Manus Seeks $500 Million Raise, Weighs Hong Kong IPO

Chinese AI startup Manus is pursuing a $500 million fundraise and weighing a Hong Kong IPO, according to a Seeking Alpha report, a twin-track push that comes after its split from Meta.

The $500 million target would rank among the larger recent financing efforts by China's AI startups, many of which are racing to bankroll compute, talent and product development as competition intensifies with U.S. rivals. The report did not specify the round's stage, lead investors or the valuation Manus is seeking.

The Shanghai- or Beijing-based company — the source did not pin down its headquarters — has simultaneously begun considering a listing in Hong Kong, per the report. A Hong Kong IPO would give Manus access to international capital while keeping it within a listing venue Beijing has steadily opened to mainland technology firms.

The plan follows a rupture in Manus's relationship with Meta. The report describes the move as a split, but offers no detail on when it occurred, what triggered it, or which Meta-linked parties were involved.

Neither Manus nor Meta has commented publicly on the reported fundraise, the potential listing or the circumstances of the split, according to the source material.

For Manus, $500 million in fresh capital would provide runway to scale its AI products in a market where DeepSeek and other Chinese players have driven down the cost of frontier-model development. A Hong Kong flotation, if pursued, would test investor appetite for Chinese AI exposure at a time when Washington's export controls continue to shape the sector's financing options.