When the UK government enlisted a prominent Canadian AI company to help revolutionize its public sector, Toronto-based Cohere was already well-known. Its Co-Founder and CEO, Aidan Gomez, launched the company while pursuing his PhD at Oxford, where its Chief Scientist, Phil Blunsom, also taught.
“We’re proud to see Canadian innovators making their mark in the UK.” — Gilda Carbone, UK Department for Business and Trade
Cohere’s UK presence was formalized in June with a memorandum of understanding with the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology. Melika Carroll, Cohere’s Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy, sees the UK as a unique partner for a Canadian tech company aiming for global reach.
“The UK is naturally aligned with growing Canadian firms due to government collaboration,” Carroll said. The UK is positioning itself as a launchpad for Canadian tech like Cohere, aligning both nations on AI, cybersecurity, and data infrastructure priorities.
For Cohere, expansion is driven by people. The vibrant UK tech scene is pooling global talent, aiming for about 100 engineers within a year, Carroll stated. The UK boasts a dense AI ecosystem, hosting top universities and over 64,000 AI workers. Carroll pointed out a shared strength between the UK and Canada in cultivating deep research talent through academia.
Yet, speed is also vital. Through initiatives like the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the UK has established a national strategy for AI, emphasizing safety, access to compute, and government readiness. Visa and immigration paths such as the Global Talent Visa allow Cohere to bring onboard top technologists efficiently.
“There’s also growth potential with UK enterprises, and partnering with the UK government supports our expansion,” Carroll noted.
If Cohere is leading the new wave of Canadian AI companies entering the UK, OpenText illustrates sustained investment. OpenText’s UK journey began over 30 years ago, beginning with digitizing the Oxford English Dictionary. The UK was its first foreign market, thanks to shared language, legal compatibilities, and market openness.
This relationship grew in 2023, following OpenText’s $5.8-billion USD acquisition of Micro Focus, swelling its UK workforce to nearly 1,300. “Such integration required our established success and commitment in the UK,” said Scott Bradley, VP of Government Relations at OpenText.
The UK’s alignment in ethics, speed, and global standards makes it a magnet for Canadian tech investment, also becoming the third-largest recipient of Canadian foreign direct investment. Carroll and Bradley praised the UK’s infrastructure in facilitating business expansion, including events like London Tech Week and VivaTech that bring together Canadian founders, British policymakers, and global buyers.
Canadian companies are responding to this environment. Quantum firm Photonic announced opening a UK R&D hub, while Canadian aerospace company MDA plans to double its UK workforce.
Carroll and Bradley see the UK as harmonizing public institutions, regulation, and talent infrastructure, enabling companies of all stages to scale confidently. The UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT) plays a central role here, providing local support in Canada and connecting businesses, investors, and policymakers strategically.
Gilda Carbone, DBT’s Head of Creative, Media, Sports Economy, and Technology for Canada, emphasized the UK’s conducive environment for tech growth, offering Canadian companies a place to scale confidently supported by the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy.
DBT’s collaboration offers market insights, connections, and support, allowing Canadian businesses to thrive. “The UK just makes sense,” Bradley concluded, noting the dependable support Canadian companies receive for successful expansion.
Thinking about expanding your business to the UK? Discover how the UK supports Canadian tech companies with resources, connections, and infrastructure to scale. Start now.
Feature image by Liv Cashman via Unsplash.