Mecka AI Nears $500M Valuation as Sequoia Bets on Robot Training Data
Synopsis
Mecka AI is reportedly nearing a Sequoia Capital-led funding round at a valuation of about $500 million. The proposed financing follows the startup’s $60 million raise announced in June. Mecka collects human movement data for robotics companies and projected a $100 million annual revenue run rate by the end of 2026.
Mecka AI funding is set to enter a new round led by Sequoia Capital that could value the robotics data company at about $500 million.
The financing takes place three months after the $60M investment from Framework Ventures into Mecka AI. The final size and value of the latest round are open to change and have not yet been completed.
$60M Raised Before New Sequoia Talks
Before this investment took place, the company had previously raised $60 million in financing, including $25 million in Series A in November and $35 million in a follow-on round.
Menlo Ventures, SV Angel and Kindred Ventures were also involved, with Framework Ventures taking the lead in both rounds. Mecka AI is based in New York and has about 40 employees.
It was founded by Josh Gao, Mogen Cheng, Jason Chong and Duy Nguyen. Human movement is their business, and they collect it using the smartphone, body sensors and custom designed hardware that they use to train robotic systems.
$100M Revenue Run-Rate Projection
Mecka AI funding rounds are preceded by their forecast of $100 million annual revenue run rate from signed deals by the end of 2026.
This is not an annualised revenue figure. Mecka AI has also not announced the names of its customers nor the valuation for its previous funding round, which raised $60 million.
The market for robots is on the rise in all key manufacturing economies. According to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) report, World Robotics 2025, there were 542,076 industrial robots installed worldwide in 2024.
China had 295,045 installations, representing 54% of the world total. Japan was next with 44,598 installations, followed by the USA with 34,280 installations, Germany with 26,989 installations and India with 9,100 installations.
In 2024, the Americas' share of industrial robot installations was 16%, Asia's was 74%, and Europe's was 9%.
The reported Mecka AI funding round would come as companies developing robots increasingly seek physical-world data to train their systems.
Sequoia Capital has not commented on the reported deal, while Mecka AI did not respond to requests for comment.
Source: Reuters
Pooja Malik is a business journalist with over six years of experience covering startups, entrepreneurship, and emerging trends. She has previously worked with leading media platforms such as YourStory Media and BW BusinessWorld, where she reported on business, policy, and market developments. Currently, she serves as Editor at The Inspirepreneur Magazine, where she writes and edits stories across business, lifestyle, and travel, with a focus on clarity, accuracy, and reader relevance.
