💰 DeepSeek just pulled off one of the most unusual mega-fundraises in AI...

💰 DeepSeek just pulled off one of the most unusual mega-fundraises in AI history. The Chinese AI lab reportedly closed its first outside funding round, raising more than $7.4 billion at a valuation north of $50 billion. But the money came with a twist. Most investors didn’t actually buy shares in DeepSeek. Instead, they invested through a special partnership controlled by founder Liang Wenfeng. In exchange, they reportedly received no voting rights and agreed not to sell their stakes for five years. Translation: billions of dollars came in, but Liang kept an iron grip on the company. One major exception stood out. China’s state-backed national AI fund invested directly into DeepSeek, securing voting rights and avoiding the five-year lockup. Liang himself reportedly put in around $3 billion, while heavyweight backers included Tencent, CATL, JD .com, NetEase, and several major investment firms. The result is a war chest large enough to dramatically expand DeepSeek’s computing power, research efforts, and future AI products. Most founders give up control to raise billions. Liang may have found a way to do the opposite. @aipost 🏴