Palo Alto Networks paid $500 million in cash and stock to acquire Console, a two-year-old startup that uses AI agents to automate routine IT help desk tasks, according to two sources familiar with the deal. The companies announced the acquisition on Tuesday but did not disclose terms. Console raised $29 million across a seed round led by Thrive Capital and a Series A co-led by DST Global and Thrive, reaching a pre-sale valuation of $157 million per PitchBook. The return was rapid for investors including SV Angel, Abstract Ventures, and Palo Alto Networks CEO Nikesh Arora, who participated as an angel investor.

Console‘s agentic functionality allows security teams to investigate and resolve alerts using natural language. Palo Alto Networks will integrate Console into its Cortex platform, which uses AI to automatically detect and neutralize threats. Arora described the deal as giving Cortex “the arms and legs to deliver autonomous security outcomes across the entire enterprise.” Console was founded by Andrei Serban, shortly after his previous startup, code-security platform Fuzzbuzz, was acquired by Rippling. Console‘s 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 without human involvement.

Console competed primarily with Serval, another ServiceNow challenger that reached a $1 billion valuation after a $75 million Series B led by Sequoia last December. Serval started as an AI tech support tool and expanded to HR, legal, and finance departments. One investor 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, following buys like Chronosphere ($3.35B valuation) and Koi ($400M).