Former SpaceX engineers have entered the race to automate construction equipment, and they just got a $115 million investment.
SpaceX alumni Noah Schochet and Noah McGuinness founded TerraFirma, an Austin, Texas-based tech startup, in 2024, with the aim “to make infrastructure construction faster, cheaper and safer on Earth, the Moon and Mars” in the wake of an ongoing workforce shortage.
The recent funding infusion will allow TerraFirma to expand its engineering, manufacturing, operations and construction teams and support the development of semi-autonomous construction equipment. Kleiner Perkins led the investment with $100 million in Series A funding, with participation from additional venture capitalists and angel investors.
The robotic infrastructure stack TerraFirma is building combines AI-enabled pre-construction software, a remote command-and-control center and retrofitted semi-autonomous heavy machinery, including excavators, dozers, loaders, rollers, skid steers and more.
Using the tech stack, skilled operators will be capable of “orchestrating entire fleets from screens,” making them “up to 300% more effective, accelerating project execution, reducing costs, and creating jobs that are safer and higher-paying than traditional equipment operation,” TerraFirma says.
Powered byThe goal is not to completely remove humans from the equation though. “It is not about trying to fully automate construction equipment,” notes Noah McGuinness, CTO of TerraFirma. “Making construction truly faster and cheaper requires innovating on operations and technology together across the full stack. We believe autonomy is a part of the solution, but driving real change requires building a whole ecosystem of technology that is directly informed by rapid iteration and lessons from the field.”
The relatively new autonomy player will be up against well-established OEM brands and fellow startups. To view recent Equipment World coverage on equipment automation, check out the stories below:
- Iron Insider: How Bluelight's $50K Autonomy Kit Can Boost Productivity Up to 14%
- Case CE Previews RoofX: A ‘Digital Brain’ for Any Construction Equipment
- Caterpillar Previews 5 Autonomous Equipment Lines at CES (Video)
- Doosan Bobcat Partners With “Robot Brain Builder” for Autonomous Equipment
- Video: Operator Teaches Hitachi ZX135US-7 Excavator to Dig on its Own
- Komatsu, Earthbrain and Tier IV Join Forces on Autonomous Dump Truck Development
Despite that, the competition isn’t shaking CEO and co-founder Noah Schochet. He has his sights set on large-scale infrastructure projects – and even the Moon.
“Construction is the foundation everything else is built on, and it’s been going backward for fifty years,” said Schochet. “America built the transcontinental railroad, the interstate highway system, and the Hoover Dam. There's no reason we can’t build at that scale again, and there’s no first-principles reason construction can’t become 10x faster, cheaper, and safer. TerraFirma exists to help America build again and then take that capacity into the cosmos.”
Projects Underway
TerraFirma already has projects underway across the housing, energy, transportation, manufacturing and education sectors.
Recent commercial projects include site preparation, excavation, and grading for a new Starbucks in North Austin in partnership with Starbucks, Reger Holdings, Flintrock Commercial and Thomas Randolph Excavation.
To see the technology in action, check out the video below:
Additional recently projects completed in Texas include a sports arena in Spicewood, and a power substation in New Braunfels supporting power delivery to homes. TerraFirma says it is also working with the U.S. government to build critical infrastructure and logistics projects in challenging operating environments across the globe.
“TerraFirma is succeeding at real-world scale, proving the business model works, and securing government and commercial contracts. This is clearly where the industry is headed,” said Josh Coyne, partner at Kleiner Perkins.
While the company is getting its start here on Earth, it has a goal of becoming “the largest construction company in the solar system,” eyeing future Mars settlements and space-based infrastructure.
“The technology that we are building today to solve critical challenges here on Earth will be highly reusable to solve those same challenges on the Moon and Mars,” said Schochet.
TerraFirma is looking for engineers and construction professionals to join their team, as well as customers interested in working with the company for upcoming large-scale projects. Interested parties can reach out to [email protected].
