Mecka AI Nears $500M Valuation in Sequoia-Led Round for Robot Training Data
TechCrunch · United States · Sep 11, 2026
Mecka AI, a startup that pays workers to record everyday physical tasks to generate training data for humanoid robots, is closing a new Sequoia Capital-led funding round at approximately a $500 million valuation — just three months after raising a $60 million Series A. The company projects $100 million in annualized revenue by end of 2026 and competes with Scale AI, XDOF, and Micro1 in the fast-growing real-world human data market. For staffing firms, Mecka's model — paying gig workers to perform and record physical tasks — represents an emerging and potentially scalable source of flexible labor demand as AI and robotics companies race to build physical-world datasets.
Related stories
Does AI Recruiting Actually Improve Quality of Hire? Evidence Is Thin, Bias Risks Are Real
Medium impactA deep-dive analysis from Select Software Reviews finds that despite widespread adoption, AI recruiting tools have not demonstrated measurable…
Snorkel AI has raised a $350 million Series E at a $3.5 billion valuation — nearly triple its prior $1.3 billion valuation from 17 months ago — led by…
Corridor, an AI-powered health benefits brokerage targeting small and mid-sized businesses, has raised a $25 million seed round led by Bain Capital…
AI Research Startup Listen Labs Abandoned $1.5B Funding Round Amid Salesforce Acquisition Talks
Medium impactListen Labs, a voice-AI market research startup, walked away from a signed $125M Series C term sheet at a $1.5B valuation — a rare move driven by…