Atoms

Atoms is a Travis Kalanick-led robotics and industrial automation company building physical AI systems for mining, transport, and food-related operations.

Atoms emerged in 2026 as a rebranded holding company built on top of the ghost kitchen business CloudKitchens, which Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick had built since resigning from Uber's board in 2019, with Kalanick expressing regret in prior public interviews that Uber had abandoned developing its own self-driving car technology and positioning Atoms as pursuing a broader ambition around industrial robotics and physical AI systems that automate tasks across mining, transport, and food-related operations, building specialized, task-oriented machines rather than general-purpose robots. Atoms has pursued expansion into mining automation notably through Kalanick's investment in and planned acquisition of Pronto, an autonomous vehicle startup focused on industrial and mining sites founded by his former Uber colleague Anthony Levandowski, positioning the combined company against established mining autonomy incumbents including Caterpillar and Komatsu, which pair autonomy software with their own trucks, dealer networks, and service organizations, an operating-history and deployment-scale advantage that newer entrants like Atoms and Applied Intuition do not yet match. In July 2026, Atoms raised $1.7 billion in funding led by Andreessen Horowitz, with Ben Horowitz joining the company's board, and notably including participation from Uber itself, a striking reconnection between Kalanick and the company that had pushed him out as CEO in 2017 following complaints of sexual harassment, discrimination, and a toxic workplace culture. Atoms operates across a notably broad set of verticals spanning kitchen real estate, restaurant software, food robotics, mining autonomy, and an undisclosed transport platform, a breadth that could create organizational complexity if any single vertical underperforms and draws resources from the others.

News

9/6/2026

Atoms plans robotaxi push after $1.7 billion funding round

Atoms' move, backed by a $1.7 billion raise, signals Travis Kalanick's renewed push into autonomous ride‑hailing and could spur hires, acquisitions and partnerships, including reported talks with Uber over robotaxi technology.

TechCrunch

TechCrunch

8/19/2026

Travis Kalanick lashes out at VCs, says '1% are helpful'

After raising $1.7 billion for Atoms, Kalanick's claim that '1% are helpful' spotlights founder frustration with venture investors and could reshape how entrepreneurs and LPs view VC value and influence funding dynamics.

TechCrunch

TechCrunch

8/5/2026

Atoms hires former Uber finance chief as CFO after Levandowski deal

The hire signals Atoms' push to stabilize finances and scale after acquiring Anthony Levandowski's autonomy startup and courting investment from Uber.

TechCrunch

7/25/2026

Atoms secures $1.7 billion funding to transform industrial AI

The funding, led by Andreessen Horowitz, positions Atoms to innovate in mining, heavy transport, and food production through advanced AI and robotics.

Yahoo Finance

7/22/2026

Atoms raises $1.7B in a16z-led funding, Uber invests

The $1.7B financing led by Andreessen Horowitz, with Uber and other top investors participating, gives Travis Kalanick's Atoms capital to scale its industrial AI-powered robotics platform and push toward commercialization.

Axios

TechCrunch

TechCrunch