Manus raises over 500 million dollars after Meta split

Manus, the Chinese AI agent startup whose product briefly became a global obsession among builders, has raised more than 500 million dollars through parent company Butterfly Effect. The company said the financing came after it resumed independent operations following the collapse of Meta’s attempted acquisition.

The round matters because Manus is one of the clearer examples of investor demand for agent companies that promise to complete multi-step tasks rather than simply answer prompts. A large raise also shows that strategic interest in Chinese AI startups remains strong even when cross-border acquisition routes become politically fragile.

Reuters reported that Butterfly Effect announced the completed financing, while TechCrunch and CNBC also reported that the round follows Beijing’s move forcing Meta to abandon the transaction. For readers, the practical signal is simple: AI agents are still attracting serious capital, and regulation is increasingly shaping which companies can buy or control them.