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Evogene Reports Second Quarter 2024 Financial Results

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Conference call and webcast: today, August 22, 2024, 9:00 am ET

Financial and Business Highlights:

H1 2024 revenues $5.1M, up from $1.3M in H1 2023; Q2 2024 revenues $914K, up from $654K in Q2 2023.Anticipated continued revenue growth in the second half of 2024 compared to the same period in the previous year, primarily driven by Casterra’s initiation of supplying existing seed orders, which began in August 2024 and total over $8.0 million.H1 2024 loss $9.8M, down from $14.8M in H1 2023; Q2 2024 loss $6.0M, down from $7.8M in Q2 2023.Projected 2024 cash usage (excl. Biomica & Lavie Bio) $8.0M, down 36% from $12.5M in 2023.Implemented a 10:1 reverse stock split during July 2024.

Casterra:

Received a $440K order for castor seeds from an existing customer for a new African country.Completed a successful castor seed season in Brazil, with shipments planned for Q3 2024.Seeds produced in Brazil and Africa in 2024, are anticipated to meet existing orders totaling approximately $8.4M.

Biomica:

Promising Phase 1 results for BMC128 with nivolumab in RCC, NSCLC, and melanoma, presented at ASCO 2024.

Lavie Bio:

A significant milestone achieved in ICL collaboration, developing yield-increasing bio-stimulants for row crops under extreme weather conditions by leveraging AI to identify over a dozen novel microbial candidates.Announced commercial expansion of Yalos™ bio-inoculant to winter wheat.

REHOVOT, Israel, Aug. 22, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN) (TASE: EVGN), a leading computational biology company aiming to revolutionize the development of life-science-based products, today announced its financial results for the second quarter period ended June 30, 2024.

Mr. Ofer Haviv, Evogene’s President and CEO, stated: “In our vision, we see Evogene as a pioneering company for creating groundbreaking life-science products, to improve life quality and longevity. During the past years we developed three innovative AI tech-engines addressing the main development challenges of products rooted in microbes, small molecules and genomics. Our AI tech-engines were structured to be compatible with the tremendous potential of various market segments and not limited to only one specific segment.

“In order to capture the value of our AI tech-engines, our business strategy is to establish diverse collaborative partnerships through licensing or collaboration, with expert partners in specific fields that complement our technology. Together, we’ll develop novel products, aiming for full or partial ownership upon project completion. This approach maximizes the potential of our AI tech-engines, while aiming to reduce financial and development risks. Today, Evogene has 4 subsidiaries, each focusing on a different market segment, and in addition, Evogene has diverse engagements with leading companies in additional market segments, not covered by our subsidiaries.

“I am very pleased to share with you the main achievements made by Evogene’s subsidiaries from the last report of our financial results.”

Casterra Ag Ltd. – focuses on developing an integrated solution to enable large-scale commercial cultivation of castor to address the global demand for stable castor oil supply, mainly for the biodiesel industry. Casterra is utilizing Evogene’s GeneRator AI tech engine to direct and accelerate the development of its unique elite castor seed varieties.

On June 25, Casterra announced receiving a $440K purchase order to supply castor seeds to a new African country in 2024. This order from an existing customer expands Casterra’s operations and strengthens its position in the bio-fuel market.On July 31, Casterra announced the successful completion of its castor seed growing and harvesting season in Brazil, with shipments planned for the third quarter of 2024. Additionally, the castor harvest season in Africa has begun as scheduled.Castor seeds produced in 2024 in both Brazilian and African territories are expected to enable Casterra to meet all its existing orders, amounting to approximately $8.4M, with completion anticipated by the end of this year. 

Lavie Bio Ltd. – a leading ag-biologicals company that develops microbiome-based, computational-driven novel bio-stimulant and bio-pesticide products, utilizing Evogene’s MicroBoost AI tech-engine.

