What is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek develops efficient open-weight language and reasoning models from Hangzhou.
- Category
- Open-weight AI lab
- Headquarters
- Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
- Founded
- 2023
- Employees
- Reported ~160
- Total funding
- Reported $7.4B+ first external round
- Valuation
- Reported $50B+
What is DeepSeek?
DeepSeek is a open-weight ai lab headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China. DeepSeek develops efficient open-weight language and reasoning models from Hangzhou.
DeepSeek operates in open-weight ai lab and is best understood by its product surface: DeepSeek-V3, DeepSeek-R1, DeepSeek Coder, DeepSeek API, Open-weight model releases. DeepSeek reaches developers globally through APIs and open-weight model downloads, with significant usage in China. Revenue is not disclosed; the company has been known more for model releases and low-cost API access than public financial reporting.
The company was founded in 2023, is headquartered in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, and has reported ~160 employees according to public reporting or company-visible signals. Its market position is shaped by the acceleration of AI infrastructure and application spend, but most private-company financials remain reported estimates rather than audited disclosures.
For buyers and sellers, DeepSeek is a useful account because the company sits close to production AI budgets. The relevant buying centers are usually engineering, research, infrastructure, product, security, and enterprise operations rather than a single generic AI owner.
What does DeepSeek offer?
DeepSeek's public product surface includes DeepSeek-V3, DeepSeek-R1, DeepSeek Coder, DeepSeek API and related enterprise capabilities.
- DeepSeek-V3· Product / capability
- DeepSeek-R1· Product / capability
- DeepSeek Coder· Product / capability
- DeepSeek API· Product / capability
- Open-weight model releases· Product / capability
How does DeepSeek make money?
DeepSeek monetizes through a mix of self-service usage, subscriptions, infrastructure capacity, licensing, and enterprise contracts depending on the product line.
DeepSeek sells low-cost metered API access and distributes many model weights openly; enterprise terms are not broadly public.
Growth is driven by production AI usage: more prompts, model calls, GPU hours, private deployments, seats, storage, or managed workflows depending on the product. Where exact pricing is not published, the profile treats enterprise terms as contract-priced rather than inventing seat prices.
The buyer motion is therefore both developer-led and enterprise-led. Individual builders may start with a free tier, open-source project, or usage-based API, while larger accounts typically involve procurement, security review, data-governance review, and committed capacity or platform agreements.
Who leads DeepSeek?
DeepSeek's publicly visible leadership includes Liang Wenfeng.
- Liang WenfengFounder & CEOPublic role as of June 2026High-Flyer co-founder and DeepSeek's controlling technical/business leader.
How do you contact DeepSeek's leadership?
No verified public executive email pattern was confirmed for DeepSeek; use the company's official contact, sales, support, or press paths rather than guessed personal emails.
No verified public executive email format; use official contact channels.How much funding has DeepSeek raised?
DeepSeek has reported $7.4b+ first external round, with valuation/status currently described as Reported $50B+.
DeepSeek's disclosed funding history is: 2023: Internal High-Flyer backing — Initially funded by High-Flyer and founder-controlled resources. Jun 2026: First major external round — WSJ-reported $7.4B+ round at $50B+ valuation with Tencent, CATL, JD.com, NetEase and others.
Because several AI companies use strategic partnerships, cloud credits, debt, project finance, or reported-but-not-yet-filed private rounds, this profile separates disclosed funding from directional reports. The valuation field is reported as Reported $50B+; it should be rechecked before financial decisions.
The seller signal is budget maturity. Companies with late-stage or infrastructure-scale financing usually have formal procurement and security processes, while earlier labs and open-source companies may centralize decisions with founders and technical platform leaders.
How did DeepSeek get here?
DeepSeek's timeline runs from its 2023 founding to its current open-weight ai lab position.
- Jul 2023Founded in HangzhouLiang Wenfeng establishes DeepSeek.
- 2024DeepSeek-Coder and V2The lab gains developer attention for efficient open models.
- Jan 2025DeepSeek-R1R1 becomes a global marker for low-cost reasoning models.
- 2025Open-weight releasesDeepSeek continues publishing MIT-licensed model weights.
- 2026New scaling researchThe company publishes efficiency-focused training research.
- Jun 2026Large financing reportDeepSeek is reported to raise external capital at a $50B+ valuation.
Who are DeepSeek's competitors?
DeepSeek competes with OpenAI, Mistral AI, Alibaba Qwen, Moonshot AI, 01.AI depending on the buyer's use case.
- OpenAIOpenAI overlaps with DeepSeek for buyers evaluating open-weight ai lab alternatives, but differs by product depth, deployment model, geography, or ecosystem.
- Mistral AIMistral AI overlaps with DeepSeek for buyers evaluating open-weight ai lab alternatives, but differs by product depth, deployment model, geography, or ecosystem.
- Alibaba QwenAlibaba Qwen overlaps with DeepSeek for buyers evaluating open-weight ai lab alternatives, but differs by product depth, deployment model, geography, or ecosystem.
- Moonshot AIMoonshot AI overlaps with DeepSeek for buyers evaluating open-weight ai lab alternatives, but differs by product depth, deployment model, geography, or ecosystem.
- 01.AI01.AI overlaps with DeepSeek for buyers evaluating open-weight ai lab alternatives, but differs by product depth, deployment model, geography, or ecosystem.
DeepSeek — frequently asked questions
