Salesforce Agrees to Buy AI Startup Cresta in a Deal Reported at $2.7B

Salesforce said on 2 November 2026 that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Cresta, a maker of AI software for contact centers. Salesforce has not disclosed the price. As of 3 November 2026, Dealroom News and CellCog report a value of about $2.7 billion, citing a person familiar with the deal. This story separates what the company has announced from what other outlets report, and it marks each claim by its source.

What did Salesforce announce about Cresta?

Salesforce has announced a definitive agreement, which is a binding contract that still needs closing conditions to be met. The company's release is headlined "Salesforce Signs Definitive Agreement to Acquire Cresta." Seeking Alpha reports that the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of fiscal 2028, subject to customary closing conditions, including required regulatory approvals.

How much is Salesforce paying for Cresta?

Salesforce has not disclosed the price, so the figure of about $2.7 billion is a report, not a company statement. Dealroom News says the price is $2.7 billion according to a person familiar with the deal. CellCog says The Information reported the same figure, and TLDR Tech says sources indicate the same purchase price. Each of these outlets attributes the figure to a person or to sources rather than to a document, so the number has no independent check in the sources for this story. A reader who sees $2.7 billion repeated across several articles should count it as one reported number, not several confirmations.

These reports do not confirm each other. Each attributes the figure to anonymous sourcing, and CellCog ties it to The Information. Their agreement may trace back to one unnamed source, so it is not three independent checks. Each report should be read on its own terms: what it says, who it cites, and whether it names a document. None of the reports named here does.

What does Cresta do?

Cresta makes AI software for contact centers. According to Dealroom News, the nine-year-old company builds voice agents, coaches human representatives in real time and analyzes interactions. TLDR Tech describes the company in similar terms, as a developer of AI software for automating contact centers, so the basic category is consistent across the sources. The detailed product list, however, rests on Dealroom News alone.

Salesforce's release and Dealroom News both name Marriott, Comcast and Alaska Airlines as Cresta customers.

Why is Salesforce buying Cresta?

Salesforce's release says the combination "unites advanced voice agents with the world's #1 CRM, bringing together the customer, the conversation and the outcome." That is the company's own framing. It ties the deal to voice, which is where Cresta's products sit according to Dealroom News: agents that handle calls, plus coaching and analysis around them.

An executive quote in Salesforce's release says, "Voice is where service is hardest to get right, and where it matters most to customers." The release also says that after the transaction closes, Cresta will continue to support the leading contact center and telephony platforms its customers rely on today.

When is the deal expected to close?

Salesforce expects to close in the first quarter of its fiscal year 2028, which runs from February to April 2027. Closing depends on customary conditions, including required regulatory approvals. No more specific closing date appears in the sources for this story.

What's still unclear?

• The price. The $2.7 billion figure is reported, not confirmed. Salesforce has not disclosed terms, so the figure stays a report until the company or a filing states it.
• The sourcing. Dealroom News, CellCog and TLDR Tech appear to rest on the same unnamed sourcing. Their agreement is not independent confirmation.
• Cresta's side. The release quotes Cresta's CEO on the strategic fit. Neither the release nor the reports addresses the price.
• Regulatory review. The release and reports say regulatory approvals are required, but they name no authority and no review timeline.
• The weakest point. The agreement is the verified news. The price is the least certain element, which is why the headline says "Reported."

What to watch next

Four things will settle most of the open questions: the closing itself, the regulatory approvals that closing depends on, a company statement or filing that confirms or corrects the $2.7 billion figure, and a Cresta statement on the price. None of the four has appeared in the sources for this story. Each would change what this story can say, so each is worth checking when it appears.

Sourcing

Five sources are cited: Salesforce's release, which is the only primary source, and four secondary reports from Dealroom News, CellCog, Seeking Alpha and TLDR Tech. Dealroom News, CellCog and TLDR Tech cite unnamed sourcing for the price, so the figure is reported, not confirmed. Seeking Alpha is dated 2 November 2026, and the other four sources are dated 3 November 2026. Each source is listed in the front matter with its publisher and date, so a reader can check the chain of attribution directly.