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Palo Alto Networks pays $500M to acquire AI helpdesk startup Console

Palo Alto Networks paid $500 million to acquire Console, an AI helpdesk startup, according to TechCrunch.

AI News Feed · 2026-09-03 15:56

TechCrunch reported that Console has raised $29 million over two rounds since its founding in 2024: a $6.2 million seed led by Thrive Capital and a $23 million Series A co-led by DST Global and Thrive. PitchBook data cited by TechCrunch valued Console at $157 million before the sale, meaning investors including SV Angel, Abstract Ventures, and Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora, who participated as an angel, earned a rapid return. Palo Alto Networks declined to comment.

Palo Alto Networks said it will integrate Console into Cortex, its AI-powered security platform. In a statement, CEO Nikesh Arora said Console's agentic functionality will enable security teams to investigate and resolve alerts using natural language, giving Cortex "the arms and legs to deliver autonomous security outcomes across the entire enterprise."

Console was founded by Andrei Serban, whose previous code-security startup Fuzzbuzz was acquired by Rippling. Its customers included Ramp, Flock Safety, and Scale AI, and it automated tasks such as password resets, granting access to apps like Figma and Miro, and routine troubleshooting, according to TechCrunch.

The startup primarily competed with Serval, another ServiceNow challenger that hit a $1 billion valuation in December after raising a $75 million Series B led by Sequoia. Serval started as an AI tech support tool and expanded to provide AI assistance for human resources, legal, and finance departments. An investor not backing Serval told TechCrunch that Console's acquisition leaves Serval as the category-leader-to-watch among startups automating IT service management.

Console is Palo Alto Networks' seventh acquisition in 2026, according to PitchBook. Other VC-backed companies it has purchased this year include observability platform Chronosphere, valued at $3.35 billion, and the cybersecurity startup Koi, which was backed by Battery and Team8, for $400 million.