DeepSeek Funding Market Sees High Intermediary Fees and Fraudulent Claims

According to a report by Caijing, intermediaries are demanding upfront fees of 18% and back-end fees of 35% for access to DeepSeek investment shares. Despite these high costs, investors are not guaranteed an allocation. DeepSeek conducts thorough background checks on investors and their limited partners, imposes a five-year lock-up period, and generally denies voting rights or board seats to external investors. The market is currently plagued by fraudulent share claims and intermediaries charging exorbitant 'meeting fees' without providing actual access to