Deal Structure

• Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has closed its first funding round, raising over 50 billion yuan (approximately $7.4 billion). • The deal values the large-language model developer at more than $50 billion and utilizes an unusual structure where capital is placed into a limited partnership managed by CEO Liang Wenfeng. • This massive injection of capital underscores the intense global competition in AI development and DeepSeek's emergence as a major player in the sector.

• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has raised over 50 billion yuan (approximately $7.40 billion) in its first funding round, achieving a valuation exceeding $50 billion. • The company utilized a limited partnership structure to ensure founders maintain control, implementing a five-year lock-up period and stripping investors of voting rights. • A notable exception to the voting restriction is China's national AI fund, which retains its influence within the deal structure.

• Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has raised over 50 billion yuan (approximately US$7 billion) in its first funding round, reaching a valuation exceeding US$50 billion. • The funding utilizes an unusual deal structure specifically designed to ensure founder Liang maintains control over the company. • Major external investors include tech giant Tencent, which is considering a 10 billion yuan investment, and battery manufacturer CATL, eyeing a 5 billion yuan stake.

• Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has closed its first funding round, raising over 50 billion yuan (approximately $7.40 billion). • According to a report from The Information on Tuesday, the investment was secured using an unusual deal structure. • This massive capital injection positions DeepSeek as a significant competitor in the global AI landscape, challenging established players with substantial resources.

• Stripe completed the acquisition of Wise Exchange, a fintech startup specializing in cross-border payment optimization, for $1.2 billion in stock on April 18, expanding its international payment capabilities. • The acquisition adds Wise Exchange's proprietary currency conversion algorithms and partnerships with 40+ financial institutions across Europe, Asia, and Americas to Stripe's existing platform. • Industry analysts view this acquisition as Stripe's strategic response to intensifying competition from Block, PayPal, and traditional payment networks in the global payments sector.

• President Donald Trump warned Monday via Truth Social that if Iran does not open the Strait of Hormuz and a deal is not reached "shortly," the US will "blow up and completely obliterate" Iran's electric generating plants, oil wells, and Kharg Island. • US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Washington is close to achieving its objectives in Iran "in a matter of weeks" and that Trump has "a number of options available" to prevent Iran from controlling the strategic waterway. • The threat comes as 3,500 US Marines and sailors aboard the USS Tripoli arrive in the Middle East, joining over 50,000 American troops already in the region, with hundreds of Navy SEALs also deployed.