DeepSeek Suspends Second Funding Round After $7 Billion Raise as Founder's AI Comments Go Viral
Updated
Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 25
DeepSeek Suspends Second Funding Round After $7 Billion Raise as Founder's AI Comments Go Viral
3 articles · Updated · Bloomberg · Jul 25
Summary
DeepSeek told prospective investors its second fundraising round is on hold and that expected investment agreements will not be signed in the coming days.
Viral online posts about comments attributed to founder Liang Wenfeng on US-China AI competition helped trigger the pause, with people familiar saying Liang was frustrated by reports about remarks made to investors.
The suspended deal follows DeepSeek's first financing round, which closed in June and raised $7 billion for the Chinese AI lab.
People familiar said DeepSeek could restart the fundraising process later, leaving the pause as a temporary setback rather than a formal cancellation.