Salesforce agrees to buy voice AI firm Cresta, reportedly for $2.7B

Cresta runs voice agents that handle complete customer calls and coaches human service reps during live conversations. Salesforce says the technology will sit inside Service Cloud, linking each conversation to case resolution and retention data. The Information, citing a person familiar with the deal, reported a price of about $2.7 billion, roughly 1.7 times the $1.6 billion valuation Cresta announced in 2022. Salesforce has not confirmed that figure, and closing is expected in the first quarter of its fiscal 2028.

Cresta told Axios in April that it had passed $100 million in annual recurring revenue, and its customers named in coverage include Marriott, Comcast and Alaska Airlines. The purchase is one of several Salesforce deals announced in recent weeks, following its agreement to acquire Rune Technologies.

For founders, the price shows buyers paying real money for voice agents that already carry enterprise revenue. Standalone contact center AI companies should expect strategic interest from incumbent software vendors that want conversation data inside their own systems of record.