real construction sites — mud, rain, uneven terrain.

Tiger Global and Founders Fund co-led later rounds. Earlier investors include NEA, Lemnos Labs, and Bloomberg Beta.

Total funding of $112 million.