Chinese AI Startup Manus Scores Funding at $500 Million Value

The Chinese startup behind Manus AI secured a round of financing led by US venture firm Benchmark, scoring capital to explore the use of artificial intelligence agents to replace everyday tasks.

The Silicon Valley investor was joined by several of the startup’s existing backers in a $75 million funding that roughly quintupled its valuation to almost half a billion dollars, people familiar with the matter said. The company behind Manus, Butterfly Effect, intends to use the capital to expand its service to other markets including the US, Japan and the Middle East, the people said, asking not to be ...