Chinese AI startup Manus in talks for $500M raise at $4B valuation
Manus, the Chinese AI startup that had to abandon a merger with Meta earlier this year, is reportedly in talks to raise $500 million at a $4 billion valuation as it resumes independent operations.
Chinese artificial intelligence startup Manus is in discussions to raise $500 million at a $4 billion valuation, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal citing anonymous sources. Potential investors named include IDG Capital, Boyu Capital, battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, along with existing backers Tencent, HSG and Zhenfund.
The company is also said to be weighing a restructuring move to prepare for a possible initial public offering in Hong Kong.
A collapsed deal with Meta
Manus gained wide attention last year after a viral demo of its AI agent. In mid-2025 it relocated staff to Singapore, and that December it announced a $2 billion acquisition agreement with Meta. At the time, the startup was reportedly generating annual recurring revenue exceeding $100 million.
However, growing concern within China over the loss of AI talent and researchers to Western companies led Beijing to block the deal, citing possible violations of export control and foreign investment rules. Manus has since worked to disentangle itself from the American social media company, with early investors reportedly helping it buy back shares at a valuation of about $2 billion.
As part of the separation, Manus told users in August that they would need to export and back up their own data, since the company had to delete data generated after the Meta acquisition to comply with regulatory requirements in certain jurisdictions.
This month, Manus confirmed it has resumed independent operations, with its founding team continuing to lead the company. Manus offers AI products and agents comparable to those from companies like OpenAI, Lovable and Replit, including a chatbot and vibe-coding tools for building apps and websites, creating designs and presentations, generating video, and a browser assistant.
