Robot data startup Mecka AI raises $60M from Sequoia

Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid and other robots, has raised a $60 million Series B round led by Sequoia, with participation from Nvidia, Microsoft’s venture fund M12, and other investors. TechCrunch had previously reported that the startup was nearing a new funding round at a $500 million valuation.

Founded in 2024, Mecka AI intends to do for robotics what Scale AI, Mercor, Surge, and other data-labeling companies have done for large language models: supply the human-generated data these systems learn from. Mecka pays people to record themselves performing everyday tasks, such as making coffee or fixing cars, while wearing body sensors and using smartphones.

Other startups collecting real-world data for robot training include XDOF, which TechCrunch had previously reported was in talks to raise a Series B round at a $1.2 billion valuation. Human-data platforms that got their start with LLMs, including Scale AI and Micro1, are also expanding into robotics.

Why it matters

Robot-training data is shaping up as its own venture category, following the same playbook that built billion-dollar data-labeling businesses around LLMs — and investors like Sequoia and Nvidia are placing early bets on which company captures it.