Borobotics
Borobotics AG is a Swiss deep-tech startup that has built "Grabowski," the world's first fully autonomous compact geothermal drilling robot, targeting heat pump installers and urban property owners to enable low-noise, electric-only borehole drilling for ground source heat pump installations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2023
- HeadquartersWinterthur, Switzerland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Borobotics does
Borobotics AG is a Swiss deep-tech startup founded on July 11, 2023, and headquartered at Technoparkstrasse 2 in Winterthur. The company develops "Grabowski," described as the world's first fully autonomous geothermal drilling robot, designed to enable ground source heat pump (GSHP) installations in space-constrained urban environments where conventional drilling equipment is impractical. Borobotics was co-founded by Hans-Jörg Dennig (CEO), Philipp Ganz (CTO), and Moritz Pill (COO/CFO), with origins in Dennig's 2017 university concept work and Ganz's 2021 technical development. By late 2025 the team had grown to approximately 17 members including engineers and interns sourced from ZHAW and ETH.
The company's core product is a compact 2.5 m x 135 mm bore-robot weighing under 150 kg, requiring only 6-8 m² of site space versus conventional 6 m / 10-tonne rigs. The technology combines fluid-muscle-based movement, an extruder for loose-ground borehole stabilization, and a proprietary dual-engine gearbox that delivers both rotation and hammering to drill from sand to granite. Grabowski operates on electricity only (eliminating approximately 700 liters of diesel per borehole and 288 kg of CO₂ emissions), runs below 60 dBA, tracks its own movement to maintain a straight trajectory, and can automatically seal artesian wells in emergencies. These claimed specifications translate to 84% size reduction, 86% CO₂ reduction, 94% noise reduction, and 36% cost reduction versus conventional drilling.
Borobotics plans to commercialize via a rental-plus-services distribution model: drills will be rented to heat pump installers with a one-time setup fee plus per-meter drilling billing, with maintenance covered in-house. Dual waitlists on borobotics.ch are building pre-launch demand from GSHP installers (B2B) and end-customer homeowners (B2C), with first pilot installations planned for mid-2026 and broader customer installations targeted for early 2027. The company has raised approximately CHF 2.6 million to date (CHF 1.3M Innosuisse SIP grant in summer 2024 and a CHF 1.3M seed round in January 2025 led by Underground Ventures), won the 2024 Venture Kick Grand Prize, and assembled a broad partner ecosystem spanning drilling contractors, climate foundations, academic institutions, and industrial suppliers across Switzerland and Germany.
Borobotics firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Borobotics
- Legal name
- Borobotics AG
- Website
- https://borobotics.ch
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2023
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Borobotics AG is a Swiss deep-tech startup that has built "Grabowski," the world's first fully autonomous compact geothermal drilling robot, targeting heat pump installers and urban property owners to enable low-noise, electric-only borehole drilling for ground source heat pump installations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Borobotics industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Geothermal Drilling Equipment
- NAICS
- Mining and Oil and Gas Field Machinery Manufacturing (33313)
- SIC
- Construction Machinery & Equip (3531)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Drilling Rigs & Drill Systems (IMAHAMAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Geothermal Heat Pumps & Ground-Source Systems (Residential/Commercial, Drilling/Loop Installation) (EUAMAEAH), Rock Drilling & Blasthole Drilling Equipment (IMAHAMAC)
Keywords
Where Borobotics is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Winterthur
- HQ country
- Switzerland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Borobotics business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Drill Rental with Per-Meter Billing: The company plans to rent out the drills in combination with a one-time setup fee. No high fixed costs for customers. Maintenance is covered by Borobotics team. Customers pay a fee on a per-meter basis for drilling services.
- Geothermal Heat Pump Installation: First pilot tests with end customers planned for mid-2026. Customers can sign up for pilot customer list to have ground source heat pump installed. Target market includes both domestic and commercial customers.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Rental model with per-meter billing - No high fixed costs, maintenance covered by Borobotics team |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Borobotics product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Borobotics manufactures and rents out "Grabowski," a fully autonomous compact geothermal drilling robot (2.5m x 135mm tube, <150kg) that drills boreholes up to 300m deep for ground source heat pump installations. The system integrates fluid muscles for movement, an extruder for loose ground stability, and a unique gearbox with dual rotation and hammering mechanisms, enabling single-worker installation in space-constrained urban environments where conventional drilling rigs cannot operate.
Product overview
Borobotics offers a single unified core product—the Grabowski autonomous geothermal drilling robot—alongside associated drilling services for geothermal heat pump installation. Grabowski is a compact, fully autonomous drilling system designed specifically for urban geothermal applications, enabling ground source heat pump systems to be installed in space-constrained environments like gardens, parking garages, and basements. The product portfolio centers on the Grabowski robot itself, which is offered via a rental model (with one-time setup fee and per-meter pricing) rather than direct sale, with first pilot customer installations planned for mid-2026.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Grabowski: An autonomous drilling robot/bore-robot designed to facilitate the installation of geothermal heating systems. It is a 2.5m by 135mm tube that can drill up to 300m deep for shallow geothermal energy applications.
Products and services
- Grabowski Autonomous Drilling Robot A compact (2.5m x 135mm diameter, <150kg), fully autonomous geothermal drilling robot that drills boreholes up to 300m deep for shallow geothermal energy applications. Designed for ground source heat pump installers to enable drilling in space-constrained urban environments such as gardens, parking garages, and basements. Requires only 6-8 m² of space and a single worker for installation, replacing conventional 6m tall, 10-ton diesel-powered drilling rigs.
