Being locked out of your computer at work is the sort of headache nobody needs on a busy day.
Andrei Serban knows the frustration firsthand, recalling how cramped IT support lines left people stranded and unable to get simple problems fixed.
After spending time as a product lead at Rippling and seeing the daily grind faced by help desk staff, Serban decided to make a change. His idea was simple: let artificial intelligence take over menial support requests, freeing IT pros to focus on tougher problems. He left Rippling to launch Console, a startup built to give IT teams their time back.
Console is different from other IT automation tools, especially when compared to platforms like Moveworks, which had a major acquisition earlier this year. Instead of a tedious, tech-heavy installation, Console offers an AI assistant that plugs into Slack swiftly and quietly.
Serban explained that Console does not require a full-scale replacement of existing help desk systems. It simply adds a layer of smart support, working on top of what’s already there.
AI That Feels Like a Helpful Coworker
With Console live in Slack, employees can send a quick message and get help fast. The AI assistant recognizes details like the user’s specific laptop model or their permitted apps, speeding up solutions by knowing exactly who is asking and what they need.
Console’s AI can handle more than half of incoming requests on its own. For the knottier issues, it taps a real IT specialist for backup.
This strategy has already hooked big names like Scale AI, Calendly, and Flock Safety, who appreciate that Console gets up and running in just a matter of weeks.
The startup’s rapid adoption has caught the eye of investors too. Thrive Capital, known for backing AI juggernauts like OpenAI and Scale AI, led a $6.2 million funding round for Console.
Thrive’s partner Vince Hankes pointed out that artificial intelligence is poised to become a major part of IT support, especially since the arrival of tools like ChatGPT has opened new doors.
He sees Console’s fast setup as a benefit rather than a weakness, arguing its AI will become more vital as more people use it every day. What starts as an easy-to-launch tool, he expects, will soon become ingrained as a critical system within companies.
Looking beyond IT, Console hopes to eventually tackle questions about human resources, finance, and legal matters too.
“We want to be the first place employees turn when they need help,” Serban shared, hinting at an even bigger vision for the future of work support.
