Manus, the buzzy AI agent startup, is back in business on its own terms. Parent company Butterfly Effect has completed a funding round of more than $500 million, its first since Beijing ordered Meta's $2 billion-plus acquisition of the company unwound in April, Reuters reported Thursday.
The round was co-led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with Tencent, HSG Capital and ZhenFund also participating. Media reports put the valuation at roughly $4 billion — about double what Meta had agreed to pay before regulators intervened.
Manus builds general-purpose AI agents designed to carry out real-world tasks such as research, booking and phone calls. The company resumed independent operations in September and has since launched "Cue," a personal-agent app aimed at mainstream users.
The raise makes Manus one of the most richly valued independent AI agent companies in the world, and a test case for whether Beijing will let Chinese AI champions raise global capital on their own terms.
