Salesforce has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the AI startup Cresta for approximately $2.7 billion. The deal, announced on November 2, 2026, aims to integrate voice-first customer service technology into the Salesforce Service Cloud platform.
Cresta provides software that manages autonomous voice agents for customer calls and offers real-time coaching for human representatives. The startup was founded in 2017 by Ping Wu, a former co-founder of Google Contact Center AI, and has raised over $270 million in funding.
The company reported an estimated annual recurring revenue of $100 million as of April 2026. The acquisition price represents a multiple of approximately 27 times that revenue figure and roughly ten times the total capital raised by the startup.
The client base of Cresta includes major corporations such as Marriott, Comcast, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines, and Cox Communications. Salesforce intends to offer these voice automation and agent coaching tools directly within its existing service ecosystem.
The transaction is expected to close between February and April 2027, corresponding to the fiscal first quarter of 2028 for Salesforce. The completion of the deal remains subject to standard regulatory approvals.
