Philipp Erler is a co-founder of Gropyus, founded in 2019 with Markus Fuhrmann and Bernd Oswald. He came from the technology side of Zalando. The company set out to build apartments in a factory, in timber, with robots and a digital design platform.
Gropyus AG is based in Vienna, with operations in Berlin and Richen in Baden-Württemberg. The plant in Richen ran about 50 robots, and the group employed roughly 550 people.
Vonovia, Germany's largest landlord, put in €100 million in 2023, about €100 million in 2024 and €100 million in March 2026. Parent company revenue was €7.9 million in 2025, down from €11.2 million in 2024, while the operating loss narrowed from €23.6 million to €12.9 million.
In August 2026 Markus Fuhrmann stepped down as chief executive and moved to the supervisory board, and Erler stayed on as chief executive. On 3 November 2026 several Gropyus subsidiaries filed for insolvency, citing an acute liquidity shortage.