Instinct, a viral AI startup founded just last year, has raised EUR 300 million in total funding and reached a EUR 2 billion valuation, cementing its place among the summer’s most talked-about artificial intelligence companies. Led by 23-year-old founder Noah Shinn, the company has capitalized on surging enthusiasm for AI-powered tools to secure one of the season’s standout deals.
The startup confirmed a recent Series B funding round of EUR 214 million, which pushed its total capital raised to EUR 300 million. That new round was co-led by Index Ventures and Benchmark, two well-known names in the venture capital world. The investment gives Instinct a valuation of EUR 2 billion less than two years after its launch.
What Instinct Does
Offered by Spear Street Technology, Instinct is an AI agent designed to organize a user’s daily life. People connect the assistant to their apps and devices, then communicate with it through text messages and phone calls. The company positions the tool as an efficient way to handle everyday tasks without the friction of traditional apps.
According to Shinn, early adopters have used the assistant for a wide range of activities. In a post shared this week, he said users have planned cross-country road trips, purchased weekly groceries and concert tickets, and cancelled hundreds of dollars in subscriptions. One user, he noted, is even planning a wedding with the help of the platform.
Privacy Questions Surface
Instinct currently operates in private beta and runs on a deliberately minimal website. Despite the excitement among its first users, the app has already drawn scrutiny over privacy. Online discussion has centered on the broad permissions the app requests, along with terms of use that some users find concerning because of their potentially invasive reach.
The company’s rapid ascent reflects a broader appetite among investors for AI assistants that promise to streamline personal and household management. With fresh capital in hand, Instinct joins a growing field of startups racing to define how everyday consumers interact with autonomous AI agents. The Series B round was co-led by Index Ventures and Benchmark, bringing the company’s total funding to EUR 300 million.
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Image: techcrunch.com
