The round drew participation from existing backers including Tencent, HSG, and ZhenFund. While the startup declined to officially confirm its valuation, recent reports suggest the company sought the $500 million injection at a $4 billion valuation. This capital infusion follows a turbulent year for the firm, which relocated its staff to Singapore before being ordered by Chinese authorities in April to unwind the Meta deal due to concerns over the outflow of domestic technical talent.
In section Startups & Technology
Manus secures $500 million in first round after collapsed Meta deal
Chinese artificial intelligence startup Manus has secured over $500 million in its first capital raise since the collapse of a planned $2 billion acquisition by Meta. The funding, led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, signals a return to independent operations for the company after Chinese regulators blocked the high-profile exit.
Since resuming independent operations in August, the lab has pivoted toward aggressive growth, including plans to expand its workforce globally and a potential initial public offering in Hong Kong. The company is currently scaling its product line, recently debuting Manus 2.0 and a standalone application called Cue. The latter provides AI agents with unique digital identities, including email addresses and wallets, enabling them to execute tasks and handle payments across external services.
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