Mecka AI Nears $500M Valuation in Sequoia Capital-Led Investment

Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human movement data to provide training for humanoid robots and other robotic systems, is nearing a valuation of approximately $500 million in a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital.

Investment Round and Valuation Process

Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human movement data to provide training for humanoid robots and other robotic systems, is nearing a valuation of approximately $500 million in a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital. According to two sources close to the matter, this new funding comes just three months after the company announced raising $60 million led by Framework Ventures, with participation from Menlo Ventures, SV Angel, and Kindred Ventures.

Founding Story of the Startup

Mecka AI was co-founded in 2024 by four entrepreneurs: Canadians Josh Gao and Mogen Cheng, Jason Chong who joined the company following a crypto exchange acquired by Coinbase, and Duy Nguyen, who focuses on operations. Although the four founders did not have a background in robotics, they realized that capturing real-world interactions was the primary bottleneck facing general-purpose robots.

Data Collection Method and Goals

Named after fictional giant robots controlled by humans, the startup aims to bring a methodology similar to what has been done for language models into the robotics field. The company pays people to record everyday tasks—such as making coffee or repairing a car—using body sensors and smartphones, and projects reaching a $100 million annual run rate by the end of the year.

Position in the Robotics Sector

Although it does not publicly disclose its customer list, many robotics companies and artificial intelligence labs rely on real-world data captured through such egocentric approaches to build their models. Other startups collecting real-world data in the sector, such as XDOF and various artificial intelligence platforms, have also been increasing their valuations.