Instinct, a startup founded last year and led by 23‑year‑old founder Noah Shinn, announced a $250 million Series B round that brings total funding to $350 million and a valuation of $2.5 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal. The round was co‑led by Index Ventures and Benchmark. Instinct offers an AI assistant that connects to users’ apps and devices and communicates via text and voice, and it remains in private beta. Shinn said on Twitter that early users have used the service to plan cross‑country trips, buy groceries and concert tickets, cancel subscriptions and plan weddings. Some users have voiced privacy concerns about the app’s extensive permissions and its terms of service, which they describe as potentially invasive, according to online discussions. Instinct has not disclosed a timeline for a public launch.