AI agent firm Instinct raises $1 billion in latest funding round

Instinct, an AI assistant startup, has raised an additional $1 billion in a Series C funding round, bringing its total raise to $2 billion. The company valued at $10 billion, according to investors including Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital, and Coatue. This rapid growth comes only a month after the startup announced its previous fundraising round, valued at $2.5 billion.

Instinct's service, launched in August 2026, is an invite-only platform that can perform tasks like booking travel plans, making reservations, and processing payments. The company has also launched new features such as a "concierge" for making phone calls and a "trusted person network" to coordinate plans with friends' agents. However, Instinct is facing competition from Meta's AI assistant, Muse, which offers similar functionalities and deep integration with Meta's social products.

Despite this, investors seem optimistic about Instinct's future, with the startup declining to share its user numbers or growth metrics.