Atoms
Atoms is a privately held physical AI company founded by Travis Kalanick that builds specialized industrial robots and automation systems for mining, food, and transport sectors through subsidiaries including Pronto AI and CloudKitchens.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2026
- HeadquartersLos Angeles, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Atoms does
Atoms is a physical AI and industrial robotics company that builds specialized automation systems for the food, mining, and transportation sectors. Founded by Travis Kalanick (co-founder and former CEO of Uber) and rebranded in March 2026 from City Storage Systems, the company operates through three divisions—Atoms Food, Atoms Mining, and Atoms Transport—and maintains a portfolio of wholly-owned subsidiaries including CloudKitchens, Pronto AI, Lab37, Otter, Picnic, and ProFood Properties. Headquartered in Los Angeles with thousands of employees across the operating businesses, Atoms publicly emerged after eight years of stealth-mode development.
The company's core technology centers on "physical AI"—autonomous systems that combine perception sensors, compute hardware, and AI models tailored to specific industrial tasks rather than general-purpose humanoids. In mining, Pronto AI (acquired April 2026) provides Level 4 autonomous haulage systems retrofittable across multiple truck OEMs, integrated with Mariana Minerals' MineOS for reinforcement-learning-based dispatch and routing. In food, Atoms operates CloudKitchens' delivery-first kitchen infrastructure and develops kitchen robotics such as the 19-foot Bowl Builder robot, reportedly capable of automating up to 40% of manual food preparation. An Atoms Transport division is positioned around a common "wheelbase" robotics platform but remains pre-announcement. Supporting software includes Otter, a subscription-based restaurant operating system, and Lab37, a food automation lab.
Atoms generates revenue through a mix of hardware sales (autonomous haulage systems, kitchen robots), managed services (CloudKitchens real estate and operations for restaurant brands), and subscription software (Otter). Commercial deployment is led by enterprise field sales, with direct contracts to mine operators such as Heidelberg Materials (three active sites) and Mariana Minerals (Copper One copper mine, expanding from 3 to 15 trucks). The company is privately held by Kalanick with reported major backing from Uber, though no institutional funding rounds are publicly disclosed. Atoms positions itself as building "gainfully employed robots"—task-specific industrial machines—against the general-purpose humanoid robotics thesis.
Atoms firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Atoms
- Legal name
- Atoms
- Website
- https://atoms.co
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2026
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Atoms is a privately held physical AI company founded by Travis Kalanick that builds specialized industrial robots and automation systems for mining, food, and transport sectors through subsidiaries including Pronto AI and CloudKitchens.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Atoms industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Industrial Robotics
- NAICS
- Industrial Truck, Tractor, Trailer, and Stacker Machinery Manufacturing (333924), Food Product Machinery Manufacturing (333241), Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing (3333), Agriculture, Construction, and Mining Machinery Manufacturing (3331), Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing (334511)
- SIC
- Industrial Trucks, Tractors, Trailors & Stackers (3537), Search, Detection, Navagation, Guidance, Aeronautical Sys (3812), Construction, Mining & Materials Handling Machinery & Equip (3530), Special Industry Machinery (No Metalworking Machinery) (3550)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Industrial & Warehouse Robotics (HDAAAIAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Service & Hospitality Robots (HDAAAIAB), Robot Hardware, Actuators & Components (sensors, grippers, motors) (HDAAAIAL), Industrial Robots (Articulated, SCARA, Delta, Cartesian) (IMAHAHAA)
Keywords
Where Atoms is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Los Angeles
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Atoms business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Autonomous Haulage Systems: Deployment of autonomous haulage systems to mining operators including hardware (sensor suites, computing), software licensing, and ongoing operational support. Revenue from contracts with mining companies like Heidelberg Materials and Mariana Minerals.
- CloudKitchens: Delivery-first kitchen infrastructure providing real estate, facilities, and production environments for restaurant brands. Revenue generated from food production and delivery operations.
- Kitchen Robotics (Bowl Builder): Automated kitchen systems like Bowl Builder that automate food preparation tasks for commercial food service operations.
- Otter Restaurant Operating System: Operating system for restaurants bringing orders, delivery apps, and kitchen operations into one platform.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels4 records
Atoms product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Atoms builds specialized physical AI systems and industrial robots for three sectors: autonomous haulage systems for mines and quarries (via the Pronto AI subsidiary), automated kitchen robotics and delivery-first kitchen infrastructure for restaurants and food brands (via CloudKitchens, Bowl Builder, and Lab37), and autonomy platforms for transportation and logistics. The company sells hardware, software, and managed service solutions such as the Pronto Level 4 autonomous haulage system, the Bowl Builder 19-foot automated kitchen robot, the Otter restaurant operating system, and CloudKitchens delivery-first kitchen facilities.
Product overview
Atoms is a physical AI company founded by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick that builds specialized industrial robots and automation systems for food, mining, and transportation sectors. The company operates as a platform with three divisions — Atoms Food, Atoms Mining, and Atoms Transport — supported by multiple subsidiary brands including CloudKitchens, Pronto AI, Lab37, Otter, Picnic, and ProFood Properties. The portfolio includes autonomous haulage systems for mining (Pronto AI), delivery-first ghost kitchen infrastructure (CloudKitchens), restaurant operating software (Otter), and automated kitchen robots (Bowl Builder). Atoms advocates for task-specific machines over general-purpose humanoid robots, positioning its offerings as 'gainfully employed robots' with productive industrial jobs.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- CloudKitchens: Food - Delivery-first kitchens built for modern restaurants reducing costs, simplifying operations, and helping brands reach more customers.
