Institutional sources respond to DeepSeek initiating its first external funding round: The news is highly likely to be true, and currently it's completely inaccessible for investment.

Odaily News On April 18th, news regarding the potential initiation of the first external funding round by the domestic AI giant DeepSeek continued to circulate within the industry. A recent report from a vertical media outlet focusing on technology and business stated that DeepSeek is currently in discussions to introduce external capital for the first time, aiming to bolster its financial reserves to secure a more advantageous position in the high-cost competition for developing top-tier artificial intelligence models. The company had previously declined investment offers from leading Chinese venture capital firms and tech giants on multiple occasions. However, according to sources from two individuals, the startup has recently begun engaging with investors, planning to raise no less than $300 million at a valuation of at least $10 billion. In response, a representative from a large state-owned equity institution stated, "Feedback from channels suggests that the news of DeepSeek initiating its first external funding round is highly likely to be true, and currently it's completely inaccessible for investment," adding, "More information cannot be disclosed." Furthermore, from noon to afternoon on April 18th, attempts were made to contact two senior executives of High-Flyer Quant via personal phone calls and WeChat messages to verify the related funding news about DeepSeek. However, as of the time of writing, the phone calls to the aforementioned two executives went unanswered, and the WeChat messages also received no reply. (China Securities Golden Bull)