Founder of the Instinct platform releases first operational metrics after an investment of 1 billion dollars
Noah Shinn, the founder of Instinct, said in a podcast that over 50 % of transactions on the platform are travel-related, annual volume is approaching 1 billion dollars and growth is 10 % daily. The company recently raised a Series C round of 1 billion dollars at a valuation of 10 billion dollars.
Noah Shinn, the founder of Instinct, shared new operational metrics for the platform in a podcast interview with investor Patrick O'Shaughnessy: more than 50 % of transactions on the Instinct platform relate to travel, annual transaction volume is approaching 1 billion dollars and the platform is growing at a rate of 10 % day over day. Shinn did not specify how the stated annual figure was calculated. These are statements from a primary source (the podcast), rather than officially reported company figures.
On Monday, Instinct announced a Series C round of 1 billion dollars from investors Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital and Coatue, valuing it at 10 billion dollars — a fourfold increase in valuation within one month compared with the previous round, which valued it at 2.5 billion dollars. The invite-only service from Instinct launched in August 2026, communicates with users via SMS and has no mobile app; according to sources, the company has 14 employees.
The platform faces competition from Muse, a product from Meta that, according to sources, tops US app store rankings and has been downloaded by millions of users, as well as from Wajo, a startup backed by Khosla Ventures. Instinct previously faced criticism for extensive personal data requirements in its privacy policies, which it subsequently revised. Regarding the restaurant booking feature, observers warned that agents may fabricate anniversaries or special occasions to secure a table, and that some restaurants prefer regular local customers.
Why it matters
The metrics show that demand for AI agents for travel and restaurant bookings is growing rapidly and is concentrated mainly around travel, which is relevant to hotels, airlines and travel agencies considering their own integration with such agents or ways to counter the loss of direct bookings. At the same time, the rapid growth in valuation (from 2.5 to 10 billion dollars in a month) and the concurrent emergence of the competing product Muse from Meta signal to investors and competitors that the market for personal AI agents is rapidly consolidating around a few players with substantial capital.
What was added since the original report
Verified updates
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More than 50% of transactions on the Instinct platform are travel bookings; The platform reaches approximately $1 billion in annual transactions; The platform achieves daily growth of 10%; The information comes from a primary source – a podcast featuring founder Noah Shinne
- More than 50% of transactions on the Instinct platform are travel bookings
- The platform reaches approximately $1 billion in annual transactions
- The platform achieves daily growth of 10%
- The information comes from a primary source – a podcast featuring founder Noah Shinne
Two audiences, two different impacts
What this means
For individuals
Users who would like to use a similar AI agent for bookings must consider how much personal information they are willing to share in exchange for automation — Instinct previously faced criticism for overly broad privacy policies, which it subsequently revised.
For a business
Travel agencies, hotels and restaurants face a new intermediary layer in the form of AI agents, which, according to the founder of Instinct, already account for the majority of transactions on the platform (travel) and are growing by 10 % daily; this could shift volumes away from traditional booking channels and challenge established practices such as first-come-first-serve reservations at restaurants.
Sales and marketingCheck the original
Event sources
only one source so far · 1 publisher, 1 independent. We count feeds from the same owner only once.