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Russian (RU) Paula Tudoran
Fri, May 2, 2025, 8:06 AM 4 min read
Manus AI, the fast-rising Chinese startup, has secured $75 million in fresh funding led by Benchmark and backed by Tencent, ZhenFund, and HongShan Capital.
The round catapults the company's valuation to nearly $500 million and positions it as a formidable contender in the global race to build truly autonomous AI agents, according to Bloomberg.
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Manus, developed by the company Butterfly Effect, made waves in March after unveiling a general-purpose AI agent that handles resume screening, trip planning, and stock analysis with minimal user input. The company claims its system outperforms OpenAI's recently launched Deep Research in key areas of functionality, writes DataCamp.
The buzz grew fast after a slick demo video went viral online, prompting a surge of interest and a waiting list for limited access. The hype triggered comparisons to DeepSeek, another Chinese AI firm that shocked Silicon Valley earlier this year with a highly capable, cost-effective language model.
Co-founder and Chief Scientist Yichao "Peak" Ji described Manus in the demo video as a revolutionary leap forward in AI autonomy. "This isn't just another chatbot or workflow tool. It's a truly autonomous agent that bridges the gap between conception and execution," Ji said.
The AI agent was designed with a multistep problem-solving framework that executes tasks, troubleshoots issues, and asks for new input only when necessary. This level of autonomy is what sets Manus apart from many of its U.S. and Chinese competitors, which still require significant human supervision.
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Manus AI's growing momentum has drawn continued attention from some of the most influential investors in both China and Silicon Valley. The startup had previously raised more than $10 million from many of the same backers, according to Next Big Future.
This growing list of high-profile investors signals confidence in Butterfly Effect's long-term potential. Benchmark's decision to lead the round places Manus among a select group of emerging AI companies with support from top-tier U.S. venture capitalists.
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