How Cadre AI plans for rapid scale and long-term agility
The AI industry moves fast. For Cadre AI, helping businesses navigate one of the most critical technological shifts meant they needed to move even faster.
Founded by a team of entrepreneurs, the San Diego-based strategy and implementation firm helps organizations identify high-value AI opportunities and turn them into operational reality. In less than two years, Cadre AI has grown from a handful of founders working out of borrowed conference rooms to a team of nearly 70 professionals serving more than 100 enterprise clients.
It’s the kind of growth every business hopes for. But it can be tough to prepare for.
Driven by its mission to help businesses confidently adopt AI to transform how they work, Cadre AI’s momentum created a critical growth challenge: how to scale a workspace without taking focus away from client success or taking on unmanaged risk.
For Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer Riley Stricklin, workspace strategy was guided by lessons learned from previous high-growth ventures.
“Flexibility was non-negotiable. In a previous company, we signed a large traditional office lease based on projected headcount. When business conditions shifted, thousands of square feet sat unused. Knowing that you need the ability to flex up, but also the flexibility to flex down, is essential because you never know the exact trajectory of business growth.”
– Riley Stricklin, Co-Founder and Chief Strategy Officer
A Partner in Growth
As Cadre AI expanded from 15 employees to nearly 70 in just over a year, leadership prioritized finding a flexible workspace partner that could adapt alongside their company.
Flex+ by Irvine Company delivered exactly that. Rather than committing to more space than they needed, Cadre AI could grow strategically while maintaining the flexibility to adapt as hiring and business needs changed.
“Irvine Company has been a great partner as we’ve been scaling. The Flex+ options are great because we can determine if we need more space or pull back if we need to.”
– Keith Jensen, President of Cadre AI.
As Cadre AI continues adding clients and team members, Flex+ gives the company confidence that its workspace can keep pace. Today, the company is preparing to expand into adjacent space, creating room for continued growth without disrupting operations or relocating the team.
And the relationship extends beyond the workspace. Cadre AI hosts educational events throughout San Diego, and Irvine Company provides a network of conference centers for its customers to bring those events to life. For a business focused on helping organizations prepare for the future, having a workplace partner that shares that long-term commitment has made a meaningful difference.
Move-In Ready Means Business Ready
In fast-moving industries, opening a new office comes with months of planning, purchasing and setup. But Cadre AI learned that it doesn’t have to be that way.
With Flex+, the team arrived at a fully furnished, move-in-ready office that was operational from day one.
“We continued to work up until Friday at the sublease space,” recalls Stricklin. “We showed up here on Monday and the place was dialed. “There was no, ‘shut your laptops, we need to set up desks.’ None of that happened. We did not miss a day of operations.”
That seamless transition allowed the team to stay focused on serving clients instead of managing an office buildout.
A Location That Helps Attract Talent
In today’s workplace environment, location matters more than ever.
Cadre AI’s employees live throughout San Diego County, from North County to downtown neighborhoods. The company’s Flex+ suite at Gateway at Torrey Hills offered a central location that worked for everyone while also helping attract top talent.
For Jensen, the workplace reinforced the value of being together in person. After working remotely for more than a decade, he expected to continue splitting time between home and the office. Instead, he found himself coming in every day.
With premium amenities like Kinetic Fitness and Pinpoint Café, a central location and a collaborative atmosphere, the office has become a place employees genuinely enjoy. Cadre AI doesn’t require employees to be in the office on specific days, yet the space is consistently full of energy.
“Our objective is to create an environment that people want to be in, you come in any day and this place is packed.”
By combining Cadre AI’s innovative vision with Irvine Company’s flexible workplace solution, Cadre AI remains fully focused on driving AI transformation for its clients while knowing its space is built to adapt for whatever comes next.
