AI startup Instinct hits $10 billion valuation with fresh $1 billion funding
The AI personal agent startup went from $2.5 billion to $10 billion in roughly a month, backed by Sequoia, Benchmark, and Coatue.
Instinct’s valuation has climbed to $10 billion after the AI startup raised $1 billion in its latest funding round, up fourfold from its previous $2.5 billion valuation, the company said Monday.
Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue backed the round, which was first unveiled earlier this month by The Information.
Founded by Noah Shinn in 2025 after his work at Salesforce co-CEO Bret Taylor’s AI customer service company Sierra, Instinct is building a personal AI agent that can independently handle everyday tasks. Instinct allows users to interact through text or phone calls and request tasks including trip planning, grocery purchases, ticket bookings and subscription cancellations.
The financing announcement comes as venture investors increase their focus on agentic AI and as AI-driven commerce gains traction, with consumers using agents to complete transactions rather than simply receiving recommendations.
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Instinct has rolled out several new features in recent months, including Instinct Concierge for high-touch tasks such as phone calls and service bookings, and a Trusted Person Network that allows Instinct agents to communicate, coordinate plans and share files. Location Sharing through iMessage lets Instinct identify when users arrive at a location and make suggestions based on their preferences.
The company has also built privacy protections including isolated sandboxes, short-lived local credentials and identity-signed tool execution, alongside an active detective system designed to catch subtle hallucinations before the agent generates or executes a response.