Podcast Summary: "Can Datumo Outpace Scale AI in the Race for AI Dominance?"

Podcast: The Mark Cuban Podcast
Episode Date: August 21, 2025
Host: Mark Cuban
Episode Description: This episode explores the emergence of Datumo, a South Korean startup making waves in AI data labeling and evaluation, and its prospects against industry heavyweight Scale AI—especially in the wake of major investment moves and industry shifts. Cuban discusses Datumo's unique business model, growth trajectory, and its new focus on AI model safety, benchmarking, and global expansion.

1. Episode Overview

Mark Cuban dives into Datumo's recent $15.5 million funding round, its innovative approach to data labeling and model evaluation, and how it positions itself as a serious contender against U.S.-based Scale AI. The episode unpacks industry concerns about AI safety and transparency, delves into strategic investments (notably by Salesforce Ventures), and highlights how recent drama around Scale AI and Meta has shifted the competitive landscape.

2. Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Industry Landscape

• AI Safety Concerns:
  • Mark highlights findings from a recent McKinsey report on AI preparedness, noting most companies aren't ready to use AI safely.
    • “Most companies...say that they’re not prepared to use AI in a safe and responsible way.” [02:42]
  • 40% of surveyed professionals see AI decision-making as a significant risk; only 17% are actively addressing it.
• Meta & Scale AI Shake-up:
  • Meta’s $14.3 billion investment/acquisition in Scale AI set off industry jitters and saw major clients (including OpenAI) leave Scale AI over competition concerns.
    • “OpenAI actually stopped using Scale AI after the whole Meta deal...How can we trust it?” [21:45]

Datumo’s Origin and Business Model

• Based in Seoul, South Korea, Datumo launched as a data labeling platform and is now expanding into AI model safety benchmarking.
• Crowdsourced Labeling:
  • Founder David Kim, ex-defense AI researcher, built a reward-based app enabling anyone to label data and get paid.
    • “Anyone can get on there and you basically, if you have free time, you can sit there and label data in your spare time and you get paid for it.” [06:31]
• Rapid Early Growth:
  • Before the app was even built, Datumo secured tens of thousands in pre-contract sales during customer discovery, validating market need.
    • “In their first year, they actually passed a million dollars in revenue.” [09:20]
• Major Clients:
  • Korean giants such as Samsung, LG, Hyundai, Naver, and SK Telecom.

Expanding Scope: Model Evaluation & Benchmarking

• Responding to client demands, Datumo is adding safety benchmarking tools and full-stack model evaluation services—moving beyond traditional data annotation.
  • Quote: Michael Huang (Co-Founder):

    “They wanted us to score AI model outputs to compare them to other models. That’s when we realized we were already doing model evaluation without even knowing it.” [13:17]

  • “We started in data annotation and then expanded...as the LLM ecosystem matured.” [13:28]
• 300+ clients served, $6 million in revenue last year, now providing licensed datasets (not just labeling).

Unique Differentiators

• Licensed Datasets:
  • Offers cleaned, structured datasets sourced from published books, supporting advanced AI reasoning.
    • “Apparently, reading books is a good way for models to learn how to reason through problems.” [18:37]
• Full-stack Evaluation Platform:
  • "DaDumo Eval" is a no-code evaluation tool for non-developers (policy/trust/safety/compliance teams).
    • “One of their main products is kind of a no code evaluation tool...for people on policy trust, safety compliance teams.” [19:10]

Fundraising Journey

• Salesforce Ventures led a recent $15.5 million round, after Datumo’s CEO hosted a high-profile fireside chat with Andrew Ng.
  • The connection: A Salesforce Ventures team member saw the event on LinkedIn, leading to an eight-month funding process.
  • “Hosting some big famous person and then posting it on LinkedIn is like the best way for a startup to raise money.” [21:10]

Ambitions and Expansion

• Datumo plans to scale R&D for automated evaluation tools and ramp up global go-to-market, with particular focus on Japan and the U.S.
  • “They want to expand to Japan and the US. They have about 150 employees in Korea and... presence in Silicon Valley.” [23:33]

3. Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the Challenges Facing the Industry:
  • Mark: “I think the industry and all the drama behind Scale AI’s recent Meta acquisition investment thing makes it a really interesting company...” [01:15]
• On Datumo’s Business Model:
  • Mark: “It’s obviously a huge business. It needs a lot of humans to do this. And so they basically crowdsource this data labeling on this app.” [08:30]
• On Unique Data Offerings:
  • Mark: “Reading books is a good way for them to like, reason through, learn how to reason through problems, which I thought was absolutely fascinating.” [18:50]
• On Investment Strategy:
  • Mark: “Hosting some big famous person and then posting it on LinkedIn is like the best way for a startup to raise money.” [21:15]
• On Datumo’s Potential:
  • Mark: “Very interesting. I’m really excited about this company, to be honest, very bullish.” [24:30]

4. Important Timestamps

• 00:00-02:41 — Introduction to Datumo, AI safety context, industry overview.
• 06:10-09:22 — David Kim’s background, crowdsourced data labeling, early financing wins.
• 10:20-13:40 — Growth milestones, major clients, revenue figures, expansion into benchmarking.
• 13:45-19:35 — Licensed datasets, full-stack evaluation platform, service expansion.
• 21:00-23:20 — Fundraising via Salesforce Ventures, LinkedIn connection, funding process.
• 23:30-24:30 — Global expansion plans, bullish closing thoughts.

5. Conclusion

In this episode, Mark Cuban provides a comprehensive look at Datumo’s rise in data labeling and AI model evaluation, comparing its nimble innovation and strong client base to the larger yet recently shaken Scale AI. With a unique, crowdsourced approach, a fast-growing SaaS platform, and strategic funding, Datumo demonstrates how global players are carving paths in the rapidly expanding AI infrastructure landscape.

Overall Tone:
Engaged, analytical, optimistic, peppered with Cuban’s signature entrepreneurial insights.

For listeners who missed the episode:
This summary highlights Datumo’s business strategy, product evolution, industry context, and the timely opportunities and challenges in AI data management and benchmarking—equipping you with the key takeaways and the sentiment behind Mark Cuban’s bullish outlook on the company's future.