DeepSeek Raises $15B Days After US Federal Ban

DeepSeek was founded in 2023 by Liang Wenfeng, who previously co-founded the Chinese quantitative hedge fund High-Flyer, which helped finance the startup's early development. The lab drew global attention in early 2025 with a free-to-use, open-weight reasoning model that challenged the dominance of US AI companies.

Liang still holds an estimated 81.6% stake in DeepSeek's Chinese operating entity, according to corporate ownership data analyzed by WireScreen. The new funding would give the company more room to scale its infrastructure and open models, intensifying competition with domestic rivals.

The round is the latest sign of investors pouring billions into AI companies worldwide, including in China, to compete in the global AI race. Moonshot AI, the developer of Kimi, secured $2 billion at a $20 billion valuation in May, while Manus AI raised more than $500 million earlier this month.

Chinese companies Zhipu AI (Z.ai) and MiniMax, both listed in Hong Kong since January, have market capitalizations of roughly $29 billion and $7.2 billion respectively as of today. DeepSeek's reported raise sits at the top of that wave.

For users in Tunisia and the wider region, DeepSeek's models remain accessible through its app and open-weight releases, and the reported funding points to more investment in the open models that made the lab popular. No pricing or product changes have been announced, and there is no word yet on new availability or offers for Tunisia.

The US federal ban does not directly restrict consumer access in Tunisia, but it widens the split between US and Chinese AI ecosystems. If DeepSeek does pursue a listing in China as early as next year, expect more competition and faster model updates across the sector.