Manus to reportedly raise funds at $4bn valuation after failed Meta deal

Manus went back to being an independent business in September after China blocked Meta’s acquisition of the start-up.

AI start-up Manus is reportedly gearing up to double its valuation to $4bn in an upcoming fundraising round, after Meta’s acquisition of the company was forcibly unwound by Chinese authorities earlier this year.

According to Bloomberg, Manus’s fresh $500m round is set to close “soon”, after which the company could become China’s most valuable start-up in its sector. The talks are still in early stages and the outcome could change, sources told the publication.

Manus is behind a general AI agent called Manus AI that utilises multiple frontier models and operates in a complete sandbox environment to help users with multi-step tasks.

Meta acquired the Singapore-headquartered company (developed by China’s Butterfly Effect) late last December at a reported value of more than $2bn. This marked a fourfold jump from its valuation in April 2025, highlighting the perceived value of its general AI agent that took the industry by storm following its launch.

The acquisition, however, faced near-immediate scrutiny from Chinese authorities, which launched a probe shortly following the deal’s announcement.

According to national rules, the Chinese government, which is increasingly protective of its innovative technology and companies, needs to approve the export of certain technologies, including AI. Meta, at the time, said that the deal “complied fully with applicable law”.

Manus had already assimilated with Meta by the time the deal had to be unwound. Existing Manus investors, including Tencent Holdings, ZhenFund and HSG, had already received their acquisition proceeds, which needed to be reversed.

The Chinese start-up formally resumed operations as an independent business in September, months after the deal was struck down by China’s National Development and Reform Commission in April. Tech giant Tencent is now Manus’s largest external shareholder.

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