Urgent.News

What's breaking now, across thousands of outlets.

AI

Manus seeks $4 bln valuation in first funding round since Meta breakup- Bloomberg

Manus seeks $4 bln valuation in first funding round since Meta breakup- Bloomberg

Chinese AI startup Manus is targeting a $4 billion valuation in its first funding round since separating from Meta Platforms, according to Bloomberg. The $500 million round, still in early stages, could double Manus' valuation and make it the most valuable AI-agent startup in China, according to sources. Existing backers include Tencent Holdings, HSG and ZhenFund.

The deal's approval was delayed by Beijing, who blocked Meta's acquisition of the startup after it reached $100 million in annualized revenue due to concerns over technology moving to a geopolitical rival. Manus and Meta ceased data sharing after the split in May, with the company resuming independent operations under its founding team, according to Bloomberg.

A $4 billion valuation would bolster Manus' standing among China's AI-agent developers and potentially pave the way for a Hong Kong listing. Rival Evoken, developer of AI design agent Lovart, is also raising capital at a reported $3 billion valuation. Manus still faces competition from broader foundation-model providers such as Moonshot's Kimi and Anthropic's Claude, which are increasingly capable of handling general desktop tasks.

Written by urgent.news from Investing.com's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

Also reported by 1 other outlet

Read the original at investing.com →

More in AI

My First AI Judge Interview: What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

TL;DR: I entered HackerRank Orchestrate wanting to win, then faced an AI judge asking how Praxi Clew actually worked, and I sought help mid-interview too.

  • AI judge named Chakra engaged in interview-like conversation
  • Interview focused on Praxi Clew's financial decision tool
  • Future attempts require explaining implementation details

America needs responsible leadership on AI development. It has Trump instead

Another cry for help came from the billionaires building the artificial intelligence machinery that threatens to upend — if not end — the world: Save us from ourselves before it is too late!

  • Dario Amodei, Anthropic CEO, urges global AI regulation
  • Over 10% chance of human extinction with advanced AI systems
  • Former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon resigns over safety concerns

More from Thursday 17 September →