The artificial intelligence startup Manus raised more than US$ 500 million in a new investment round, months after the Chinese government forced Meta to unwind its acquisition for more than US$ 2 billion. The transaction, announced this Thursday (8), marks the company's first fundraising since its return to independent company status.
The financing was led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with participation from previous investors, including Tencent, HSG, formerly Sequoia China, and ZhenFund. Parent company Butterfly Effect confirmed the completion of the round but did not disclose the startup's new market valuation.
The investment comes after a regulatory intervention that reversed a completed acquisition and forced former shareholders to buy back the company. Manus, founded in China and later transferred to Singapore, develops AI agents capable of conducting research, automating processes, and performing tasks with little human intervention.
From the acquisition by Meta to the return as an independent company
Meta acquired Manus in December 2025, in a transaction worth more than US$ 2 billion aimed at strengthening its work in artificial intelligence agents.
However, on April 27, 2026, the Chinese body responsible for reviewing foreign investment security ordered the cancellation of the transaction. The decision prohibited foreign investments in Manus and required the parties to reverse the acquisition.
The measure affected the company even after the transfer of its operations to Singapore, highlighting the reach of Chinese oversight over transactions involving technologies and assets originally developed in the country.
To unwind the purchase, previous investors, including Tencent, HSG and ZhenFund, bought back the stakes held by Meta. In August, Manus announced its transition back to independent operations, a process that also involved deleting certain user data to comply with regulatory requirements.
The new round comes as the company expands its offering of AI agents. It recently launched an update to its main platform and introduced Cue, an app aimed at creating autonomous personal assistants.
The next financial move could be an initial public offering in Hong Kong. According to Reuters, which spoke with a source familiar with the plans, the IPO process is not expected to begin before 2027.
Although the company has not disclosed its valuation after the investment, September reports pointed to negotiations around US$ 4 billion, roughly double the amount involved in the acquisition by Meta. That level has not yet been officially confirmed.
