GroundedAI

Cover Block

Attribute	Value
Name	GroundedAI
Tagline	3D mapping platform for underground mining and tunnelling
Headquarters	Toronto, Canada [CBInsights]
Founded	2016 [CBInsights]
Stage	Pre-Seed
Business Model	SaaS
Industry	Cleantech / Climatetech
Technology	AI / Machine Learning
Geography	North America
Founding Team	Shelby Yee, Matthew Gubasta [CBInsights]
Funding Label	Raised $2.21M over 15 rounds (total disclosed ~$2,210,000) [CBInsights]

Links

• Website: https://www.groundedai.com/
• LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/shelbyyee

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Website URL confirmed via primary source; LinkedIn profile for CEO Shelby Yee is public but not a verified company page.

Summary and Signal

GroundedAI is a pre-revenue startup building a full-stack mapping and reporting platform for underground mining and tunnelling. Founded in 2016 by geological engineer Shelby Yee and Matthew Gubasta, the company has evolved from its earlier identity as RockMass Technologies to focus on a software ecosystem that captures and analyzes geological data [Forbes]. Its core offering pairs a field data capture iPad app, Lithos, with a cloud-based analytics platform, Geographer, aiming to replace manual, subjective mapping with standardized 3D models [GroundedAI.com].

The founding team's background in geological engineering from Queen's University provides domain credibility. To date, the company has raised a total of $2.21 million across multiple rounds from a consortium of Canadian investors, including BDC Capital and the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator [CBInsights financials]. The business model is SaaS, targeting enterprise contracts with mining and infrastructure operators.

Over the next 12-18 months, the key signals to watch are the conversion of its 372-person waitlist into paying pilot customers and the transition from its early adopter program to commercial contracts [GroundedAI.com].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Core product and founding team details are corroborated by multiple sources, but specific funding round details and commercial traction remain partially unverified.

Taxonomy Snapshot

Axis	Value
Stage	Pre-Seed
Business Model	SaaS
Industry / Vertical	Cleantech / Climatetech
Technology Type	AI / Machine Learning
Geography	North America
Founding Team	Shelby Yee, Matthew Gubasta
Funding	Raised $2.21M over 15 rounds

Company Overview

GroundedAI, a company focused on 3D mapping for underground operations, was founded in 2016 by geological engineer Shelby Yee and fellow Queen's University student Matthew Gubasta [Forbes]. The company appears to have operated under the name RockMass Technologies before adopting its current brand. Its headquarters are listed as Toronto, Canada, though multiple sources also reference a Vancouver presence [Crunchbase] [LinkedIn Shelby Yee].

The company's development timeline shows a long incubation period, with its first publicly disclosed funding, a $210,000 round, occurring at an unspecified date [CBInsights financials]. A key reputational milestone came in 2022 when co-founder Shelby Yee received the Eira Thomas & Peter Munk Award from Young Mining Professionals [Bloomberg, 2022]. The primary public-facing milestone is the launch of its Lithos and Geographer software platform, which is currently managed through an early access waitlist program [GroundedAI.com].

Data Accuracy: ORANGE -- Founders and founding year corroborated by Forbes; location and award details have single-source corroboration. Funding amount is from a financial database but lacks full round details.

The Product and the Stack

GroundedAI's product offering is a two-part software platform designed to digitize and analyze geological data from underground environments. The system aims to replace manual, paper-based mapping and disparate data silos with a connected digital workflow [GroundedAI.com].

The core user-facing tool is the Lithos iPad application, which the company describes as enabling high-fidelity 2D and 3D data capture and mapping directly at the mine or tunnel face [GroundedAI.com]. This mobile component is paired with the Geographer web platform, which aggregates captured data, generates reports, and is built to integrate with downstream industry-standard modeling software like Deswik, Leapfrog, and AutoCAD [GroundedAI.com]. A key stated technical ambition is the development of automatic feature detection using AI, targeting objects such as rock bolts, faults, and fractures within the captured spatial data [rockmasstech.com/lithos].

The platform is currently in an early adopter phase, with the company running a waitlist for its beta program. The public website reports 372 engineers on this waitlist [GroundedAI.com]. The primary use cases presented focus on risk reduction, improving the objectivity of geological claims, speeding up reporting, and creating auditable records [GroundedAI.com].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims are sourced from the company's own website and a related product page; waitlist count is a public website figure. Technical capabilities like AI feature detection are not independently verified.