On July 2, Lavie Bio announced the commercial expansion of its bio-inoculant Yalos™ to winter wheat following successful trials, with sales starting across the US for the 2024-2025 season, effectively doubling its market potential.On July 22, 2024, Lavie Bio announced a milestone in its collaboration with ICL in developing bio-stimulant solutions for row crops facing extreme weather conditions by leveraging AI to identify over a dozen novel microbes within 12 months.Lavie Bio’s pipeline is advancing according to plan, with field trials initiated in Q2 in most of the company’s programs, following successful optimization processes. Results are expected during Q4.

Biomica Ltd. – a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company developing innovative microbiome-based therapeutics, utilizing Evogene’s MicroBoost AI tech-engine.

On May 23, positive safety and tolerability data for BMC128 was published. 72% of the patients treated have exhibited clinical benefits. 55% of patients showed sustained clinical benefit, with notable durations of effect (more than 24 months).These clinical results were presented at the prestigious 2024 ASCO annual conference in June.We look forward to continuing to evaluate BMC128’s beneficial activity in subsequent phases of clinical development.

Financial Highlights:

Cash Position: As of June 30, 2024, Evogene held consolidated cash, cash equivalents, and short-term bank deposits of approximately $20.9 million. This amount does not include $8.4 million of expected payments for the open purchase orders of Casterra. The consolidated cash usage during the second quarter of 2024 was approximately $5.7 million. Excluding Lavie Bio and Biomica, Evogene and its other subsidiaries used approximately $2.7 million in cash during the second quarter of 2024. Projected cash usage for 2024, excluding Lavie Bio and Biomica, is expected to be around $8.0 million, marking a notable 36% decrease from approximately $12.5 million in 2023.

Revenue: Revenues for the first half of 2024 were approximately $5.1 million, a significant increase from $1.3 million in the same period the previous year. This growth was primarily driven by revenues recognized from Lavie Bio’s licensing agreement with Corteva and AgPlenus’s new collaboration with Bayer. Revenues for the second quarter of 2024 were approximately $0.9 million, compared to approximately $0.7 million in the same period the previous year. The increase was mainly attributable to increased revenue in Lavie Bio.

Evogene anticipates continued revenue growth in the second half of 2024 compared to the previous year, mainly based on Casterra’s forecast for seed-order supply.

R&D Expenses: Research and development expenses, net of non-refundable grants, for the first half of 2024 were approximately $8.8 million, a decrease from $10.2 million in the first half of 2023. The decrease in expenses is mainly due to the cease of Canonic’s activities and a decrease in certain development expenses in Biomica as compared to the same period the previous year. Research and development expenses, net of non-refundable grants, for the second quarter of 2024 were approximately $4.0 million, and decreased significantly as compared to approximately $5.4 million in the same period in the previous year. The decrease is mainly attributable to decreased expenses in Canonic and Biomica, as mentioned above.  

Sales and Marketing Expenses: Sales and Marketing expenses for the first half of 2024 were approximately $1.9 million, a slight increase from approximately $1.7 million in the same period in the previous year. The increase is mainly attributable to increased sales and marketing activities in Casterra during the first half of 2024 as compared to the same period in 2023. Sales and Marketing expenses for the second quarter of 2024 were approximately $0.9 million and remained stable as compared to approximately $0.9 million in the same period in the previous year. 

General and Administrative Expenses: General and administrative expenses for the first half of 2024 decreased slightly to approximately $3.2 million from approximately $3.3 million in the same period last year. General and administrative expenses for the second quarter of 2024 decreased to approximately $1.5 million compared to approximately $1.8 million in the same period of the previous year, mainly due to decreased non-cash compensation and salary related expenses in Lavie Bio and Biomica, respectively, in the second quarter of 2024.

Other Expenses: The decision to cease Canonic’s operations in the first half of 2024 resulted in other expenses of approximately $0.5 million, mainly due to impairment of fixed assets in the first quarter of 2024.

Operating Loss: The operating loss for the first half of 2024 was approximately $10.2 million, a significant decrease from approximately $14.7 million in the same period of the previous year, mainly due to increased revenues as mentioned above. The operating loss for the second quarter of 2024 was approximately $6.1 million, a decrease from $7.9 million in the same period of the previous year, mainly due to decreased operating expenses as mentioned above. 

