Manus raises $500m after China blocks Meta deal

AI startup Manus said Thursday it had raised more than $500 million, weeks after the Chinese-developed, Singapore-based company resumed independent operations following the unwinding of its acquisition by Meta.

Butterfly Effect, the parent company of Manus, said the funding round was led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital. Existing investors including Tencent, HSG Capital and ZhenFund also participated, it said.

The company did not disclose its latest valuation. Media reports have suggested it could be around $4 billion, double the $2 billion acquisition deal Manus and Meta announced in December.

China's economic planning body said in April that the Meta deal had to be unwound. Manus said in September that it had resumed independent operations after separating from the US tech company.

Manus makes an AI agent tool that can carry out tasks for users. In September, it launched a major update to the tool and a standalone app called Cue, which lets users create personal AI agents for tasks such as booking restaurants and making phone calls.

The company has also said it is forming teams to develop products for the Chinese domestic market.