Robot data startup Mecka AI raises $60 million from Sequoia
Mecka AI, a startup that gathers human motion data to train humanoid robots, has closed a $60 million Series B round. Sequoia led the round, with Nvidia and Microsoft's venture arm M12 also taking part.
Startup Mecka AI has announced a $60 million Series B funding round led by Sequoia. Nvidia, Microsoft's venture fund M12 and other investors also participated.
TechCrunch had earlier reported that the company was close to a new round at a $500 million valuation.
What the company does
Founded in 2024, Mecka AI collects and analyzes human motion data used to train humanoid and other types of robots. It pays people to record themselves performing everyday tasks, such as making coffee or repairing cars, while wearing body sensors and using smartphones.
The company aims to do for robotics what data-labeling firms such as Scale AI, Mercor and Surge have done for large language models. Those firms provide the human-generated data that such systems learn from.
Competition
Other startups also gather real-world data for robot training. One is XDOF, which, according to earlier TechCrunch reporting, was in talks to raise a Series B round at a $1.2 billion valuation.
Human-data platforms that started out serving large language models are also moving into robotics, among them Scale AI and Micro1.