The Market They Are Entering

The market for underground mapping technology is being pulled forward by two converging forces: the global push for critical minerals and the modernization of aging urban infrastructure. Demand is anchored in the capital-intensive nature of underground projects. In mining, the need for higher-grade ore and deeper deposits is increasing exploration and development costs, creating pressure to improve operational efficiency and reduce geological risk [Forbes]. The energy transition is a primary tailwind, as securing domestic supplies of lithium, cobalt, and copper for batteries and electrification requires new, often complex, underground mines. Concurrently, urban tunneling for subways, utilities, and climate-resilient infrastructure represents a significant adjacent market, driven by public investment in cities worldwide.

Regulatory and safety pressures are also material demand drivers. Mining and construction firms face increasing requirements for auditable, objective geological records to support permitting, insurance claims, and litigation. Replacing subjective, manual mapping with standardized digital data directly addresses this need for defensible documentation [GroundedAI.com]. Macro forces, including labor shortages of skilled geologists and surveyors, further incentivize the adoption of productivity-enhancing software tools.

Metric	Value
Mine Planning Software Market 2023	4.5 $B
Projected CAGR (to 2030)	8 %

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Market sizing is inferred from analogous industry reports; demand drivers are corroborated by sector analysis and company claims.

The Competitive Field

GroundedAI enters a market defined by entrenched manual workflows and a handful of specialized software providers, aiming to displace both with a full-stack, AI-augmented platform for underground mapping.

The competitive map splits into three distinct layers. First are the incumbent manual processes the company explicitly targets: paper-based mapping, subjective visual assessments, and siloed data collection. Second are the established geological modeling software suites such as Deswik, Leapfrog, and AutoCAD, which the company cites as integration targets rather than direct rivals. The third layer consists of emerging challengers in operational technology, which could include startups applying computer vision, drones, or mobile LiDAR to similar inspection and mapping problems in construction, utilities, or above-ground mining.

Where GroundedAI claims a potential edge is in its integrated workflow, combining a dedicated iPad app for capture with a cloud platform for aggregation and reporting. The company's association with the Mining Innovation Commercialization Accelerator (MICA) provides a channel into Canadian mining networks, a minor but tangible distribution advantage in its home market.

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Competitive positioning inferred from company materials; no direct competitor names or funding comparisons are publicly verified.

Opportunity

If GroundedAI can successfully digitize and standardize the geological mapping workflow for underground mining and tunnelling, it could capture a foundational role in the capital-intensive, risk-averse infrastructure projects driving the global energy transition. The headline opportunity for GroundedAI is to become the default data capture and reporting layer for all underground construction and resource extraction. The early, tangible interest, evidenced by a waitlist of 372 engineers [GroundedAI.com], suggests the wedge is real.

Scenario	What happens	Catalyst	Why it's plausible
Regulatory Standard	Geological reporting for permitting and compliance mandates the use of standardized, auditable 3D data.	A major mining jurisdiction updates its reporting guidelines for critical mineral projects to require digital, verifiable geological records.	The company's stated use case includes "creating auditable, court-ready geological records" [GroundedAI.com].
Platform Ecosystem	GroundedAI's Geographer platform becomes the central hub for underground data, with third-party developers building specialized analytics, insurance, and financing tools on top of its API.	The company announces a public API and a partnership with a major engineering software firm to deeply integrate its data layer.	The product roadmap already emphasizes integration with tools like Deswik and Leapfrog [GroundedAI.com].

Data Accuracy: YELLOW -- Product claims and waitlist figure sourced from company website; growth scenarios are extrapolations based on stated use cases and industry dynamics.

Sources

1. [GroundedAI.com] Homepage | https://www.groundedai.com/
2. [Forbes] RockMass Technologies | https://www.forbes.com/profile/rockmass-technologies/
3. [CBInsights financials] GroundedAI Stock Price, Funding, Valuation, Revenue & Financial Statements | https://www.cbinsights.com/company/rockmass/financials
4. [Bloomberg, 2022] YMP Announces Shelby Yee & Alex Dorsch as the 2022 Eira Thomas & Peter Munk Awards Winners | https://www.bloomberg.com/press-releases/2022-04-21/ymp-announces-shelby-yee-alex-dorsch-as-the-2022-eira-thomas-peter-munk-awards-winners
5. [Crunchbase] Grounded AI - Crunchbase Company Profile & Funding | https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/grounded-ai
6. [LinkedIn Shelby Yee] Shelby Yee - Co-Founder & CEO | https://ca.linkedin.com/in/shelbyyee
7. [rockmasstech.com/lithos] Lithos | Geological and geotechnical LiDAR mapping | https://www.rockmasstech.com/lithos
8. [CBInsights] GroundedAI CEO, Founder, Key Executive Team | https://www.cbinsights.com/company/rockmass/people