Security company Palo Alto has set its sights on Clutch Security. The company’s technology controls how AI agents access corporate systems.
Palo Alto is not done with acquisitions for 2026. According to sources cited by The Information, the American security company has offered half a billion dollars to acquire Clutch. The three-year-old startup specialises in securing AI agents.
Remarkably, Clutch’s market value is estimated at 85 million dollars. Palo Alto therefore seems willing to pay well above that, although the latest valuation dates from an investment round in early 2025. Clutch solves a security problem that is becoming increasingly acute in many companies: giving AI agents controlled access to corporate systems.
AI agents are gradually being rolled out more widely in organisations, but often without adequate security. This also came up during a recent roundtable organised by ITdaily. While human employees are often subject to strict limits on which systems they can access, AI agents frequently roam freely through the digital corporate environment.
Seventh acquisition
If the deal goes ahead, it would be the seventh acquisition Palo Alto completes this year. The latest acquisitions are not surprisingly focused on AI agents. The takeover of Console, a startup that automates IT helpdesk tasks, fitted that pattern too. Other companies Palo Alto has already acquired this year are Portkey and Koi.
Neither Palo Alto nor Clutch is willing to confirm the possible acquisition yet. Where there’s smoke, there’s often fire when it comes to acquisitions. Further developments will probably not be long in coming.