Manus AI Secures $75M Series B Funding Led by Benchmark at $500M Valuation: Global Expansion Plans Revealed
Breaking: Silicon Valley Giant Backs AI Unicorn
Benchmark Capital leads $75 million (ยฅ546M RMB) investment round in Manus AI, catapulting the startup's valuation to $500 million (ยฅ3.644B RMB) - a 5x surge from its Series A valuation in November 2024.
Key Funding Details
| Metric | Value | Strategic Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Total Raised | $75M | 2nd largest AI round in Q2 2024 |
| Valuation | $500M | Enters "Soonicorn" category |
| Lead Investor | Benchmark | 12th unicorn in portfolio |
| Geographic Focus | US/Japan/Middle East | Triples market reach |
Growth Traction & Market Position
User Metrics
- Waitlist: 2.6M+ users (47% from target markets)
- Subscription Pricing:
- Pro Tier: $39/month (1.2M active users)
- Enterprise Tier: $199/month (85% retention rate)
Strategic Partnerships
-
Alibaba DAMO Academy (March 11 announcement):
- Integrates Tongyi Qianwen OSS models
- Optimizes for domestic computing platforms
-
Previous Investors:
- Series A (Nov 2024): Tencent, Sequoia China, ZhenFund
- Acquisition History: Rejected $30M ByteDance offer (2023 Q1)
Financial Insights & Operational Costs
Cost Structure Analysis
- Per-Task Expense: $2 to Anthropic (Claude API)
- Initial Burn Rate: $1M+ in first 2 weeks
- Gross Margin: 68% (Q1 2024 filings)
Regulatory Milestones
- Completed Beijing's Generative AI Service Registration (Monica product)
- Passed ML Model Compliance Certification (GB/T 35273-2020)
Global Expansion Roadmap
