The Week’s 10 Biggest Funding Rounds: AI Tools And Assistants Lead Sparser Lineup Of Megadeals

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This is a weekly feature that runs down the week’s top 10 announced funding rounds in the U.S. Check out last week’s biggest funding deal roundup here. Most of this week’s largest funding recipients were AI-focused startups, with Instinct, a developer of AI assistants, pulling in the biggest round. Other sizable financings went to companies in areas including business software, physical AI, autonomous transport and even sea gliders. Overall, rounds skewed smaller than in recent past weeks. 1. Instinct, $250M, AI assistants: Instinct, a startup developing and beta testing an AI assistant, is raising $250 million in a Series B valuing the San Francisco company at $2.5 billion, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal citing founder Noah Shinn. Lead backers include Index Ventures and Benchmark. 2. Owner, $240M, small business AI tools: Owner, a provider of AI tools for local businesses to automate things like building websites, online and phone ordering, mobile apps, and customer support, picked up $240 million in new funding. Goldman Sachs Growth Equity led the financing, valuing the 8-year-old San Francisco company at $2.3 billion. 3. (tied) Generalist AI, $200M, physical AI: San Francisco-based Generalist AI, a startup developing an AI foundation model that can work with a variety of robots, secured $200 million in fresh financing. The investment, an extension of its $400 million Series B in June, is reportedly led by 8VC 1. 3.