Trimble Ventures invests in autonomous surveying startup

The CivDot UGV marks thousands of coordinates per day precisely and efficiently

Trimble Ventures, Trimble’s corporate venture capital fund, is investing in Civ Robotics, a San Francisco-based construction tech startup focusing on transforming surveying layout for civil engineering and infrastructure projects.

The investment supports Trimble Ventures’ mission to invest in early and growth-stage companies that are accelerating innovation, digital transformation and sustainability in the industries Trimble serves: agriculture, construction, geospatial and transportation. The investment terms were not disclosed.

The construction industry faces a variety of challenges including shortage of skilled workers, safety and productivity. Civ Robotics addresses these challenges with CivDot, a new autonomous surveying solution that empowers efficiency, productivity and safety on the job.

CivDot is an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) designed for civil engineering and infrastructure projects such as solar farms, roadways, data centers, power plants and more. Augmenting the surveyor’s work, CivDot marks thousands of coordinates per day precisely and efficiently, while delivering layouts faster than traditional methods.

“We are focused on investing in companies that are seeking to address important challenges in markets that align with Trimble’s mission of transforming the way the world works,” said Aviad Almagor, vice president of technology innovation at Trimble and technology advisor for Trimble Ventures. “Civ Robotics technology supports surveyors and field workers and helps remove the burden of repetitive and risky work.”

Civ Robotics uses Trimble’s high-precision GNSS positioning technology and surveying software to improve productivity and increase safety, Almagor said. “This is an exciting opportunity to help accelerate innovation in autonomy, surveying and construction.”

“Trimble and our vision are in lockstep towards construction automation with a sharp focus on the highest standards of safety and quality,” said Tom Yeshurun, co-founder and CEO, Civ Robotics, which announced its $5 million seed funding round this morning. “Through Trimble’s latest GNSS technology in our autonomous surveying products, our customers can benefit from an end-to-end workflow.”

Civ Robotics will be showcased at the Trimble Dimensions+ User Conference, taking place Nov. 7-9 in Las Vegas.

The CivDot UGV, equipped with Trimble high-precision GNSS. (Photo: Civ Robotics)