Financing Income: Financing income, net for the first half of 2024 was $379 thousand, compared to financing expenses, net of $86 thousand in the same period of the previous year. This increase was primarily due to increased interest income and a revaluation of convertible SAFE. Financing income, net for the second quarter of 2024 was $138 thousand, compared to financing income, net of $144 thousand in the same period of the previous year.

Net Loss: The net loss for the first half of 2024 was approximately $9.8 million, compared to approximately $14.8 million in the same period last year. The $5.0 million decrease in net loss was primarily due to increased revenues, decreased operating expenses, partially offset by the one-time $0.5 million of other expenses, related to ceasing Canonic’s operations and an increase in financial income. The net loss for the second quarter of 2024 was approximately $6.0 million, compared to approximately $7.8 million in the same period last year. The $1.8 million decrease in net loss was primarily due to decreased operating expenses as mentioned above.

For the financial tables click here.

Conference Call & Webcast Details: Thursday, August 22, 2024. 9:00 AM EST 4:00 PM IDT
To join the Zoom conference, please register in advance here.

Or join via audio
Or, dial from the US: +15642172000, from Israel: +972 3 978 6688 
Webinar ID: 842 8320 2980 
More International numbers

Webcast & Presentation link available at:
https://evogene.com/investor-relations

About Evogene Ltd. 

Evogene Ltd. (Nasdaq: EVGN, TASE: EVGN) is a computational biology company leveraging big data and artificial intelligence, aiming to revolutionize the development of life-science based products by utilizing cutting-edge technologies to increase the probability of success while reducing development time and cost.

Evogene established three unique tech-engines – MicroBoost AI, ChemPass AI and GeneRator AI. Each tech-engine is focused on the discovery and development of products based on one of the following core components: microbes (MicroBoost AI), small molecules (ChemPass AI), and genetic elements (GeneRator AI).

Evogene uses its tech-engines to develop products through strategic partnerships and collaborations, and its four subsidiaries including:

Biomica Ltd. (www.biomicamed.com) – developing and advancing novel microbiome-based therapeutics to treat human disorders powered by MicroBoost AI;Lavie Bio (www.lavie-bio.com) – developing and commercially advancing, microbiome based ag-biologicals powered by MicroBoost AI;AgPlenus Ltd. (www.agplenus.com) – developing next generation ag-chemicals for effective and sustainable crop protection powered by ChemPass AI;Casterra Ag (www.casterra.co) – developing and marketing superior castor seed varieties producing high yield and high-grade oil content, on an industrial scale for the biofuel and other industries powered by GeneRator AI.

For more information, please visit: www.evogene.com.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” relating to future events. These statements may be identified by words such as “may”, “could”, “expects”, “hopes” “intends”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “believes”, “scheduled”, “estimates”, “demonstrates” or words of similar meaning. For example, Evogene and its subsidiaries are using forward-looking statements in this press release when they discuss Evogene’s strategy, Evogene’s ability to develop novel products, that Evogene’s strategy will result groundbreaking innovations and significant financial gains for Evogene, Casterra’s ability to supply all existing purchase orders by the end of 2024, Lavie Bio’s market potential, Lavie Bio’s pipeline advancement, Biomica’s BMC128’s future beneficial activity, and Evogene’s projected cash usage for 2024 and Evogene anticipated continued revenue growth in the second half of 2024. Such statements are based on current expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions, describe opinions about future events, involve certain risks and uncertainties which are difficult to predict and are not guarantees of future performance. Therefore, actual future results, performance, or achievements of Evogene and its subsidiaries may differ materially from what is expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements due to a variety of factors, many of which are beyond the control of Evogene and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the current war between Israel, Hamas and Hezbollah and any worsening of the situation in Israel such as further mobilizations or escalation in the northern border of Israel, and those risk factors contained in Evogene’s reports filed with the applicable securities authority. In addition, Evogene and its subsidiaries rely, and expect to continue to rely, on third parties to conduct certain activities, such as their field trials and pre-clinical studies, and if these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with regulatory requirements or meet expected deadlines, Evogene and its subsidiaries may experience significant delays in the conduct of their activities. Evogene and its subsidiaries disclaim any obligation or commitment to update these forward-looking statements to reflect future events or developments or changes in expectations, estimates, projections and assumptions.

