88Z AI, 17 June — DeepSeek has completed its first external funding round, raising over 50 billion yuan with a valuation exceeding 330 billion yuan, setting a record for the largest single financing in China's AI industry. The deal features a unique structure where funds are directed into a limited partnership managed by Liang Wenfeng. External investors face a five-year lock-up period and hold no voting rights, except for the National AI Industry Investment Fund which invested 1 billion yuan directly. Liang Wenf
At a glance
- DeepSeek raises over 50 billion yuan in first round, valuation exceeds 330 billion yuan setting domestic AI record
- External investors face five-year lock-up with no voting rights, while Liang Wenfeng personally contributes 20 billion yuan
The update
DeepSeek has officially completed its first external funding round, raising more than 50 billion yuan and pushing its valuation above 330 billion yuan. This landmark transaction sets a new record for the largest single financing deal in China's artificial intelligence sector. The deal structure is distinctive, requiring most capital to be channeled into a limited partnership managed by Liang Wenfeng. Under the terms, external investors are subject to a five-year lock-up period on their shares and do not possess voting rights. An exception was made for the National AI Industry Investment Fund, which made a direct investment of 1 billion yuan. Regarding the contributor composition, Liang Wenfeng personally invested 20 billion yuan, while prominent entities such as Tencent and CATL also participated in this round.
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- 机器之心Source published
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