Mecka AI nears $500M valuation in Sequoia-led deal amid rush for robot training data
Mecka AI nears $500M valuation in Sequoia-led deal amid rush for robot training data
Mecka AI 在机器人训练数据热潮中，即将完成由红杉资本领投的融资，估值达 5 亿美元
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. 据两位知情人士透露，初创公司 Mecka AI 即将完成新一轮融资，由红杉资本（Sequoia Capital）领投，估值约为 5 亿美元。该公司主要收集和分析人类动作数据，用于训练人形机器人及其他机器人系统。
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. 此次融资距离 Mecka 上次宣布完成 6000 万美元融资仅过去三个月，当时那轮融资由 Framework Ventures 领投，Menlo Ventures、SV Angel 和 Kindred Ventures 参投。TechCrunch 尚未获悉本轮融资的具体金额。交易条款尚未最终确定，仍有可能发生变化。Mecka AI 未回应置评请求，红杉资本拒绝置评。
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 don’t 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 AI 由四位创业者于 2024 年共同创立，其中包括加拿大人 Josh Gao 和 Mogen Cheng（此前曾创办过一家餐饮金融科技初创公司），以及 Jason Chong（其加密货币交易所被 Coinbase 收购后加入该公司）。团队中唯一的非加拿大人 Duy Nguyen 则负责 Mecka 的运营工作。这四位联合创始人此前并无机器人领域背景，但他们敏锐地察觉到物理世界数据的匮乏，并意识到捕捉现实世界的交互数据是阻碍通用机器人（包括人形机器人）发展的核心瓶颈。
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. Mecka 的名字源于“机甲”（mecha，一种由人类操控的虚构巨型机器人）。该公司的目标是为机器人领域做贡献，正如 Scale AI、Mercor、Surge 等人类数据公司为大语言模型（LLM）所做的那样。这家初创公司通过付费邀请人们佩戴身体传感器并使用智能手机，记录下他们执行日常任务的过程，例如冲泡咖啡或修理汽车。
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. 在上次宣布融资时，Gao 曾向《财富》杂志透露，截至 6 月初，Mecka 预计到 2026 年底其年化收入将达到 1 亿美元。虽然 Mecka AI 尚未公开其客户名单，但许多机器人公司和 AI 实验室都在依赖通过这种“以自我为中心”（egocentric）视角捕捉的现实世界数据，并结合远程操作等其他物理数据收集方法来构建模型。
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. 其他致力于收集机器人训练用现实世界数据的初创公司还包括 XDOF（TechCrunch 上周报道称其即将以 12 亿美元估值完成新一轮融资），以及 Scale AI 和 Micro1 等正在将业务从大语言模型扩展至机器人领域的人类数据平台。