AI agent startup Manus has raised more than $500 million in a new funding round, according to Reuters. The company is resuming independent operations after the unwind of Meta's more than $2 billion acquisition.
The round was co-led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with existing investors Tencent, HSG and ZhenFund also participating. Manus develops general-purpose AI agents that can carry out tasks such as research and automation with minimal human input.
The development matters because AI agents are moving beyond chat-based assistance toward systems that can complete multi-step tasks with less human input. Manus is also notable because its ownership and operating structure have changed after regulatory scrutiny surrounding Meta's investment in Chinese AI startups.
Reuters reported that Manus had said in August it would resume operating independently and delete some user data as part of its separation from Meta. The Information had previously reported an annualised revenue run rate of about $500 million.