Overview

Verbal suspension of deepseek’s second outside funding round (July 25, 2026 reporting), after viral circulation of remarks attributed to founder liang-wenfeng. First June round (~50–52B valuation) still stands; second round had targeted ≥10B yuan and 480B yuan ($71B) pre-money.

Recent Developments

  • 2026-07-25: Bloomberg: verbally told some backers signings would not proceed; may resume later (2026-07-26-deepseek-bloomberg-yahoo-funding-pause)
  • Mid-July 2026: preliminary second-round talks began weeks after first close
  • IPO preparations reported; possible mainland listing path

Warning

Frame as verbal pause/suspension, not formal cancellation. Anonymous sources.

Sources