AI That Works at Work: How Cohere Is Turning Automation Into Real Productivity

How Cohere’s Acquisition of Ottogrid Signals the Next Phase of AI-Powered Market Research

By Chandrakumar Pillai

What happens when AI startups join forces to reshape enterprise workflows?

That’s exactly what we’re seeing with the recent acquisition of Ottogrid by Cohere, one of the most prominent AI companies building foundational language models and enterprise AI tools.

The news didn’t come with splashy headlines or billion-dollar figures. But make no mistake — this is a strategic move with wide implications for the future of market research, data enrichment, and AI-assisted knowledge work.

Let’s explore what this acquisition means, why it matters for businesses, and what it reveals about the evolving AI landscape.

The Big Picture: Cohere Buys Ottogrid

Cohere has officially acquired Ottogrid, a Vancouver-based startup that built tools to automate high-level market research using AI. Founded by Sully Omar and Homam Malkawi, Ottogrid launched in 2023 (initially under the name Cognosys) and rebranded in late 2024 with a powerful new platform.

Their product allowed users to:

• Extract data directly from websites into spreadsheets
• Enrich sales lead lists automatically
• Analyze documents with AI
• Work in a “smart table” interface built for speed and flexibility

Now, Ottogrid’s product will be sunset — meaning it will be phased out. But its core capabilities and team are being absorbed into Cohere’s platform, specifically into North, Cohere’s recently launched ChatGPT-style AI tool for enterprise users.

Why Cohere Did This — And Why It Matters

Cohere is already known for building enterprise-grade AI solutions, including:

• Foundational large language models (LLMs)
• Private deployments for regulated industries like healthcare and government
• Customizable AI agents for internal data processing

But recently, the company has faced some turbulence. According to The Information, Cohere missed its 2023 revenue targets by a wide margin (falling short by 85%).

To pivot, the company shifted its focus toward private and secure enterprise AI deployments, a move that seems to be paying off — with annualized revenue now reported at $100 million.

This acquisition helps fill an important gap:

✅ Ottogrid’s tools are designed for research, data collection, and integration across documents and websites ✅ These are critical pain points for knowledge workers and sales teams ✅ By bringing Ottogrid into North, Cohere strengthens its position in end-to-end knowledge task automation

In short, this is a move from AI theory to AI practicality — from models to workflows.

What Ottogrid Brought to the Table

Ottogrid wasn’t just a browser extension or spreadsheet tool.

It offered:

• AI-powered document analysis
• Smart extraction from public data sources
• Lead enrichment and CRM integrations
• A no-code interface that made advanced AI accessible to non-developers

These are capabilities knowledge workers use daily, especially in roles like:

• Market research
• Business development
• Sales ops
• Competitive intelligence
• Recruiting
• Strategic planning

Rather than building these capabilities from scratch, Cohere smartly acquired an agile team with a proven product and early traction.

The Rise of "Smart Tables" and AI-First Productivity Tools

Cohere’s CEO Aidan Gomez confirmed that Ottogrid will be directly integrated into North, with a vision to support knowledge workers through smart table interfaces and AI-driven research workflows.

“We’re bringing enterprises a new way to tackle research with smart tables,” he said. “Helping make employees’ day-to-day work more enjoyable and productive.”

This aligns with a growing trend in AI product development:

🔷 Not just chatbots — but AI embedded into daily work tools like tables, docs, and dashboards 🔷 Not just answering questions — but running processes like scraping, summarizing, and syncing across platforms 🔷 Not just consuming AI — but co-creating workflows with AI

For enterprise customers, this could be the next evolution of productivity.

Why This Matters for AI Startups and Builders

✅ The AI stack is shifting from general models to vertical applications ✅ Workflow automation is becoming the next big battleground for AI adoption ✅ Enterprises want plug-and-play tools, not just raw model access ✅ Smart acquisitions are a way to fast-track roadmap gaps without long development cycles

For founders and startups in AI:

• Solving real pain points in the knowledge workflow space is still wide open
• Integration and usability will often win over model performance alone
• Being acquirable doesn’t mean being small — it means being focused, fast, and validated

Strategic Lessons for Business Leaders and Investors

From this acquisition, we learn several things about the direction of enterprise AI:

1. AI is going deep into business operations, not just surface-level chat. The real opportunity is enabling people to do real work — faster, smarter, and with fewer tools.
2. Acqui-hiring is back — but with a purpose. Cohere didn’t just buy code. They bought a team, a mindset, and a product that fits a larger strategic puzzle.
3. Toolkits are becoming platforms. Tools like North are positioning themselves to become the AI operating systems for departments. The best way to grow? Add modules like Ottogrid’s.
4. Knowledge workers are the new AI users. Not developers. Not researchers. But market analysts, SDRs, and consultants — people who rely on information to make decisions.

Critical Questions to Trigger Discussion

✅ Will "smart table" interfaces powered by AI become the default way knowledge workers do research?

✅ What’s the best balance between acquiring innovation and building it in-house — especially for AI companies?

✅ How will enterprise customers evaluate AI platforms in the future: by model performance or workflow impact?

✅ As more AI tools enter the workspace, how do we avoid tool fatigue and ensure true productivity?

Final Thoughts

Cohere’s acquisition of Ottogrid is more than a tactical deal. It’s a signal of where enterprise AI is heading: from abstract intelligence to applied intelligence.

The winners in this space will not be the ones with the biggest model or the loudest demo. They’ll be the ones who make workers’ lives easier — day by day, task by task.

Ottogrid understood this. Cohere saw the value. The rest of us should take note.

Let’s Discuss 👇

• Are “smart table” interfaces the future of knowledge work?
• How can AI startups build with enterprise workflows in mind — not just impressive models?
• Have you seen great examples of AI improving real tasks like lead generation, market research, or document analysis?

Drop your thoughts and insights in the comments. Let’s shape the conversation together.

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Reference: Tech Crunch