Robot data startup Mecka AI nabs $60M from Sequoia
Quick Answer
Mecka AI has secured $60 million in Series B funding led by Sequoia to enhance its human motion data collection for training robots.
Quick Take
The startup aims to revolutionize robotics similar to how Scale AI and others transformed , focusing on real-world task recordings using body sensors and smartphones.
Key Points
- Mecka AI was founded in 2024 and focuses on human motion data for robotics.
- The Series B funding round included participation from Nvidia and Microsoft's M12.
- The startup's valuation is reported to be around $500 million.
- Mecka pays individuals to perform daily tasks while recording data with sensors.
- Other competitors in the space include XDOF and Scale AI expanding into robotics.
📖 Reader Mode
~1 min readIn Brief
Posted:
Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid robots and other kinds of robots, announced it has raised a $60 million Series B round led by Sequoia, with participation from Nvidia, Microsoft’s venture fund M12, and others. TechCrunch had previously reported that the startup was nearing a new funding round at a $500 million valuation.
Founded in 2024, the startup intends to do for robotics what Scale AI, Mercor, Surge, and other data-labeling companies have done for LLMs. Those companies supply the human-generated data these systems learn from. Mecka pays people to record themselves doing everyday tasks, like making coffee or fixing cars, while wearing body sensors and using smartphones.
Other startups that collect real-world data for robot training include XDOF, which was in talks to raise a Series B round at a $1.2 billion valuation according to TechCrunch’s previous reporting. Human-data platforms that began with LLMs are also expanding into robotics, such as Scale AI and Micro1.
Topics
Subscribe for the industry’s biggest tech news
Latest in Startups
— Originally published at techcrunch.com
Want this in your inbox every morning?
Daily brief at your local 8am — bilingual EN/中文, free.
More from TechCrunch
See more →
AI chip startup Etched defies skeptics, hits $10.3B valuation from big-name investors
AI chip startup Etched has achieved a $10.3 billion valuation after a $300 million Series C funding round, led by Sequoia and supported by notable investors like Andreessen Horowitz. The company claims to have developed innovative low-voltage chips for AI inference, significantly enhancing performance and reducing costs, with $1 billion in orders already booked.