- Pronto AI
- Atoms Food
- Atoms Mining
- Atoms Transport
- Lab37
- Otter
- Picnic
- ProFood
Products and services
- Pronto Autonomous Haulage System Level 4 autonomous driving system retrofitted onto large haul trucks for fully autonomous operation in mining and quarry environments, including perception systems, fleet management, and integration with mine dispatch software; sold to mining operators such as Heidelberg Materials and Mariana Minerals.
- Bowl Builder 19-foot automated kitchen robot deployed in commercial food production operations to automate bowl-style meal assembly and reduce manual preparation work by up to 40%.
- CloudKitchens Delivery-first kitchen infrastructure providing real estate, facilities, and production environments built for modern restaurant brands to operate off-premise delivery without owning their own kitchens.
- Otter Restaurant operating system SaaS platform that consolidates orders, delivery apps, and kitchen operations into a single platform for restaurant operators.
- Picnic Office lunch delivery service that provides meals from top restaurants delivered to teams with no fees, no tips, and no hassle.
- ProFood Properties Food infrastructure service providing real estate, facilities, and production environments at scale, built specifically for modern food brands.
Quantifiable outcome
- Autonomous haulage transported over 2 million tons of limestone over 8 months in North America's first fully autonomous mixed-fleet quarry operation
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Atoms
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Atoms technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability4 records
Feature5 records
Atoms partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Heidelberg MaterialscorePronto's Autonomous Haulage System expanded to two additional Heidelberg Materials sites (Mitchell, Indiana and Servtex, Texas) following successful pilot at Lake Bridgeport, Texas quarry. This represents Pronto/Atoms Mining's primary commercial deployment partner for autonomous quarry operations.
- Mariana MineralscoreMariana Minerals partnered with Pronto to deploy autonomous haulage trucks at its Copper One copper mine in Utah. This is Pronto's first commercial deal since acquisition by Atoms, integrating Pronto's self-driving systems with Mariana's MineOS software for fully autonomous truck dispatch.
Scale indicators4 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Atoms competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Serve Robotics: Sidewalk delivery robotics company spun out of Uber (founder-linked to Kalanick via Uber). Comparable to Atoms Transport / Atoms Food in autonomous urban delivery and robotics-as-a-service.
Broad incumbents
- Caterpillar: Largest OEM of mining haul trucks with its Cat MineStar Command for autonomous hauling, operating a broad industrial equipment portfolio. Direct competitive overlap with Pronto/Atoms Mining in autonomous haulage, but Caterpillar bundles autonomy with trucks.
- Komatsu: Global mining and construction equipment OEM with FrontRunner autonomous haulage system, one of the most widely deployed AHS fleets. Comparable to Atoms Mining in autonomy technology, with the advantage of vertically integrated trucks.
- Symbotic: Public company deploying AI-enabled warehouse and supply-chain automation at scale. Comparable to Atoms' industrial automation thesis, though focused on warehouse rather than mining or food.
Direct peers
- TuSimple: Autonomous trucking company developing Level 4 self-driving technology for long-haul trucks. Comparable to Atoms Transport in autonomous vehicle perception, planning, and fleet software.
- Einride: Developer of autonomous electric trucks and freight mobility platform, pursuing driverless heavy-vehicle autonomy. Comparable to Atoms Transport and the broader physical AI strategy applied to logistics.
- Zipline: Autonomous logistics operator using robotics for delivery in healthcare, retail, and industrial settings. Comparable as a physical AI / autonomous delivery platform similar to Atoms Transport.
- Bear Robotics: Service robotics company deploying autonomous mobile robots in restaurants and hospitality. Closely aligned with Atoms Food / Lab37 in commercial kitchen and food-service robotics.
- Nuro: Developer of autonomous vehicles for goods delivery, with operations spanning logistics and last-mile. Comparable to Atoms Transport in autonomous driving technology applied to physical goods movement.
- Built Robotics: Autonomy startup retrofitting heavy construction and mining equipment with AI guidance and automation. Closely aligned with Atoms Mining's OEM-agnostic retrofit approach to industrial heavy machinery.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Atoms social profiles
Digital presenceAtoms financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Atoms leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Atoms subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries9 records
Atoms funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds8 records
Investors24 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Atoms M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Atoms
What does Atoms do?
Atoms builds specialized physical AI systems and industrial robots for three sectors: autonomous haulage systems for mines and quarries (via the Pronto AI subsidiary), automated kitchen robotics and delivery-first kitchen infrastructure for restaurants and food brands (via CloudKitchens, Bowl Builder, and Lab37), and autonomy platforms for transportation and logistics. The company sells hardware, software, and managed service solutions such as the Pronto Level 4 autonomous haulage system, the Bowl Builder 19-foot automated kitchen robot, the Otter restaurant operating system, and CloudKitchens delivery-first kitchen facilities.
Is Atoms a public or private company?
Atoms is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Atoms founded?
Atoms was founded in 2026. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Atoms based?
Atoms is headquartered in Los Angeles, United States, in the North America region.
How does Atoms make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Autonomous Haulage Systems are the primary driver. The others are cloudKitchens, kitchen Robotics (Bowl Builder) and otter Restaurant Operating System.
Who are Atoms's main competitors?
Serve Robotics is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are Caterpillar, Komatsu and Symbotic. Direct peers are TuSimple, Einride, Zipline, Bear Robotics, Nuro and Built Robotics.
Does Atoms have an API?
No public API is recorded for Atoms.
What industry is Atoms in?
Atoms's product category is Industrial Robotics. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HDAAAIAA, Industrial & Warehouse Robotics, with a secondary code of HDAAAIAB, Service & Hospitality Robots. Its NAICS code is 333924 and its SIC code is 3537.