AI BriefingDeepSeek's First External Investment
·2026.04.18 05:16
Key point
DeepSeek is pursuing at least $300 million in its first external funding round at a $10 billion valuation.
Details
DeepSeek is pursuing its first external investment.
The goal is to raise at least $300 million, at a valuation of over $10 billion.
Until now, the company has operated solely on funding from its parent hedge fund, High Flyer Capital Management, and is known to have turned down investment offers from some Chinese VCs and tech companies during that time.
If this funding round succeeds, DeepSeek will secure a larger capital base to compete in the increasingly costly AI model race.
- Reported by: The Information
- Recent context: The R1 model drew significant attention from Silicon Valley and Wall Street
- Market comparison: Still a tier below the ultra-high-valuation raises seen from OpenAI and Anthropic