Chinese AI Startup Moonshot Raises $1B at $18B Valuation

Chinese AI startup Moonshot AI, maker of the Kimi chatbot, is looking to raise up to $1 billion in new funding at a valuation of $18 billion, more than quadrupling its valuation from just three months ago. The company secured over $700 million earlier this year, bringing its valuation to $10 billion. At the end of 2025, Moonshot was valued at $4.3 billion following a $500 million funding round. The rapid fundraising reflects growing investor appetite for Chinese AI companies competing with OpenAI and Anthropic. The trend was sparked by the rise of open-source agent OpenClaw, which prompted Chinas top cloud providers and AI challengers to introduce their own versions. Moonshot was first to capitalize with the debut of Kimi Claw, and its monthly sales now surpass its total revenue for all of last year. Primary source: PYMNTS.com, citing Bloomberg