Cohere is expanding in Canada with the opening of its first office in Ottawa.
The company, founded in Toronto in 2019, builds AI models for the enterprise crowd, powering solutions for institutions such as the Royal Bank of Canada and Bell.
The office is situated adjacent to Lansdowne Park and will serve the region’s roughly 30 employees, who span roles across engineering, infrastructure, security, and sovereign AI functions.
“Canada is home for Cohere,” says cofounder Aidan Gomez. “It’s where we founded the company, where so much of our talent comes from, and where we want to keep building for the long term.”
Ottawa specifically “has an incredible technology community and a deep pool of technical talent,” according to Gomez, who serves Cohere as chief executive officer.
The region boasts quality research institutions, a growing AI community, and a “unique concentration” of public and private sector organizations.
“Establishing our first office in the city is an important step in investing in our team and building for the future,” Gomez stated.
Yasir Naqvi, a member of parliament for Ottawa Centre, agrees, commenting that Ottawa “is key to Canada’s AI ecosystem, connecting Canadian AI innovators with key decision-makers and policy experts, namely within the Government of Canada.”
“Cohere’s decision to open a new office here in our nation’s capital will reaffirm Ottawa’s role as a point of collaboration, spurring further investment, opportunity, and innovation in our community and across Canada,” Naqvi said.
Earlier this year, the company confirmed its commitment to the area when the former EY Centre was renamed to Cohere Centre.
Moving forward, Cohere—which has been named one of Canada’s top startups to work for—intends to take advantage of “opportunities to engage with the businesses, institutions, and public sector organizations adopting AI, while deepening our connections across the city’s technology ecosystem,” according to a statement from the firm.
The expansion in Ottawa is part of a broader commitment to building and commercializing advanced, Canadian-made AI technology.
