A startup with just 14 people is now valued at $10 billion, and it was founded by a 23-year-old college dropout

Instinct, Shinn’s AI startup that acts as a digital personal assistant, has just completed a $1 billion fundraising round, bringing the company’s valuation to $10 billion. That raise comes just a month after investors sunk $250 million into the company, when the valuation was just $2.5 billion.

Even in the fast-paced AI world, where valuations escalate at a rocket-like pace, a four-fold increase in valuation in just one month is an impressive achievement.

It becomes even more impressive when you learn the company was just founded in 2025, has only 14 employees, and began beta testing its product in February. (Instinct is still largely an invitation-only game.)

“We’re building Instinct to be the best personal agent that can handle the deeply personal nuances of everyday life,” said Shinn in a statement. “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.”

A different kind of AI

Instinct isn’t an app you download or a Website you visit. It’s accessed by calling or texting it, using devices “in the same way that humans do,” the company states on its Website.

“Instinct’s core model is trained to understand and handle the deeply personal nuances of everyday life — following up on threads you’ve dropped, proactively calling or texting you, arranging a ride to the airport, booking a handyman for your apartment, and much more,” it continues.

The tool has been well received. Wired put Instinct through its paces and said the AI was able to cancel a plane ticket to Alaska that was seemingly unchangeable, saving the journalist $550. It also helped with restaurant reservations and warned of a possible scam. Just as importantly, the tester noted, Instinct didn’t clog their phone with unnecessary texts and messages.

The review of the tool, though, did note some privacy concerns, saying the Terms of Service allow the company to use parts of conversations to train its models