Mecka AI Raises $60M from Sequoia and Nvidia to Build Humanoid Robot Training Data

Mecka AI raised a $60M Series B round led by Sequoia, Nvidia, and Microsoft's M12 fund to collect human motion data for training humanoid robots. The startup, founded just this year in 2024, was previously reported by TechCrunch to be nearing a $500M valuation. Mecka pays human workers to strap on body sensors and record themselves performing everyday physical tasks, like fixing cars or making coffee, using their smartphones. The embodied AI data market is heating up rapidly, with rival XDOF reportedly in talks to raise a Series B at a massive $1.2B valuation. Legacy LLM data labeling giants like Scale AI are simultaneously pivoting their massive gig-workforces into the physical robotics training sector.