Manus Raises More Than $500 Million After Unwinding Meta Deal
AI-agent startup Manus has secured more than $500 million in fresh funding after completing its separation from Meta and resuming independent operations. Butterfly Effect, Manus’s parent company, announced the financing on October 8, with Boyu Capital and IDG Capital leading the round. Existing investors Tencent, HSG and ZhenFund also participated.
The financing marks Manus’s first major funding round since its proposed acquisition by Meta was unwound. The deal, valued at more than $2 billion, had placed the AI startup at the centre of growing scrutiny over foreign investment in advanced Chinese AI companies.
Manus Returns to Independent Operations
Manus develops general-purpose AI agents designed to perform tasks such as research and automation with limited human input. The company was founded in China before relocating its headquarters and key operations to Singapore.
Meta had agreed to acquire Manus in December 2025, but Chinese authorities later ordered the transaction to be unwound. In April, Beijing blocked the acquisition amid tighter scrutiny of foreign investment in Chinese AI startups. Manus subsequently said it would resume operations independently.
The separation also involved changes to user data. Manus said in August that some user data would be deleted as part of the process of becoming independent again.
Boyu Capital and IDG Capital Lead Funding
Boyu Capital and IDG Capital co-led the latest funding round, while Tencent, HSG and ZhenFund returned as participating investors. Butterfly Effect did not disclose the company’s valuation or provide details on how the new capital will be allocated.
Reports had previously suggested that Manus could be valued at around $4 billion following the new financing, although that valuation has not been officially disclosed by the company. The latest investment nevertheless gives the startup substantial new capital as it competes in the increasingly crowded AI-agent market.
Manus Expands Its AI-Agent Push
The funding comes as Manus continues expanding its product portfolio. The company recently introduced Manus 2.0 and launched Cue, a personal AI-agent application designed to handle tasks for individual users. It has also indicated plans to continue hiring in both domestic and international markets.
For Manus, the new financing represents a fresh phase after the disruption caused by the Meta deal. With new lead investors and continued backing from existing shareholders, the company is now positioning itself as an independent AI-agent business while facing competition from larger technology companies developing similar autonomous AI products.