- Grabowski Drill Rental Service Rental-based access to the Grabowski drilling robot with a one-time setup fee plus per-meter drilling fees. Borobotics covers maintenance, eliminating high fixed costs for customers and lowering adoption barriers for heat pump installers.
- Ground Source Heat Pump Installation (Pilot) End-to-end geothermal heat pump installation service for residential and commercial customers, using the Grabowski drilling robot for borehole drilling. Targeted at homeowners and property owners who want to adopt geothermal heating.
Quantifiable outcome
- 84% reduction in size compared to conventional drills
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Borobotics
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Borobotics technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature7 records
Borobotics partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor.
- Baugrund SüdminorListed as partner on Borobotics website. Likely a geotechnical/ground engineering company.
- Swiss Climate Foundation (Klimastiftung)minorClimate foundation partner supporting sustainable energy projects in Switzerland.
- VigierminorListed as partner, relationship details not specified.
- Runway IncubatorminorStartup incubator partner supporting Borobotics development.
- ZHAW (Zurich University of Applied Sciences)minorAcademic partner. Lina Hunziker joined as intern from ZHAW with Bachelor's degree.
- BospiminorListed as partner, relationship details not specified.
- WSG (Winterthur School of Management)minorListed as partner from Winterthur region.
- Jansen (Jansen AG)minorIndustrial company partner listed on website.
- Barmettler (Erdenergie)minorGeothermal energy company partner, Erdenergie Barmettler.
- Krämer ErdwärmeminorGeothermal energy company partner.
- GTB (Geotiefbohrung)minorDeep drilling company partner.
- Heim (HB-AG)minorListed as partner, relationship details not specified.
- E-ThermminorEnergy/thermal solutions company partner.
- BroderminorListed as partner, relationship details not specified.
- BS2minorListed as partner, relationship details not specified.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Borobotics competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Vermeer Corporation: US-based manufacturer of horizontal directional drills, trenchers, and drilling equipment used in utility, pipeline, and geothermal installation — directly comparable product category and end-customer base (drilling contractors and installers).
- Ditch Witch (The Toro Company): Major manufacturer of underground construction equipment including drilling rigs and trenchless tools; competes in the same underground-drilling-for-utility-installation space as Borobotics.
- Tracto-Technik: German manufacturer of trenchless drilling and boring equipment for utility installation and ground engineering; comparable form-factor, customer base (installers/contractors), and DACH-region go-to-market.
- Hütte Bohrtechnik: Austrian manufacturer of drilling rigs specifically designed for geothermal and water-well boreholes; closest direct product overlap in the geothermal drilling rig niche.
Broad incumbents
- Bauer AG: Global incumbent manufacturer of foundation drilling and specialist foundation equipment; broad portfolio spans much larger rigs but overlaps in the drilling-mechanics technology stack relevant to Borobotics.
- Herrenknecht: German leader in tunnel boring machines and underground construction equipment; broader and more capital-intensive product range but highly comparable in mechanical engineering of autonomous underground drilling.
- Epiroc: Swedish global supplier of mining and infrastructure equipment including rock drilling rigs; a broad incumbent whose autonomous/electrification roadmap overlaps with Borobotics' value proposition.
- Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions: Large-scale manufacturer of rock drilling and mining equipment; overlaps in drilling mechanics, gear systems, and tooling but serves much larger mining/quarrying customers.
- Junttan: Finnish manufacturer of piling and drilling rigs for foundation and geotechnical applications; comparable rig-platform technology and end-user base, though at much larger form factor.
Regional players
- Stenuick: Dutch geothermal drilling services provider; comparable in end-application (geothermal boreholes) but operates as a drilling contractor rather than equipment OEM, focused on the Netherlands market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Borobotics social profiles
Digital presenceBorobotics financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Borobotics leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles7 records
Borobotics funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds3 records
Investors7 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Borobotics M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Borobotics
What does Borobotics do?
Borobotics manufactures and rents out "Grabowski," a fully autonomous compact geothermal drilling robot (2.5m x 135mm tube, <150kg) that drills boreholes up to 300m deep for ground source heat pump installations. The system integrates fluid muscles for movement, an extruder for loose ground stability, and a unique gearbox with dual rotation and hammering mechanisms, enabling single-worker installation in space-constrained urban environments where conventional drilling rigs cannot operate.
Is Borobotics a public or private company?
Borobotics is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Borobotics founded?
Borobotics was founded in 2023. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Borobotics based?
Borobotics is headquartered in Winterthur, Switzerland, in the Europe region.
How does Borobotics make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Drill Rental with Per-Meter Billing is the primary driver. The others are geothermal Heat Pump Installation.
Who are Borobotics's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Vermeer Corporation, Ditch Witch (The Toro Company), Tracto-Technik and Hütte Bohrtechnik. Broad incumbents are Bauer AG, Herrenknecht, Epiroc, Sandvik Mining and Rock Solutions and Junttan. Stenuick is listed as a regional player.
Does Borobotics have an API?
No public API is recorded for Borobotics.
What industry is Borobotics in?
Borobotics's product category is Geothermal Drilling Equipment. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAHAMAA, Drilling Rigs & Drill Systems, with a secondary code of EUAMAEAH, Geothermal Heat Pumps & Ground-Source Systems (Residential/Commercial, Drilling/Loop Installation). Its NAICS code is 33313 and its SIC code is 3531.