Travis Kalanick's robotics venture, Atoms, has raised $1.7 billion in a funding round led by venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, marking a significant re-entry into the tech spotlight for the former Uber chief executive. The deal is notable because Uber itself participated as an investor, effectively reconnecting Kalanick with the company he co-founded and was later forced out of in 2017 amid allegations of sexual harassment, discrimination and a toxic workplace culture.

Atoms is a rebranded holding company built on Kalanick's post-Uber ghost kitchen venture, CloudKitchens, and earlier this year absorbed Pronto, a heavy industry automation firm led by his former Uber colleague Anthony Levandowski. As part of the investment, Andreessen Horowitz co-founder Ben Horowitz will join Atoms' board, while Bain Capital, Fifth Wall and other investors also took part in the round. Kalanick described the funding as "unfinished business" continuing a 16-year mission to digitise the physical world, saying he wants to build a "wheelbase for robots," though he has yet to detail specific products.