Logo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1947468/Evogene_Logo.jpg

Evogene Investors Relations Contact:
Email: ir@evogene.com
Tel: +972-8-9311901

 

 

 

CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF FINANCIAL POSITION
U.S. dollars in thousands

June 30,

 

December 31,

2024

2023

Unaudited

Audited

CURRENT ASSETS:

Cash and cash equivalents

$           9,484

$          20,772

Short-term bank deposits

11,424

10,291

Trade receivables

376

357

Other receivables and prepaid expenses

3,696

2,973

Inventories

794

76

25,774

34,469

LONG-TERM ASSETS:

Long-term deposits and other receivables

30

28

Investment accounted for using the equity method

100

Right-of-use-assets

729

980

Property, plant and equipment, net

1,650

2,455

Intangible assets, net

12,685

13,169

15,194

16,632

$         40,968

$          51,101

CURRENT LIABILITIES:

Trade payables

$              957

$            1,785

Employees and payroll accruals

2,333

2,537

Lease liability

558

853

Liabilities in respect of government grants

681

388

Deferred revenues and other advances

548

362

Other payables

816

1,019

5,893

6,944

LONG-TERM LIABILITIES:

Lease liability

252

285

Liabilities in respect of government grants

4,247

4,426

Deferred revenues and other advances

244

393

Convertible SAFE

10,392

10,368

15,135

15,472

SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY:

Ordinary shares of NIS 0.2 par value:

Authorized − 15,000,000 ordinary shares; Issued and outstanding − 5,096,760 shares as of
June 30, 2024, and 5,079,313 (*) shares as of December 31, 2023

287

286

Share premium and other capital reserve

269,648

269,353

Accumulated deficit

(266,868)

(257,586)

Equity attributable to equity holders of the Company

3,067

12,053

Non-controlling interests

16,873

16,632

   Total equity

19,940

28,685

$         40,968

$          51,101

(*) Shares and per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the reverse stock split

 

 

 

CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF PROFIT OR LOSS
U.S. dollars in thousands (except share and per share amounts)

 

Six months ended
June 30,

 

Three months ended
June 30,

Year ended
December 31,

2024

2023

2024

2023

2023

Unaudited

Audited

Revenues

$       5,104

$       1,295

$      914

$654

$       5,640

Cost of revenues

847

783

537

461

1,692

Gross profit

4,257

512

377

193

3,948

Operating expenses:

Research and development, net

8,817

10,169

4,016

5,369

20,777

Sales and marketing

1,920

1,728

928

928

3,611

General and administrative

3,184

3,312

1,530

1,797

6,068

Other expenses

524

5

Total operating expenses, net

14,445

15,209

6,479

8,094

30,456

Operating loss

(10,188)

(14,697)

(6,102)

(7,901)

(26,508)

Financing income

667

699

260

391

1,486

Financing expenses

(288)

(785)

(122)

(247)

(965)

Financing income (expenses), net

379

(86)

138

144

521

Share of loss from equity accounted investment

(20)

(20)

Loss before taxes on income

(9,829)

(14,783)

(5,984)

(7,757)

(25,987)

Taxes on income (tax benefit)

1

(24)

1

21

(33)

Loss

$     (9,830)

$ (14,759)

$   (5,985)

$(7,778)

$   (25,954)

Attributable to:

Equity holders of the Company

$     (9,282)

$ (13,294)

$   (5,419)

$    (7,023)

$   (23,879)

Non-controlling interests

(548)

(1,465)

(566)

(755)

(2,075)

$     (9,830)

$ (14,759)

$   (5,985)

$(7,778)

$   (25,954)

Basic and diluted loss per share, attributable to equity holders of
the Company (*)

