Atoms
Category: Robotics / Embodied AI
Physical AI company building specialized industrial robots and automation systems for food, mining, and transportation sectors Atoms was founded in 2021. The company is led by Travis Kalanick. Based in Los Angeles, United States. Team size: 101-500. Total funding raised: $1.7B. Latest round: Venture Round. Key investors include Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), Bain Capital, Fifth Wall, Uber, Chemistry, A*, K5 Global, Abstract, SV Angel, Alpha Square Group.
- Founded
- 2021
- Headquarters
- Los Angeles, United States
- Team size
- 101-500
- Total funding
- $1.7B
Value proposition
Digitizing the physical world through "gainfully employed robots" — specialized, purpose-built industrial robots that automate food production, mining operations, and transportation logistics, treating physical automation as a software problem
Products and solutions
Atoms Food (CloudKitchens ghost kitchens, Lab37 Bowl Builder robot, Otter restaurant OS, Picnic office lunch delivery, ProFood food infrastructure), Atoms Mining (Pronto AI autonomous haulage systems for mining/quarry operations), Atoms Transport (wheelbase platform for robots, autonomous transport systems)
Unique value
Atoms builds "atoms-based computers" where manufacturing = CPU, real estate = storage, and transport = network, creating a full-stack physical AI platform spanning three massive industrial verticals under one unified company
Target customer
Restaurant operators and food brands (CloudKitchens, Otter, Picnic, ProFood); Mining and quarry operators (Pronto AI autonomous haulage); Logistics and transportation companies (Atoms Transport)
Industries served
Food service & restaurant tech, Mining & heavy industry, Transportation & logistics
Technology advantage
Eight years of stealth R&D building real-world physical infrastructure; vertically integrated across software, hardware, AI, real estate, and manufacturing; "gainfully employed robots" strategy focused on specialized industrial robots (not humanoids); Pronto AI's proven autonomous haulage technology with millions of tons hauled commercially; full-stack approach from ghost kitchens to mining autonomy
How they differentiate
Unlike humanoid robotics companies, Atoms focuses on specialized "gainfully employed robots" for specific industrial tasks; unlike pure software AI companies, Atoms owns the full physical stack (real estate, manufacturing, logistics); unlike single-vertical robotics startups, Atoms spans food, mining, and transport under one unified physical AI platform
Main competitors
Boston Dynamics (general-purpose robotics), Caterpillar (mining/industrial automation), Standard Bots / FANUC (industrial robotics), Waymo (autonomous transport)
Key partnerships
Heidelberg Materials (global autonomous haulage deployment across 100+ trucks), Komatsu North America (Smart Quarry Autonomous partnership), Uber (investor and strategic partner)
Notable customers
Heidelberg Materials (mining autonomy), Komatsu (mining autonomy partnership), CloudKitchens restaurant operators (food infrastructure)
Major milestones
2016: City Storage Systems founded by Travis Kalanick, 2018: Kalanick acquires CloudKitchens, 2021: Atoms entity founded (per StartupHub), 2026-03: Atoms publicly launched, rebranded from City Storage Systems, announced Pronto acquisition, 2026-04: Pronto acquisition completed, 2026-07: Raised $1.7B led by a16z with Ben Horowitz joining board
Growth metrics
Pronto AI autonomous haulage: over 2 million tons hauled at Heidelberg Materials' Lake Bridgeport, Texas quarry in under 8 months; 200+ open job postings as of July 2026; CloudKitchens operates in dozens of US cities
Market positioning
Premium industrial AI platform company positioned at the intersection of robotics, AI, and physical infrastructure, targeting massive legacy industries ripe for automation
Geographic focus
United States (primary), with global mining operations through Pronto's partnerships (Heidelberg Materials in multiple countries, Komatsu in North America)
About Travis Kalanick
Co-founder & CEO of Uber (2009-2017); Founder & CEO of City Storage Systems / CloudKitchens (2018-2026); Studied Computer Science at UCLA (dropped out)
Latest news about Atoms
More Robotics / Embodied AI companies
Official website: https://atoms.co