Palo Alto Networks buys IT automation startup Console for $500 million
The $500 million cash-and-stock deal folds Console's AI agents into Palo Alto Networks' Cortex platform, marking the cybersecurity giant's seventh acquisition of 2026.
- Console raised $29 million total, including a $6.2 million seed round led by Thrive Capital.
- PitchBook valued Console at $157 million before Palo Alto Networks acquired it for $500 million.
- Rival startup Serval reached a $1 billion valuation after a Sequoia-led round in December 2025.