Instinct, a startup developing an AI assistant for personal tasks, has raised $1 billion in a Series C funding round at a $10 billion valuation.
Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue participated in the round, Instinct said Monday. The announcement comes after The Information reported earlier this month that Instinct was in talks to raise funds at the same valuation.
Instinct's valuation has quadrupled within a month. The startup raised $250 million in a Series B at a $2.5 billion valuation last month, taking its total funding at the time to $350 million, founder Noah Shinn told The Wall Street Journal. The latest Series C brings Instinct's total funding to $1.35 billion.
Founded in 2025 by Shinn, a former employee of customer service AI startup Sierra, Instinct began testing its assistant with a small group of users in February. It remains in early access.
Users can contact Instinct's AI assistant through text or phone calls and ask it to complete tasks such as planning trips, ordering groceries and cancelling subscriptions. The assistant uses its own phone and computer to handle tasks from start to finish, according to Instinct.
"We're building Instinct to be the best personal agent that can handle the deeply personal nuances of everyday life," Shinn said. "This funding helps us bring Instinct to more people and continue building the future of personal AI. It's an exciting, creative time, and we're just getting started."
Instinct adds more personal assistant features
Instinct said it recently introduced a concierge service for tasks that may require phone calls or more detailed coordination. Examples include booking restaurants that do not accept online reservations, joining a dentist's cancellation list and resolving cable bills.
The startup also introduced a network that allows one user's Instinct assistant to communicate with another. The assistants can coordinate plans and share files, including images, PDFs and spreadsheets.
Another feature allows users to share their location with Instinct through iMessage. The assistant can recognize when they arrive somewhere and make suggestions based on their preferences.
Instinct said it uses isolated computing environments and short-lived login credentials to protect users' information. It has also developed a system that checks for possible AI hallucinations before the assistant responds or completes an action.
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta also launched its personal AI agent Muse earlier this month. The product has topped app download charts but has faced privacy concerns as Meta tests using human contractors to handle some calls made through the service.
Amazon has also blocked Muse from making purchases on its website, saying the agent accessed its platform without permission.