The company confirmed the Series C round in a press release on Monday, following earlier reports from The Information. The speed of Instinct's fundraising reflects the fervor around a new class of AI agents that go beyond conversational chatbots. Instinct can book travel, make restaurant reservations, purchase items, pay bills, cancel subscriptions, conduct research and order groceries. It operates using its own phone number and computer when executing tasks.
Recent feature additions include a "concierge" that makes phone calls to manage appointments at places without online booking, and a "trusted person network" that allows one user's Instinct agent to coordinate plans with friends' agents.
However, the capabilities come with privacy concerns. Some users have questioned the volume of personal information required to enable these features. Instinct's initial privacy policy was described as "particularly worrisome" due to its overreach, though the company has since updated it.
Instinct now faces fresh competition from Meta, which recently launched its own AI assistant called Muse. Muse offers many similar capabilities but can also integrate with Meta's social products, such as monitoring Instagram DMs, summarizing Facebook Groups and tracking Marketplace listings. Muse has topped U.S. app store charts with millions of downloads. Instinct, which communicates via SMS and texting, does not yet have a mobile app.
The startup has not disclosed user numbers or growth metrics. Instinct declined interview requests but shared a statement from founder Noah Shinn: "We're building Instinct to be the best personal agent that can handle the deeply personal nuances of everyday life. This funding helps us bring Instinct to more people and continue building the future of personal AI. It's an exciting, creative time, and we're just getting started."