Benchmark

Personal AI assistant startup Instinct is in talks to raise $1 billion at a valuation of about $10 billion. That would mark a rise from $2.25 billion less than a month ago, and Sequoia and Benchmark are in discussions to lead the round.

Sep 2026 · The InformationNews article

Owner raises $240 million in a Series D round led by Goldman Sachs, valuing the restaurant management startup at $2.3 billion. Its platform combines restaurant websites and marketing tools with order management hardware, branded ordering apps, operational software, and AI features such as automated phone ordering and promotional campaign generation. Owner reports more than $100 million in annualized recurring revenue and plans to onboard more restaurants, expand into groceries, and make its software available internationally.

Aug 2026 · SiliconAngleNews article

Town, an enterprise personal-agent company, is raising a round at a $1 billion valuation led by Index Ventures, according to sources cited by Newcomer. The report places the financing amid a surge of investor interest in personal assistants and identifies Index as a backer of Instinct.

Aug 2026 · NewcomerNews article

Instinct, a consumer AI assistant popular among Silicon Valley tech workers, is reportedly raising $250 million at a $2.5 billion valuation in a round co-led by Index Ventures and Benchmark. Led by CEO Noah Shinn, the company launched its invite-only beta in February; the assistant connects to apps such as Gmail to manage calendars, send emails, and automate multi-step workflows. Its terms allow it to train AI models on user data, drawing scrutiny, while Shinn says the team is addressing cybersecurity concerns.

Aug 2026 · SiliconANGLENews article