Overview
Forterra (formerly Robotic Research) is a pioneering autonomous systems company founded in 2002 by Alberto Lacaze and Karl Murphy. Headquartered in Clarksburg, Maryland, Forterra develops groundbreaking autonomous driving technology for defense and industrial applications. The company’s flagship AutoDrive® platform enables self-driving capabilities across diverse vehicle types, from small robotic platforms to 80-ton industrial tractors, operating in the most demanding environments including GPS-denied, off-road terrain. Forterra is the only company competing on all four Department of Defense ground autonomy programs and is currently producing driverless vehicles for the military. In November 2025, the company achieved unicorn status with a $1 billion+ valuation following a $238 million Series C funding round. With hundreds of autonomous systems deployed globally, Forterra is setting the standard for mission-critical autonomy in defense and industrial sectors.
Products & Technology
- AutoDrive®: Modular autonomous driving platform for any vehicle type
- ROGUE Fires: First autonomous production system for DoD missile launcher operations
- Autonomous Breaching Systems: $114M Army contract for mine clearing operations
- Terminal Tractors: Autonomous yard trucks for ports and logistics (partnership with Kalmar)
- Swarm Coordination: Multi-vehicle autonomous operations and coordination
- Mission Modules: Integrated C3 systems acquired through goTenna acquisition (Oct 2025)
- Edge Computing Platforms: NDAA-compliant hardware for autonomous operations
2024-2025 Highlights
- Achieved unicorn status with $1B+ valuation (Nov 2025)
- Raised $238M Series C led by Moore Strategic Ventures (Nov 2025)
- Acquired goTenna for tactical mesh networking technology (Oct 2025)
- Won $114M Prime contract for autonomous Army breaching systems
- Secured first ground autonomy production contract with DoD for ROGUE Fires
- Selected for Phase II of Army’s GEARS program
- Raised $75M oversubscribed Series B funding (Sept 2024)
- Strategic partnerships with Volvo Defense, BAE Systems, RTX’s Raytheon, Oshkosh Defense
- Production partnership with Kalmar for autonomous terminal tractors
- Rebranded from RRAI to Forterra (Feb 2024)
Funding Rounds
| Announced | Money Raised | Round | Valuation | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 12 2025 | $238M | Series C | $1B+ | Moore Strategic Ventures, Salesforce Ventures, Franklin Templeton, Balyasny Asset Management, 645 Ventures, Hanwha Asset Management, 9Yards Capital, NightDragon |
| Sep 10 2024 | $75M | Series B | Undisclosed | Moore Strategic Ventures, XYZ Venture Capital, Hedosophia, Standard Investments |
| Dec 2021 | $228M | Series A | Undisclosed | SoftBank Vision Fund 2, Enlightenment Capital, Crescent Cove Advisors, Henry Crown & Company, Luminar Technologies, Four More Capital |