Travis Kalanick’s Atoms might be getting into the robotaxi business; plus, Krafton doubles down on India

0:01This is TechCrunch.

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1:13That's Framer.com slash tcstartups. Rules and restrictions may apply. Earlier this summer, Travis Kalanick's Adams announced a$1.7 billion funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz. But even after raising that mega round, the Uber founder remained a bit cagey about what he was actually aiming to do. Well, now a story in the Financial Times offers a little bit more detail about Adams' goals. The startup is reportedly preparing for a hiring spree, as well as acquisitions, and that could make it a major player in the autonomous vehicle industry. In fact, the Financial Times said Adams has talked to Uber about how the ride-hailing company could use the startup's robo-taxi technology.

1:57Uber has already partnered with a long list of autonomous vehicle companies. The report also noted that Uber has invested$100 million in Adams, a figure previously confirmed by TechCrunch. While sources emphasized that robo-taxis do not represent the entirety of Adams' plans, this direction seems consistent with Kalanick's description of the round as unfinished business. It also fits with Adams' acquisition of Pronto, an autonomous mining startup led by Uber's former self-driving chief, Anthony Lewandowski. Lewandowski was convicted of stealing trade secrets and sentenced to 18 months in prison, but was then pardoned by President Donald Trump.

2:43Krafton, the South Korean gaming company behind titles including PUBG and Battlegrounds Mobile India, plans to invest another$250 million in India over the next three to four years as it pushes beyond gaming into AI, robotics, and deep tech. Announced last week, the new commitment will take Crafton's total planned investment in India to more than$500 million, including the over$250 million it had already invested in the country since 2021. The funds also come in addition to Krafton's commitment to a$670 million India-focused growth fund it unveiled with South Korean internet conglomerate Naver and investor Murray Asset in December of last year.

3:30At the time, Krafton said it would contribute around$137 million at the fund's first close. The new$250 million pledge is separate from the growth fund. India has become a key market for Krafton, giving the gaming publisher access to the world's most populous country, with more than a billion internet subscribers and over 700 million smartphone users. Krafton initially built its India business around gaming, led by BGMI, a revamped and localized version of PUBG that has surpassed 260 million downloads. In recent years, the company has also used investments in Indian startups to broaden its business beyond games.

4:14Crafton's run in India has not always been smooth, though. The Indian government banned PUBG Mobile in 2020, along with hundreds of Chinese-linked apps, as tensions between New Delhi and Beijing escalated. Crafton stepped in after that and introduced BGMI in 2021. The company dropped Tencent Games as the game's publisher in India and moved its India servers to Microsoft's Azure Cloud, changes that came as Krafton worked to address New Delhi's concerns. But in 2022, BGMI was itself banned in India before the federal government allowed it to return on a three-month trial basis the following year.

4:58Crafton has continued to build around the franchise since its return and plans to launch BGMI Lite in India by the end of this year. Despite the early setbacks, Crafton continues to invest in India and has so far backed about 18 companies, including Fortify Gaming Studios, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. Its investments include Nodwin Gaming, Loco, Cuckoo FM, and One Impression, among others. The new investment commitment comes after Crafton chairman Chong Byung-gyu met Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi earlier on Friday of last week. The two discussed opportunities for India and South Korea to work more closely across gaming, technology, and other emerging sectors.

5:43Crafton has also been building out its local operations. Last year, it acquired Poon-based Nautilus Mobile, the studio behind the Real Cricket franchise. The company also recently launched an industry academia program aimed at training talent in gaming development and digital creation. That's all for now. For the latest in tech startup news, go to TechCrunch.com.

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