Chinese AI lab Manus’ parent company, Butterfly Effect, announced on Thursday via a WeChat post that it has raised over $500 million in its first funding round since Meta was forced to abandon its $2 billion acquisition of the startup.
Funding Details
The funding round was led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with participation from existing shareholders including Tencent, HSG (formerly known as Sequoia China), ZhenFund, and others. Manus stated that it plans to continue hiring both domestically and internationally.
While Manus did not disclose its current valuation, reports from last month indicated that the company was in discussions with investors to raise $500 million at a $4 billion valuation.
Background
Manus gained significant attention after a demo of its AI agent went viral last year. In mid-2025, the company relocated its staff to Singapore before announcing the acquisition deal with Meta in December. At that time, Manus was reportedly generating an annual recurring revenue exceeding $100 million.
