
Gary Kalaci: Apertera Purpose-Built AI for Regulated Industries
About this episode
What happens when a lawyer-turned-interpreter decides to rebuild the language industry from the inside out? Gary Kalaci has spent two decades doing exactly that—and his answer looks nothing like what most AI vendors are selling.
In this episode:
• Why Apertera (formerly Alexa Translations) rebranded—and what the camera aperture metaphor reveals about their human-AI philosophy
• How purpose-built AI for regulated industries differs architecturally from generic LLM tools
• Why organizational context compounds over time and becomes a true competitive moat
• The build-vs-buy framework Gary uses with enterprise clients evaluating AI investments
Gary Kalaci is the Founder and CEO of Apertera, a Canadian AI-first language solutions company serving the legal, financial, and regulatory sectors. A former interpreter for UNICEF and Save the Children and a practicing lawyer, Gary has spent over two decades building specialized language technology trusted by some of Canada's largest organizations. Apertera's platform combines proprietary AI with dedicated client success teams to deliver translation that learns, adapts, and compounds value over time.
Connect with Gary Kalaci:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garykalaci
Website: https://www.apertera.com
Subscribe: https://localization-fireside-chat.simplecast.com/
Credits
Host: Robin Ayoub, Founder, Localization Fireside Chat
Connect and watch more
Website: www.L10NFiresideChat.com
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5OoURgc29R31XPGzOWL9iX
Be a guest: https://calendly.com/robin-ayoub/localization-fireside-chat-podcast-recording
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinayoub/
Support the show
Share the episode with a friend. Subscribe on YouTube and Spotify. Leave a short review.
Disclaimer
Views are for education and discussion. Apply judgment in your own context.
Tags
#L10NFiresideChat #localization #hiring #recruiting #leadership #ai
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
Get every episode summarized
Each time Localization Fireside Chat publishes, we email you a written briefing from the transcript — the topics, who appeared, and any specific claims, with the ad reads skipped.
Email me new episodesFree for 3 shows. No card needed.
Hosts & guests
No transcript yet
This episode has not been transcribed. Request it and it moves to the front of the queue.
More episodes
More from Localization Fireside Chat

Cory Blumenfeld: Stop Running Your Business, Start Owning Your Time
Localization Fireside Chat

Thor Hesselberg: The Trust Layer Hiring Has Never Had
Localization Fireside Chat
Sukhi Dhillon Alberga: AI Governance & Legal Guardrails for Business
Localization Fireside Chat
Hemang Upadhyay: Why Your AI Pilot Will Never See Production
Localization Fireside Chat