New capital positions the robotics and industrial automation group to expand hardware automation across KitchenBASE sites in Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Australia
HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 27 October 2026 – Six markets across Asia-Pacific stand to gain from a $1.7 billion investment into Atoms, the robotics and industrial automation group founded by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick. Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) led the round, joined by Uber, Bain Capital, Fifth Wall, and other institutional investors. The result strengthens a group that includes KitchenBASE, a commercial kitchen network spanning six of the most active food markets in the region.
New Capital, New Capability
The a16z-led round also adds Ben Horowitz, co-founder of the firm, to the Atoms board. This positions the group to push harder into robotics across food, mining, and transport. Within Atoms Food, KitchenBASE sits alongside hardware projects such as automated bowl-builders and order conveyance robots built to cut labour friction inside commercial kitchens. Fresh capital gives these projects more room to develop, with knock-on gains for the KitchenBASE network across Hong Kong, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, and Australia.
A Boost for Regional Operators
For operators across Asia-Pacific, the benefits are practical. KitchenBASE facilities come licensed and ready-to-fit, and this lets food businesses move in under flexible contracts without the capital outlay of a traditional lease.
Brands that want to test a single market or push into several at once find a foothold in high-demand delivery zones across all six markets. New investment from Atoms in hardware automation and physical workflow management is expected to further sharpen efficiency and reliability, giving KitchenBASE operators a faster path to scale.
Hashtag: #ATOMS
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About Atoms
Atoms is an industrial automation and robotics company founded by 
Travis Kalanick. Atoms Food includes KitchenBASE alongside food-tech hardware projects. Autonomous haulage and machine systems sit under Atoms Mining. Robotic wheelbases and autonomous movement systems for heavy industry fall under Atoms Transport.
About KitchenBASE
KitchenBASE is the food infrastructure arm behind six brands trading across Asia-Pacific. Formally known as Freshlane in Hong Kong, Smart City Kitchens in Singapore, KitchenNow in Taiwan, KitchenBASE in Japan, Kitchen Valley in Korea, and Chef Collective in Australia. Each brand equips food businesses with licensed kitchen space built for speed to market, so operators can rely on a steady base to launch, test, and expand.
