Canadian AI lab Cohere announced Thursday that it had signed a letter of intent to acquire AISLE, a San Francisco-based cybersecurity startup using AI to detect software vulnerabilities.
Founded in 2025, AISLE has developed innovative AI systems capable of discovering, validating and helping remediate previously unknown vulnerabilities in complex production software. Its approach combines increasingly capable foundation models with specialized security expertise, large-scale code analysis, rigorous validation and automated remediation.
The merger would add cybersecurity capabilities to the business entity Cohere is building through its merger with Germany’s Aleph Alpha, a combination reportedly valued at approximately $20 billion. It would also expand Cohere’s European presence through AISLE’s engineering hub in Prague.
The move comes as other North American tech companies seek to invest in Europe, which they see as ‘the future of AI.” In a press release Thursday, Cohere wrote: “Europe is becoming increasingly important in the development of sovereign AI. Governments and enterprises across the region are seeking technology partners that can deliver advanced AI capabilities while meeting stringent requirements around security, privacy, compliance, and data sovereignty. Cohere has made significant investments to support those needs, and this deal would further expand our ability to serve customers across Europe and globally.”
According to the statement, AISLE’s technology will strengthen Cohere’s ability to help customers build and operate secure, cyber-resilient AI systems by:
- Delivering advanced security and threat detection capabilities across enterprise and public sector deployments.
Strengthening governance, monitoring, and observability for AI agents and autonomous workflows.
- Improving protections for sensitive organizational data and mission-critical systems.
- Supporting secure AI deployments across private cloud, on-premises, and fully air-gapped environments.
- Advancing the development of cyber-resilient AI systems capable of identifying, prioritizing, and responding to emerging threats.
Cohere, a private company, was founded in Toronto in 2019. Between 2021 and 2024, the company secured four major funding rounds (Series A through D), raising nearly $1 billion.
CEO NA Editorial Staff
