Gecko Robotics Inc., a Pittsburgh-based developer of artificial intelligence-powered software and advanced robotics for maintaining critical infrastructure belonging to energy and defense projects, said today it has raised $125 million in a late-stage funding.

The Series D funding round doubled the company’s valuation to $1.25 billion from $625 million since its previous round of funding, a $173 million Series C in December 2023, valuing the company at $633 million. The round was led by new investor Cox Enterprises, joined by continuing investors USIT, XN, Founders Fund and Y Combinator.

The company builds advanced AI-driven robotics systems used for modernizing and maintaining critical infrastructure sectors, including defense, energy and manufacturing. They can climb, swim and fly to swarm over vital infrastructure, collecting a large amount of data. The infrastructure they can address includes built structures and United States Navy warships, power plants and public infrastructure.

The news comes shortly after Gecko announced a $100 million partnership deal with NAES Corp., America’s largest independent power operator, which has about 65 gigawatts under management.

The company also collaborated with L3Harris Technologies Inc. to create a new extended reality solution for aircraft maintenance, helping technicians detect flaws in surfaces on U.S. military assets using 10,000 high-definition images and expanded its work with Abu Dhabi National Oil Co., where the company’s robots assist with inspecting gas facilities.

“Gecko was built out of my college dorm room, to what it is today — the company ensuring the safety of public infrastructure, the optimization of energy and manufacturing facilities, and the modernization of allied militaries to deter global conflict,” said co-founder and Chief Executive Jake Loosararian.

Gecko built an operating system called Cantilever that provides a decision-making structure that can help predict pipeline explosions, modernize C-130 aircraft or use AI to recommend how to operate a power plant at 3% to 5% greater efficiency based on data gathered from robots.

“Developing robots to diagnose built environments ensures our data and AI-powered software can transform and modernize physical infrastructure around the world,” added Loosararian.

Gecko’s robots provide a scale of work and support where it might be hazardous for humans to operate, which assists not just with gathering quality data, but making maintenance safer.

“While much of the tech industry is focused on consumer AI applications, Gecko Robotics is using AI to address an important, underappreciated challenge — the building and maintenance of critical infrastructure,” said Founders Fund Partner Trae Stephens.

Photo: Gecko Robotics