People familiar with the talks named potential backers including IDG Capital, Boyu Capital, battery maker Contemporary Amperex Technology, and existing investors Tencent, HSG and Zhenfund. Company executives are also said to be weighing a restructuring to make an initial public offering in Hong Kong feasible.
The raise follows a turbulent year for the Chinese AI startup. Manus moved staff to Singapore in mid-2025, then agreed to a $2 billion acquisition by Meta in December 2025. At that time the business was reported to be generating annual recurring revenue of over $100 million. Beijing intervened and blocked the deal on grounds that it could violate export controls and foreign investment rules, prompting Manus to unwind the transaction.
After the collapse of the acquisition, Manus’ early backers helped the company repurchase shares at a valuation of about $2 billion. In August the firm told users they would need to export and back up their own data because it had to delete data created following the Meta transaction to "comply with regulatory requirements in specific jurisdictions." In September 2026 Manus said it had resumed independent operations and that its founding team would remain in charge.
Manus produces AI agents and tooling that resemble offerings from OpenAI, Lovable and Replit, including a chatbot, vibe-coding tools for building apps and websites, design and presentation generators, video creation, and a browser assistant. The financing would supply fresh capital as the startup attempts to stabilise after regulatory intervention and a high‑profile separation from Meta. Manus did not immediately return a request for comment.
If the talks conclude, the next steps for the company are clear: complete the round, execute any restructuring to position for an IPO in Hong Kong, and manage the technical and legal work needed to keep user data in compliance with regional rules.
