DeepSeek Closes $7.4 Billion Round at $50 Billion-Plus Valuation, Preserving Liang Wenfeng’s Control
DeepSeek has closed its first external funding round, raising more than $7.4 billion at a valuation above $50 billion. Founder Liang Wenfeng contributed roughly $3 billion of the total, leaving outside capital closer to $4.4 billion; Tencent, CATL and NetEase were among the outside backers.
Most investors put money into a limited partnership managed by Liang rather than buying shares directly in DeepSeek, a structure designed to preserve his control. Those investors received no voting rights and face a five-year lockup, while China’s National AI Industry Investment Fund was the main exception, investing directly in the company with voting rights. The new capital gives DeepSeek more resources for research and computing infrastructure as competition among Chinese and US AI labs intensifies.
From the sources (17 posts)
@firstsquawkDEEPSEEK CLOSES $7B-PLUS FUNDING: INFORMATION DEEPSEEK FUNDING VALUES CO AT OVER $50B: INFORMATION
@financialjuiceDeepSeek secures record $7 billion-plus funding with unconventional deal structure: The Information
@firstsquawkDeepSeek raises more than $7B in record round featuring unconventional structure that keeps CEO in control.
@techmemeSources: DeepSeek closed a $7.4B round at a $50B valuation under an unusual structure requiring investors to put capital into an LP run by CEO Liang Wenfeng (The Information) (Visit Techmeme dot com for the link and full context!)
@jukan05DeepSeek Completes First External Funding Round, Raising $7.4 Billion - DeepSeek has completed its first external fundraising round, raising more than RMB 50 billion (approximately $7.4 billion). The company was reportedly valued at over $
@jukan05
@cointelegraph🇨🇳 BIG: China's DeepSeek closes its first-ever funding round at over $7.4 billion under an unusual deal structure, valuing the AI lab at more than $50 billion, per The Information.
@teortaxestex> Ordinary investors receive no voting rights total Junzi victory. Wenfeng would probably raise 2x that if he were more open to the risk of losing control to the Xiaoren. But he has a long-term agenda that can't be compromised on.
@amir👀 first outside investors in DeepSeek agreed to a 5-year share lockup & other terms guaranteeing founder maintains total control the only investor not subject to the terms: China’s National Artificial Intelligence Industry Investment F
@zephyr_z9RT @jukan05: DeepSeek Completes First External Funding Round, Raising $7.4 Billion - DeepSeek has completed its first external fundraising…
@wallstengineDEEPSEEK $7.4B FUNDING DETAILS, PER THE INFORMATION: Raised: $7.4B+ Valuation: $50B+ Lead structure: LP managed by CEO Liang Wenfeng Investor lockup: 5 years Voting rights: mostly none Exception: China’s national AI fund invests directly
@poezhao0605DeepSeek just closed its first outside round at $7.4 billion. The largest single check? Roughly $3 billion from founder Liang Wenfeng himself. Subtract his money, and actual outside capital is closer to $4.4 billion. The deal's architecture
@poezhao0605Tencent put roughly $1.5 billion into DeepSeek's first outside round. CATL committed $740 million. and NetEase each put in about $440 million. None received voting rights. None can exit for five years. What "investin
@poezhao0605DeepSeek's first outside round brought in big names. Tencent committed roughly $1.5 billion. CATL invested $740 million. and NetEase each contributed about $440 million. The check sizes look like major strategic bets
@theinformationDeepSeek closed a record $7.4B+ funding round while preserving founder Liang Wenfeng’s control over the company. Read more:
@wesrothDeepSeek reportedly closed its first external funding round, raising more than $7.4 billion at a valuation exceeding $50 billion. The deal uses an unusual structure designed to preserve founder Liang Wenfeng’s control. Most investors plac
@zephyr_z9"Forecasted spend per year is only $3-500 million and it only costs tens of millions to train models currently." 2027 will be so lit