Travis Kalanick’s Atoms Raises $1.7 Billion to Accelerate AI Robotics Expansion

Travis Kalanick’s robotics company, Atoms, has raised $1.7 billion in a funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), giving the startup significant financial backing as it expands its ambitions in artificial intelligence, robotics and industrial automation. As part of the investment, Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz will join Atoms’ board of directors.

The funding round also attracted Bain Capital, Fifth Wall and several other investors. Among the most notable participants was Uber, reconnecting Kalanick with the ride-hailing company he founded and led before leaving as chief executive in 2017 following a series of workplace culture controversies. Uber’s investment marks a surprising return to a company closely tied to Kalanick’s entrepreneurial career.

Atoms is a rebranded holding company built around CloudKitchens, the ghost kitchen business Kalanick established after departing Uber. Earlier this year, he officially introduced the Atoms brand and announced the acquisition of Pronto, a heavy-industry automation company founded by former Uber executive Anthony Levandowski. The acquisition broadened Atoms’ focus beyond food technology into robotics for industrial applications.

Expanding robotics ambitions

Kalanick has said Atoms intends to move further into mining technology, building on Pronto’s autonomous vehicle expertise. The company is also pursuing a broader vision of developing what Kalanick describes as a “wheelbase for robots”—a common platform capable of supporting multiple robotic systems across different industries.

Last year, reports suggested Kalanick explored acquiring the U.S. operations of Chinese autonomous driving company Pony AI with financial backing from Uber. Those discussions reportedly ended earlier this year without resulting in a deal.

While announcing the latest financing on X, Kalanick offered few details about upcoming products. Instead, he described the investment as the continuation of a long-term mission that began during his time at Uber and evolved through CloudKitchens before becoming Atoms.

"On many levels, this round is a bit of unfinished business," Kalanick wrote. "Fuel to complete the bits-to-atoms story arc we started at Uber, continued at CloudKitchens and will now finish at Atoms."

He said his goal has always been to digitise the physical world by using software to understand, predict and control real-world systems, describing manufacturing, transportation and real estate as the building blocks of future “atoms-based” computing.

Investors back the long-term vision

Ben Horowitz praised Kalanick’s ability to tackle traditional industries that require expertise across software, hardware and mechanical engineering. According to Horowitz, Atoms aims to use artificial intelligence and robotics to improve productivity in the physical world, much as Uber transformed transportation through software.

Kalanick also suggested that a significant portion of the new capital will support hiring engineers and builders capable of developing complex robotics systems. He said creating the next generation of industrial technology will require overcoming major engineering challenges and modernising industries that have changed little over decades.

With $1.7 billion in fresh funding and backing from leading venture investors, Atoms is positioned to accelerate its expansion into AI-powered robotics while pursuing Kalanick’s broader vision of applying software and automation to some of the world’s largest physical industries.