Atoms, Kalanick's robotics firm, raises $1.7 billion in funding

Travis Kalanick, the controversial founder of Uber, has secured a massive $1.7 billion in funding for his new industrial automation company, Atoms, marking a significant comeback and a notable reconciliation with his former company. The funding round, announced on July 22, 2026, was led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, with Uber among the investors. Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz will join the Atoms board.

The investment fuels Kalanick’s long-stated ambition to digitize the physical world, a vision he began with Uber and continued with his ghost kitchen venture, CloudKitchens. Atoms is structured as a holding company with three divisions: Atoms Food, which incorporates CloudKitchens and its food robotics; Atoms Mining, built on the acquisition of autonomous mining vehicle startup Pronto in March 2026; and Atoms Transport, described as a robotic "wheelbase." The company aims to use a combination of software, sensors, robotics, and artificial intelligence, which it terms "Industrial AI," to automate sectors like mining, construction, heavy transport, and food production.

The involvement of Uber is particularly notable given the history between the company...