Manus discusses $500M round at $4B valuation after Meta separation
Chinese AI startup Manus is in discussions to raise $500 million at a $4 billion valuation after resuming operations as an independent company, The Wall Street Journal reported. Potential participants include IDG Capital, Boyu Capital, battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, and existing backers Tencent, HSG and Zhenfund.
The reported financing follows the unwinding of Manus’s planned $2 billion acquisition by Meta. Manus said this month that its founding team would continue to lead the company as it returned to independent operations.
Funding plans follow a forced separation
Manus had moved staff to Singapore in mid-2025 before announcing the Meta deal that December. At that time, the startup was said to have annual recurring revenue above $100 million. Concerns in China about the transfer of AI talent and researchers to the West later culminated in Beijing blocking the transaction over potential export-control and foreign-investment violations.
The reversal is central to the company’s new capital plans: Meta’s $2 billion Manus deal collapse records the $2 billion Meta transaction’s collapse after Beijing’s intervention, while Manus has since worked to separate itself from the US social-media group.
Early investors and backers reportedly helped Manus buy back its shares at a valuation of about $2 billion. The new discussions therefore imply a valuation twice that level, although neither Manus nor the prospective investors publicly confirmed the terms.
Product continuity and data handling remain material
During the separation, Manus told users in August that they needed to export and back up their own data. It said data generated after Meta’s acquisition had to be deleted to comply with regulatory requirements in specific jurisdictions.
Manus offers a chatbot, a browser assistant and vibe-coding tools for building applications and websites, creating designs and presentations, and generating video. Its product range places it alongside companies including OpenAI, Lovable and Replit in the market for AI tools and agents.
IPO preparation is also under consideration
The company is reportedly considering a restructuring exercise to prepare for a Hong Kong initial public offering. That possibility remains separate from the fundraising discussions, and Manus did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
For businesses using or assessing AI-agent platforms, the immediate implication is to confirm data-export procedures, retention terms and product support arrangements while Manus’s ownership and financing structure continues to change.