Instinct, a personal AI assistant from the startup Spear Street Technology, has raised $250 million in a Series B that values the company at $2.5 billion, it told The Wall Street Journal on August 26, 2026. The round was co-led by Index Ventures and Benchmark, the Journal reported, and it brings the company's total funding to $350 million.
The valuation rose quickly over the summer. Forbes reports that an early round led by Pranav Reddy of Conviction valued Instinct at $50 million, with Neil Mehta of Greenoaks also an early backer, and that Mamoon Hamid of Kleiner Perkins led a $75 million Series A in early August at a valuation of more than $500 million. The Series B is roughly five times that figure.
What Instinct does
Instinct is led by 23-year-old founder Noah Shinn, a former Sierra researcher, according to Forbes. Users connect it to their apps and devices and talk to it by text or phone call. The company's site says it "can use a phone and computer in the same way that you do" and lists tasks such as ordering groceries, booking a train and sending flowers.
"They've told us they've planned cross-country road trips, bought weekly groceries and concert tickets, and cancelled hundreds of dollars of subscriptions," Shinn wrote on X, as quoted by TechCrunch. Forbes reports that users can connect it to WhatsApp, iMessage or email with one click, and ask it to make restaurant reservations or book flights.
Instinct is in private beta. Access is by invite only and the app is currently free, Forbes reports.
Privacy concerns
The broad access the assistant needs has drawn criticism. TechCrunch notes that users have raised concerns about the app's permissions and terms of use. Forbes reports:
- Instinct's terms grant it a "perpetual and irrevocable" right to store user data, which could be used to train its models.
- AI founder Claire Vo posted that the agent kept copies of emails from her inbox in its own records after she had turned off the email connector.
- Investor Jason Yeh wrote that when he asked it to find dinner reservations, it booked a table with a $200 cancellation fee.
We cover the terms and permissions in more detail in Instinct AI Assistant Faces Scrutiny Over Data Training Terms and Autonomous Transaction Permissions.
After Forbes published, Shinn said the fundraise "is a reflection of early user excitement" around an always-on assistant with access to a user's context.
