Mecka AI Nears $500M Valuation in Sequoia-Led Deal
Humanoid robot training data startup Mecka AI is nearing a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital, pushing its valuation to about $500M.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
- Mecka AI is in talks for a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital
- The deal is expected to value the startup at approximately $500 million
- The company collects human motion data to train humanoid and general-purpose robots
- Growth follows a $60 million funding round secured just three months prior
Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid robots and other automated systems, is reportedly nearing a new financing round led by Sequoia Capital. According to two sources familiar with the matter, the deal is set to value the company at approximately $500 million.
This impending investment follows closely on the heels of a $60 million funding round announced just three months prior. That previous round was led by Framework Ventures, with participation from Menlo Ventures, SV Angel, and Kindred Ventures. TechCrunch noted that the exact financial size of this latest round remains unconfirmed, as terms are not yet finalized and subject to change.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Representatives for Mecka AI declined to comment on the reports, while Sequoia Capital also chose not to issue a statement. Mecka AI was founded in 2024 by a four-person founding team: Canadians Josh Gao and Mogen Cheng, who previously developed a restaurant fintech startup, Jason Chong, who joined Coinbase following its acquisition of his crypto exchange, and Duy Nguyen, who manages operations as the sole non-Canadian member.
Physical-world data serves as a major bottleneck in the advancement of modern robotics. While AI models can easily process digital text, training general-purpose robots requires vast amounts of real-world physical interaction data—such as making coffee or handling tools. Companies like Mecka are bridging this gap by crowdsourcing human labor to generate specialized training datasets.
Despite lacking traditional academic or professional backgrounds in robotics, the co-founders identified a severe scarcity of physical-world data as the primary hurdle holding back general-purpose robots. To counter this, Mecka pays individuals to record themselves executing everyday tasks utilizing body sensors and smartphones.
During its previous fundraising announcement, Gao told Fortune that Mecka was projecting an annual run rate of $100 million by the end of 2026. Although the startup keeps its exact customer roster private, numerous robotics firms and AI laboratories leverage its egocentric data collection methods to train their underlying models.
Stock photo for illustration only, not from the actual event
Source: TechCrunch
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