Moonshot AI Secures Staggering $700M Funding Just Weeks After Last Round
Moonshot AI's Funding Spree Defies Market Trends
In a move that's sending shockwaves through the tech investment community, Chinese AI startup Moonshot (creator of the Kimi chatbot) is finalizing a colossal $700 million funding round - coming just three weeks after securing $500 million in its previous raise.
The investment consortium reads like a who's who of Chinese tech giants, with Alibaba and Matrix Partners leading the charge alongside existing backers. Notably, Tencent has joined this round despite typically backing rival AI ventures.
Valuation Skyrockets Past $10 Billion
What makes this fundraising particularly remarkable is the velocity at which Moonshot's valuation has climbed:
- Previous round (February 2026): ~$5 billion valuation
- Current round: $10-12 billion valuation range
The company has effectively doubled its worth in less than a month - an unprecedented trajectory even during the peak of China's tech boom years.
Breaking Down the Numbers
The consecutive funding rounds tell an astonishing story:
- December 2025: Internal memo reveals cash reserves exceed 10 billion yuan ($1.4B)
- Late January 2026: Secures $500 million Series B+
- Mid-February 2026: Announces $700 million Series C at double valuation
"These aren't just big numbers - they're historic," observes Beijing-based tech analyst Li Wei. "We haven't seen back-to-back rounds of this magnitude since Didi's pre-IPO days."
Why Investors Can't Get Enough
Several factors explain the frenzied investment:
- Kimi's explosive user growth, particularly among younger demographics
- Proprietary large language model showing competitive benchmarks against GPT-4
- Strategic partnerships with major Chinese cloud providers
- Founder Yang Zhilin's track record (former Google Brain researcher)
The funding comes despite Moenshot having no immediate IPO plans - unusual for Chinese startups at this stage.
Key Points:
- Moenshot AI raising $700M just weeks after $500M round
- Valuation jumps from ~$5B to $10-12B range
- Alibaba leads investment with Tencent joining unexpectedly
- Total raised exceeds most tech IPOs ($1.2B+)
- Company holds over 10B yuan cash with no IPO timeline
