Mecka AI nears $500M valuation in Sequoia-led deal amid rush for robot training data
The round for the two-year-old startup is coming together months after Mecka announced its Series A.
Mecka AI nears $500M valuation in Sequoia-led deal amid rush for robot training data | TechCrunch
Disrupt 2026: OpenAI, Anthropic, Replit, and more take over 6 industry stages. 25% off tickets now
Back by popular demand: Save up to $300 on Disrupt
Image Credits:J Studios / Getty Images
Mecka AI nears $500M valuation in Sequoia-led deal amid rush for robot training data
3:58 PM PDT · September 11, 2026
Mecka AI, a startup that collects and analyzes human motion data to train humanoid robots and other robotics, is nearing a new round led by Sequoia Capital at a valuation of about $500 million, according to two people with knowledge of the deal.
The new financing comes just three months after Mecka announced that it raised $60 million in a round led by Framework Ventures that included participation from Menlo Ventures, SV Angel, and Kindred Ventures.
TechCrunch has not learned the precise size of the new round. The terms of the deal are not final and could still change.
Mecka AI didn’t respond to a request for comment. Sequoia declined to comment.
Mecka AI was co-founded in 2024 by four entrepreneurs, including Canadians Josh Gao and Mogen Cheng, who previously built a restaurant fintech startup, and Jason Chong, who joined Coinbase after it acquired his crypto exchange. Duy Nguyen, the only non-Canadian on the team, focuses on operations at Mecka.
The four co-founders dont have backgrounds in robotics. But they did recognize that there was a dearth of physical-world data and realized that capturing real-world interactions was the primary bottleneck holding back general-purpose robots, including humanoids.
Mecka, which derives its name from “mecha,” a fictional giant robot controlled by humans, set out to do for robotics what Scale AI, Mercor, Surge, and other human data companies have done for LLMs. The startup pays people to record themselves performing everyday tasks — like making coffee or fixing cars — using body sensors and smartphones.
As of early June, Mecka was projecting that it would end 2026 at an annual run rate of $100 million, Gao told Fortune when the startup announced its previous fundraise.
While Mecka AI hasn’t publicly disclosed its customer list, many robotics companies and AI labs rely on real-world data captured through this egocentric approach, alongside other physical data collection methods like teleoperation, to build their models.
Other startups collecting real-world data for robot training include XDOF, which TechCrunch reported last week was nearing a new round at a $1.2 billion valuation, as well as human-data platforms expanding beyond LLMs, such as Scale AI and Micro1.
AI, Exclusive, Robotics, Sequoia
When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.
Marina Temkin is a venture capital and startups reporter at TechCrunch. Prior to joining TechCrunch, she wrote about VC for PitchBook and Venture Capital Journal. Earlier in her career, Marina was a financial analyst and earned a CFA charterholder designation.
You can contact or verify outreach from Marina by emailing marina.temkin@techcrunch.com or via encrypted message at +1 347-683-3909 on Signal.
Last day to book an exhibit table is September 18. Don’t miss out on high-impact leads, investor access, and a brand spotlight in Disrupt’s Expo Hall.
OpenAI puts Pro subscriptions on hold due to Astra demand
ID verification giant IDScan confirms data breach with more than 150 million drivers licenses stolen
Automattics board forces CEO Matt Mullenweg into leave of absence
Apple unveils its first foldable, the iPhone Duo
OpenAI fought dirty on career-making math problem, says NYU mathematician
A secret new Elizabeth Holmes documentary stuns Telluride
TechCrunch Mobility: Tesla Cybercab hits the road — and a snag