Overnight, DeepSeek attracted global attention, and founder Liang Wenfeng's net worth may enter the global billionaire list.
According to a survey by Bloomberg of seven startup founders and AI experts, DeepSeek's valuation ranges from $1 billion to $150 billion. If we take the midpoint (between $2 billion and $30 billion), founder Liang Wenfeng, with an 84% stake, could rank among Asia's top tech billionaires.
Chanakya Ramdev, founder of Canadian telecom company Sweat Free Telecom, holds an optimistic view, believing that DeepSeek's valuation could reach half of OpenAI's ($300 billion); under this assumption, Liang Wenfeng's net worth would reach $126 billion, surpassing Jensen Huang.
Rudina Seseri, founder of Boston venture capital firm Glasswing Ventures, believes that even without considering future growth, DeepSeek's valuation should easily exceed $1 billion based solely on its existing millions of dollars in revenue.
The valuation logic of DeepSeek partly stems from comparisons with leading global AI companies. Currently, OpenAI is valued at about $300 billion, Anthropic at $60 billion, French Mistral AI at $6 billion, and China's Zhizhu AI at approximately $3 billion after last year's financing.
However, DeepSeek's uniqueness lies in its business model: the company has not accepted external financing and relies entirely on the profits of Liang Wenfeng's quantitative hedge fund, Huanfang Quantitative.
Jeffrey Emanuel, founder of New York blockchain company Pastel Network, pointed out that DeepSeek's financial data is highly confidential, and the outside world knows very little about its revenue, profits, and capital structure, further exacerbating valuation discrepancies:
<blockquote>
&#34;We know very little about its capital operations, let alone its revenue and operating profits.&#34;
</blockquote>
Bloomberg Billionaires Index analysis shows that Liang Wenfeng holds 51% of Huanfang Quantitative, valued at about $71 million, but this figure is negligible compared to DeepSeek's potential valuation.
Additionally, according to previous media reports, Huanfang's annualized return once exceeded 30%, ranking among the top in similar funds. As early as 2021, Liang Wenfeng began preparing for a full transition to AI, spending heavily to purchase thousands of NVIDIA A100 graphics cards, each costing over a hundred thousand

DPSK

OpenAI

NVDA

According to industry insiders and experts, DeepSeek's valuation is estimated to be between $1 billion and $150 billion. If valued at $150 billion (half of OpenAI's valuation), Liang Wenfeng's net worth would reach $126 billion, surpassing Jensen Huang

- DeepSeek has gained global attention, with founder Liang Wenfeng potentially joining the ranks of the world's wealthiest.  
- Valuations for DeepSeek range from $1 billion to $150 billion, with estimates suggesting Liang's wealth could reach $126 billion if the company is valued at half of OpenAI's $300 billion.  
- The company's unique business model relies solely on profits from Liang's quantitative hedge fund, and its financial data remains highly confidential, leading to significant valuation discrepancies.

After DeepSeek, Liang Wenfeng's net worth surpasses Jensen Huang?