Instinct founder Noah Shinn said on a recent podcast that more than 50% of transactions on the invite-only AI agent platform are travel-related, and that the platform is approaching $1 billion in annual transactions. Shinn didn’t specify the calculation behind that rate. He argued that traditional travel agencies and booking sites unify hotels, airlines, and services and present checkouts in a nice way, but an agent offers a better experience when a user can say, “Hey, I need to be in New York tonight; it’s urgent.” He added that the platform is growing 10% day-by-day, with transaction volume rising at a similar rate.

Shinn also discussed restaurant reservations, saying most systems are first-come-first-served and don’t account for someone’s special occasion. He suggested an agent could check restaurant sites every five seconds and alert users about available slots, and hinted that Instinct wants to reinvent reservations and give users preferential treatment. He framed this from both sides: users want reservations for significant life events, and restaurants want interesting people and special occasions rather than locals who take up a table once a night with no special event. Some observers pushed back, noting agents could lie about anniversaries or special occasions just to book a table, and that some restaurants prefer local regulars who bring more business.

Instinct recently raised $1 billion in Series C funding at a $10 billion valuation from Sequoia Capital, Benchmark Capital, and Coatue. The 14-member startup is competing in the personal agent space with Meta’s Muse and Khosla-backed Wajo.