Manus secures more than $500 million after Meta deal collapse
Chinese AI company Manus has raised more than $500 million in its first funding round since the planned $2 billion acquisition by Meta was unwound. Manus parent company Butterfly Effect announced the financing in a WeChat post, naming Boyu Capital and IDG Capital as lead investors.
Existing shareholders Tencent, HSG, formerly known as Sequoia China, and ZhenFund also participated. The company said it will continue hiring in China and internationally, but did not disclose a valuation.
New capital after a forced separation
The financing follows the end of Meta's proposed acquisition of Manus. Chinese authorities ordered the startup to unwind the transaction in April amid concerns in China about AI talent and researchers moving to the West. Manus resumed independent operations in August and said that the split required it to delete some user data.
Before the new round, Manus $500 million valuation discussions outlined discussions of a $500 million raise at a $4 billion valuation, although Manus has not confirmed that valuation. The company had moved staff to Singapore in mid-2025 before it announced the Meta deal that December.
At the time of the proposed acquisition, Manus was reported to have annual recurring revenue above $100 million. It is also reported to be considering an initial public offering in Hong Kong.
Agent products and operating controls
Manus develops AI products and agents in categories also served by Cursor, Lovable and Replit. Its chatbot and vibe-coding tools are designed to help users build applications and websites, create designs and presentations, and generate video.
The company recently released Manus 2.0, which it says uses a new architecture and introduces products and capabilities built around a new harness. It also launched Cue, a standalone application intended to give personal AI agents their own email addresses, phone numbers, digital wallets and computers.
Cue is designed to let agents communicate, work across services and make payments within limits set by the user. Those capabilities place operational boundaries alongside the product's automation features, particularly where agents can act through accounts or handle transactions.
What the round means for buyers
The funding gives Manus resources for continued recruitment and product development after its separation from Meta. For businesses evaluating agent platforms, the practical implication is to establish data-handling rules and payment limits before allowing agents to perform tasks across connected services.