GoKawiilMecka AI nears $500M valuation as Sequoia leads new funding round
Mecka AI, a startup that pays people to record themselves performing everyday tasks to generate motion data for training humanoid robots, is close to finalizing a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital valuing the company at roughly $500 million. The deal comes just three months after Mecka raised $60 million in a round led by Framework Ventures, though the exact size of the new round remains unknown and terms could still change.
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The rapid valuation jump signals intense investor appetite for companies solving the physical-world data bottleneck that has slowed progress on general-purpose robots and humanoids. Mecka's approach—paying humans to capture everyday movements—mirrors the human-data business model that powered Scale AI and similar firms in the LLM era, suggesting a similar gold rush is forming around robotics training data.
- Mecka AI is nearing a ~$500M valuation in a Sequoia-led round just three months after a $60M raise.
- The startup collects human motion data via body sensors and smartphones to train robots on everyday tasks.
- None of Mecka's four co-founders have robotics backgrounds, yet the company projects a $100M annual run rate by end of 2026.
Rokoko Smartsuit Pro II motion capture suit — If Mecka AI's bet on human motion data has you curious about capturing movement yourself, the Rokoko Smartsuit Pro II is the accessible way in — a wearable inertial mocap suit that streams full-body motion straight into your 3D software. It's a favorite of indie animators, game devs, and researchers experimenting with embodied AI datasets.
See Rokoko Smartsuit Pro II motion capture suit on Amazon → Affiliate link — we may earn a commission on purchases, at no extra cost to you. Product picked by AI based on this article; it is not a tested recommendation.Source: techcrunch.com — Marina Temkin, 2026-09-11
Published there as: “Mecka AI nears $500M valuation in Sequoia-led deal amid rush for robot training data”
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