When the United Kingdom’s (UK) government invited a leading Canadian AI company to help modernize its public sector, Toronto-based Cohere didn’t need much of an introduction.
Its Co-Founder and CEO, Aidan Gomez, had started the company while completing his PhD at Oxford University. Its Chief Scientist, Phil Blunsom, taught computer science there as well.
“We’re proud to see Canadian innovators making their mark in the UK.”
Gilda Carbone, UK Department for Business and Trade
Cohere’s roots in the UK became something more formal this June, when the company signed a memorandum of understanding with the UK’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology.
To Melika Carroll, Cohere’s Vice President of Global Government Affairs and Public Policy, the UK is one of the few places where government partnership feels built in for a Canadian tech firm.
“When you’re a young company and you’re trying to build a global business, having a government partner on that growth path is really, really helpful,” Carroll said.
And the UK government agrees. Working across sectors with industry and leading British talent, the UK is positioning itself as a launchpad for some of Canada’s most prominent tech firms. Momentum has coalesced this year around the two countries’ shared priorities in AI, cybersecurity, and data infrastructure, which is drawing Canadian companies into closer alignment with the UK’s innovation agenda.
A fast track for serious work
For Cohere, growth starts with people. The UK’s booming tech sector is attracting global talent and creating hundreds of high-skilled jobs in the process. Cohere is already on track to have around 100 UK-based engineers within the next year, according to Carroll.
“There’s a very strong talent pool that we’re building off of in the UK,” Carroll said.
That talent comes out of one of the world’s densest AI ecosystems. The UK is home to four of the world’s top ten universities and more than 64,000 workers in AI-related roles. Carroll noted the UK and Canada share a rare strength in producing deep research talent through academic institutions.
But for Carroll, the UK’s appeal is also about speed. Through initiatives like the AI Opportunities Action Plan, the UK has established a clear national strategy for AI adoption, which focuses on safety, access to compute, and government readiness.
UK government departments are also engaging early with startups, even before formal procurement begins, while visa and immigration pathways like the Global Talent Visa allow companies like Cohere to onboard top-tier technologists without bureaucratic delay.
“There are also great enterprise clients for us to grow in the UK, and this opportunity to also be a partner and a technology provider to the UK government is what’s helping us thrive there,” Carroll added.
A shared set of values
If Cohere represents the next wave of Canadian AI companies entering the UK, OpenText shows what long-term investment can look like.
The company’s UK story began more than 30 years ago, when OpenText emerged from a University of Waterloo project to digitize the Oxford English Dictionary. The UK became its first overseas market, drawn by a shared language, compatible legal frameworks, and early signals of market openness.
That relationship scaled dramatically in 2023, when OpenText acquired Micro Focus, one of the UK’s largest software firms, in a $5.8-billion USD deal. The acquisition nearly doubled OpenText’s global footprint and helped grow its UK headcount to nearly 1,300.
“The integration of OpenText and Micro Focus would not have been possible if we were not already successful in the UK, and viewed as a company that was committed to investing in the UK for the long term,” said Scott Bradley, VP of Government Relations at OpenText.
That sense of alignment on ethics, speed, and global standards has made the UK one of the most important destinations for Canadian tech investment. It is also the third-largest recipient of Canadian foreign direct investment.
Both Carroll and Bradley pointed to the UK’s institutional scaffolding as an enabler of their work. This includes the events, talent pipelines, and agency-to-agency coordination that help companies operate with clarity and confidence from day one. Events like London Tech Week, VivaTech, and Web Summit Vancouver have also become key meeting points for Canadian founders, British policymakers, and global buyers.
And Canadian companies are responding. Quantum scale-up Photonic recently announced plans to establish an R&D hub in the UK. Canadian aerospace firm MDA also announced plans to double its UK workforce last year.
A system that invites partnership
Carroll and Bradley see the UK as a place where public institutions, regulation, and talent infrastructure are working in step. Early and growth-stage companies can find pathways into government, while established firms can scale with clarity and continuity.
Behind much of this coordination is the UK’s Department for Business and Trade (DBT). Through its on-the-ground support in Canada and its work convening companies, investors, and policymakers, the department has helped lay the groundwork for meaningful, long-term expansion.
Gilda Carbone, Head of Creative, Media, Sports Economy, and Technology for Canada at DBT, believes the country’s tech sector is well-positioned for sustainable growth.
“Backed by the UK’s ambitious Modern Industrial Strategy, which prioritizes innovation and digital transformation, the UK offers a future-focused environment where Canadian companies can scale with confidence.”
The DBT in Canada also works closely with businesses to provide market insights, strategic connections, and on-the-ground support to help them succeed.
“We’re proud to see Canadian innovators making their mark in the UK and are committed to helping even more companies tap into this dynamic ecosystem,” Carbone added.
Canada and the UK share deep ties in education, governance, and research, along with a mutual interest in advancing ethical, secure innovation. It’s common ground that has created a sense of ease for Canadian tech companies establishing a presence across the Atlantic.
“The UK just makes sense,” Bradley added. “We’ve benefited from a team of officials focused on supporting Canadian companies on their expansion journey, with the resources to help ensure it’s a successful and prosperous one.”
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Feature image by Liv Cashman via Unsplash.