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 others. TechCrunch had previously reported that the startup was nearing a new funding round at a $500 million valuation.
Founded in 2024, Mecka aims to do for robotics what Scale AI, Mercor, Surge, and other data-labeling companies have done for large language models (LLMs). Those companies supply the human-generated data that AI 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 was in talks to raise a Series B round at a $1.2 billion valuation, according to previous TechCrunch reporting. Human-data platforms that began with LLMs are also expanding into robotics, such as Scale AI and Micro1.
via TechCrunch