Mecka AI nears $500M valuation in Sequoia-led deal amid rush for robot training data
The round for the two-year-old startup is coming together months after Mecka announced its Series A.
Mecka AI is a startup that collects human motion data using body sensors and smartphones to train humanoid robots and other robotics systems. The company is raising a new funding round led by Sequoia Capital at a valuation of approximately $500 million, just three months after completing a previous $60 million round. Mecka's founders identified that the scarcity of real-world physical data was a key bottleneck preventing the development of general-purpose robots, and the company addresses this by paying people to record themselves performing everyday tasks. This approach mirrors how other data companies have supported the development of large language models, and Mecka competes in a growing market of startups collecting real-world data for robot training.
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Anthropic sets IPO price range of $70 to $78 per share to reach an implied valuation of $1.404 trillion
The company could end up being worth a hefty $1.404 trillion if its shares list at the top of the price range, on a fully diluted basis.
Also reported by SiliconANGLE
Anthropic pushes ahead with pre-Thanksgiving IPO despite tech selloff, accepts lower valuation
Despite the tech selloff, Anthropic is pressing ahead with its IPO at a valuation of $1.25 to $1.75 trillion, well below the hoped-for $2 trillion. The Claude developer aims to raise $80 to $100 billion before Thanksgiving. Rival OpenAI has also recently had to cut its valuation. The article Anthropic pushes ahead with pre-Thanksgiving IPO despite tech selloff, accepts lower valuation appeared first on The Decoder.
Also reported by TechCrunch and The Verge
Taiwan’s chipmaking giant TSMC to invest $1B in Anthropic, OpenAI
Top chip manufacturer TSMC is ready to invest $1 billion in Anthropic and OpenAI. That would give the Taiwanese chipmaker direct stakes in leading AI developers, even as its own contract chipmaking business has profited enormously from the AI data center buildout. The chipmaker’s board approved plans to invest up to $500 million in OpenAI preferred stock reserved for large investors and another $500 million to purchase Anthropic common shares at the latter’s expected IPO price, according to Reut
OpenAI lands an $11 billion funding round, but has to court dentists for more capital
OpenAI has secured $11 billion in fresh capital, the first tranche of a round that values the company at $1.25 trillion. The full round could swell to $20 billion. That OpenAI is already turning to wealthy private investors hints at a saturating AI capital market and growing investor caution. The article OpenAI lands an $11 billion funding round, but has to court dentists for more capital appeared first on The Decoder.
Hatz AI raises $24M to help small businesses go AI-native through their MSPs
Large enterprises have emerged as the foremost adopters of artificial intelligence technology, and it’s giving them an unfair advantage over their smaller competitors. Looking to change that is a startup called Hatz AI Inc., which has just raised $24 million in early-stage funding to empower managed services providers with the tools they need to keep […] The post Hatz AI raises $24M to help small businesses go AI-native through their MSPs appeared first on SiliconANGLE.
Anthropic Seeks Record $88.5B Tied To Public Market Debut
Anthropic is seeking to secure up to $88.5 billion in its planned IPO and a concurrent private placement, potentially making it the largest-ever fundraise tied to a public market debut. On Tuesday, the AI giant submitted an updated S-1 filing for its upcoming public offering, unveiling new details including a proposed share price range offering size. The offering could set a fully diluted valuation of up to $1.4 trillion for the San Francisco company. Anthropic’s expected valuation comes in belo