Manus raises more than $500 million after Meta deal unwound

Butterfly Effect, the parent company of AI agent startup Manus, said on October 8 that Manus had completed a funding round of more than $500 million, its first since Meta’s proposed acquisition was unwound. Boyu Capital and IDG Capital co-led the round, while existing investors Tencent, Sequoia China, HSG and ZhenFund also participated, according to the company’s announcement. The company did not disclose Manus’s post-funding valuation or explain how it would use the proceeds. Reports before the announcement said Manus was seeking a valuation of about $4 billion, but that figure was an earlier expectation, not a confirmed valuation for the completed round. The financing follows the collapse of Meta’s planned purchase of Manus for more than $2 billion. Chinese authorities blocked the acquisition in April, citing national security concerns, and directed the parties to cancel it. Meta subsequently began separating from Manus. The funding announcement marks a new financing round after that separation, but the terms disclosed so far do not establish the company’s valuation. Manus said in August that it would resume operating independently.