{
  "id": 7929382,
  "title": "Manus seeks $4 bln valuation in first funding round since Meta breakup- Bloomberg",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/17/manus-seeks-4-bln-valuation-in-first-funding-round-since-meta-breakup",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-09-17T02:24:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Investing.com",
    "slug": "investing-com",
    "url": "https://www.investing.com/news/stock-market-news/manus-seeks-4-bln-valuation-in-first-funding-round-since-meta-breakup-bloomberg-4904762"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "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.",
  "summary": null,
  "key_points": [
    "Chinese AI startup Manus aims for $4 billion valuation in first post-Meta funding round.",
    "Delayed deal approval due to Beijing's concerns over technology moving to a geopolitical rival."
  ],
  "editors_take": "A $4 billion valuation for Manus would bolster its standing among China's AI-agent developers and potentially pave the way for a Hong Kong listing, putting pressure on rival AI startups.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Techmeme",
        "title": "Sources: drone delivery startup Zipline is in talks to raise around $1B at a roughly $20B valuation, up from a $7.6B valuation in January (Bloomberg)",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/16/sources-drone-delivery-startup-zipline-is-in-talks-to-raise-around-1b",
        "published": "2026-09-16T22:02:06.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}