San Francisco-based AI startup Instinct has secured $1 billion in a new funding round, bringing its total valuation to $10 billion. This latest investment follows a Series B round of $250 million that closed in late August 2026, when the company was valued at $2.5 billion.
Founded in 2025 by 23-year-old Noah Shinn, the company operates under the Spear Street Technology holding structure. The service functions as a personal AI assistant accessible via text or phone calls, currently operating on an invite-only basis with no disclosed revenue model.
Instinct has surpassed 100 000 users despite having no marketing budget. The startup is backed by investors including Sequoia Capital, Benchmark, Conviction Partners, Greenoaks, Index Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins. Total capital raised by the company now stands at approximately $1.35 billion.
The company faces technical challenges regarding compute capacity, as rising user volume has led to delayed system responses. The new capital is intended to address these infrastructure limitations to maintain service quality as the startup scales its operations.
