Instinct Raises $1B Series C at $10B Valuation
About a month after launch, the text-message agent quadruples its valuation, with Sequoia, Benchmark and Coatue leading a round that dwarfs its Series B.
In short
Instinct has raised $1 billion in a Series C led by Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue, valuing the personal-agent startup at $10 billion.
At a glance
- Series C: $1 billion raised at a $10 billion valuation.
- Round led by Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue.
- Previous round, August 2026: a $2.5 billion valuation.
- Founder is Noah Shinn; the company is registered as Spear Street Technology Inc.
- No user or revenue figures disclosed; the service is still in early access.
Instinct has closed a $1 billion Series C at a $10 billion valuation, led by Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue. The price rests on a product most people still cannot sign up for.
A 4x markup in about a month
Instinct went live in August 2026 as an invite-only service valued at $2.5 billion. The new round puts it at four times that figure. The two reports disagree on the size of that earlier round: TechCrunch puts the Series B at $350 million, while SiliconAngle puts it at $250 million, co-led by Index Ventures and Benchmark. That gap cannot be settled from these two accounts alone.
How the agent actually works
There is no dedicated app. Instinct runs over SMS and iMessage, and reaches the outside world through its own phone number and its own computer, which it uses to drive apps and websites directly. Its task list covers booking trips and restaurant tables, making purchases, paying bills, canceling subscriptions, ordering groceries and calling businesses to set appointments.
A trusted-person network lets one user's agent coordinate plans with the agents of people they know, and suggestions can key off location.
A crowded field
SiliconAngle counts roughly a dozen competing agent products, among them ChatGPT, Grok, Siri and Meta's Muse. Instinct is not selling a bigger model but a narrower job: the "deeply personal nuances of everyday life," in its founder's words.
What neither report says
User counts, revenue and headcount are absent from both accounts. So is any date for general availability.
Founder Noah Shinn said in a statement that the funding will help bring Instinct "to more people."
FAQ
How much did Instinct raise?
$1 billion in a Series C round, at a $10 billion valuation.
What does the Instinct AI agent do?
It books travel and restaurant tables, pays bills, cancels subscriptions, orders groceries and places calls to arrange appointments, all driven over SMS or iMessage.
Is Instinct available to the public?
Not yet. It has run as an invite-only early-access service since August 2026, and no open-launch date has been given.
