Cohere buys Reliant AI to deepen push into biopharma agentic AI

Cohere has acquired Reliant AI, a specialist in biopharma-focused artificial intelligence with operations in Montreal and Berlin. Reliant AI brings proprietary biomedical datasets, domain-optimized AI technology, and an experienced research team into Cohere’s enterprise-grade sovereign AI platform. As part of the transaction, Cohere will take over Reliant AI’s existing customer relationships, which include pharmaceutical and biotech companies such as GSK, Medicus Pharma, and Kyowa Kirin, as well as other major pharma engagements. Reliant AI’s co-founder and CEO Karl Moritz Hermann will join Cohere as VP of AI Verticalizations in Berlin, while co-founder Marc Bellemare becomes VP of Modeling based in Montreal, embedding Reliant’s leadership directly into Cohere’s product and research organization.

The acquisition is intended to accelerate the development of North for Pharma, Cohere’s agentic AI system designed for biopharma teams working in R&D, clinical development, and scientific analytics. By integrating Reliant AI’s domain-specific models and data, Cohere aims to offer more specialized AI solutions for regulated life sciences workflows, complementing its broader North product suite already targeting sectors such as finance and telecoms. The deal underscores growing demand for vertical AI platforms in heavily regulated industries, where proprietary data and compliance-ready tooling can be a key differentiator. Although the parties did not disclose the purchase price or detailed financial terms, the combination positions Reliant AI’s technology and customer base within a larger distribution channel while expanding Cohere’s footprint in pharmaceutical and biotechnology AI applications.