Manus, the AI agent Meta couldn't buy, raises more than $500 million
Redacción IvokaOct 9, 9:00 AM 3 min
After Beijing ordered Meta to unwind its roughly $2 billion purchase, Manus raised more than $500 million in its first funding round since then.
What happened
Manus, the maker of a general-purpose AI agent, announced on Thursday, October 8 that it raised more than $500 million. It is its first funding round since Meta had to abandon its attempt to acquire the company.
The round was led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with follow-on investment from existing shareholders Tencent, HSG and ZhenFund.
The background
Meta had announced the purchase on December 29, 2025, for more than $2 billion. In April, the Chinese government ordered the deal unwound, and Manus went back to operating as an independent company.
And the valuation?
The company did not disclose its post-funding valuation. Bloomberg had reported that it aimed to double its value to $4 billion, but the company has not confirmed that.
What Manus is
An AI agent is a program that handles multi-step tasks — research, building reports, automating processes — with little input from you. Manus became well known when videos of its agent doing tasks on a computer went viral. The company said it is recruiting both in China and abroad.
What it has launched since the split
Since separating from Meta, Manus has unveiled Manus 2.0, built on a new in-house execution system called Cascade, and launched Cue, a standalone personal-agent app in which each agent has its own email address, phone number and mobile wallet.
Why it matters to a small business
The news shows there is serious money behind agents that work "for you," and that competition among them keeps growing: Meta, for its part, launched its own personal agent, Muse, in early September. The sources do not detail Manus pricing or terms of use, so it is worth checking those directly with the company before deciding whether it fits your needs.