SAN FRANCISCO, Sept 30, 2026: Instinct, the startup behind a viral personal AI agent, has raised $1 billion in a Series C round at a $10 billion valuation. The company announced the round on Monday (Sept 28), and it points to strong investor appetite for AI products that carry out everyday tasks for users.

Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue took part in the financing. The valuation is roughly four times the $2.5 billion mark the company set only about a month ago, when it raised a Series B. Reports last month put the Series B at $250 million.

The product

Instinct is an invite-only personal AI agent that launched in August 2026. It is built to handle personal tasks from start to finish rather than just offer information or suggestions. Reported uses include booking travel and restaurant reservations, ordering groceries, paying bills, cancelling subscriptions and doing research.

The agent works mainly by text message and doesn't yet have a mobile app. Recent additions include:

  • A Concierge service that handles phone calls and specialised bookings.

  • A peer-to-peer protocol that lets separate Instinct agents coordinate users' plans directly.

  • Location-aware features through iMessage.

  • What the company calls an "active detective" system, meant to catch subtle hallucinations before they reach the user.

The company is officially Spear Street Technology Inc. It has not shared user numbers or growth metrics. An earlier report said its user base had passed 100,000.

What the founder said

"We're building Instinct to be the best personal agent that can handle the deeply personal nuances of everyday life," said founder Noah Shinn in a statement. The company declined interview requests alongside the announcement.

Market context

The round shows how hot the consumer AI-agent category has become. Meta's Muse assistant is a prominent rival, and SiliconANGLE counts roughly a dozen notable agent products competing to become persistent digital assistants. One outlet noted the category is still unproven at scale despite the valuation.