$       (1.82)

$     (3.18)

$     (1.06)

$(1.68)

$      (5.20)

Weighted average number of shares used in computing basic and
diluted loss per share (*)

5,087,029

4,177,554

5,090,993

4,185,242

4,589,386

(*) Shares and per share amounts have been retroactively adjusted to reflect the
reverse stock split

 

 

 

CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
U.S. dollars in thousands

 

 

Six months ended
June 30
,

 

Three months ended
June 30,

Year ended
December 31,

2024

2023

2024

2023

2023

Unaudited

Audited

Cash flows from operating activities

Loss

$    (9,830)

$  (14,759)

$    (5,985)

$     (7,778)

$     (25,954)

Adjustments to reconcile loss to net cash used in operating activities:

Adjustments to the profit or loss items:

Depreciation

800

807

374

406

1,641

Amortization of intangible assets

484

481

239

241

971

Share-based compensation

999

1,219

460

801

1,877

Revaluation of convertible SAFE

24

220

49

26

254

Net financing expenses (income)

(222)

6

(28)

60

(666)

Loss (gain) from sale of property, plant and equipment

524

(26)

5

(26)

Share of loss from equity accounted investment

20

20

Taxes on income (tax benefit)

1

(24)

1

21

(33)

2,630

2,683

1,120

1,555

4,018

Changes in asset and liability items:

 

Decrease (increase) in trade receivables

(19)

170

163

72

(9)

Decrease (increase) in other receivables

(725)

84

(546)

375

(1,445)

Decrease (increase) in inventories

(718)

317

(78)

342

490

Decrease in deferred taxes

94

Increase (decrease) in trade payables

(762)

26

(77)

(95)

742

Increase (decrease) in employees and payroll accruals

(204)

172

(99)

117

550

Increase (decrease) in other payables

(214)

(162)

(153)

297

(534)

Increase (decrease) in deferred revenues and other advances

(84)

(73)

(13)

(81)

(288)

(2,726)

534

(803)

1,027

(400)

Cash received (paid) during the period for:

Interest received

402

283

231

145

905

Interest paid

(41)

(66)

(18)

(30)

(115)

Taxes paid

(10)

(10)

(31)

Net cash used in operating activities

$   (9,565)

$   (11,335)

$    (5,455)

$     (5,091)

$     (21,577)

 

 

 

CONSOLIDATED INTERIM STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS
U.S. dollars in thousands

 

Six months ended
June 30,

 

Three months ended
June 30,

Year ended
December 31,

2024

2023

2024

2023

2023

Unaudited

Audited

Cash flows from investing activities:

Purchase of property, plant and equipment

$         (172)

(483)

(31)

(124)

$         (785)

Proceeds from sale of marketable securities

6,924

6,287

6,924

Purchase of marketable securities

(503)

(503)

(503)

Proceeds from sale of property, plant and equipment

10

26

26

Withdrawal from (investment in) bank deposits, net

(990)

(13,560)

3,241

(13,560)

(10,200)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities

$   (1,152)

$    (7,596)

$   3,210

$      (7,900)

$     (4,538)

Cash flows from financing activities:

Issuance of a subsidiary preferred shares to non-controlling interests

9,523

9,523

9,523

Proceeds from issuance of ordinary shares, net of issuance expenses

86

336

83

68

8,449

Repayment of lease liability

(462)

(413)

(231)

(207)

(836)

Proceeds from government grants

1,089

1,063

1,089

Repayment of government grants

(142)

(35)

(3)

(73)

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities

(518)

10,500

(151)

10,447

18,152

Exchange rate differences – cash and cash equivalent balances

(53)

(316)

(35)

(223)

(245)

Decrease in cash and cash equivalents

(11,288)

(8,747)

(2,431)

(2,767)

(8,208)

Cash and cash equivalents, beginning of the period

20,772

28,980

11,915

23,000

28,980

Cash and cash equivalents, end of the period

$    9,484

$    20,233

$    9,484

$    20,233

$     20,772

Significant non-cash activities

Acquisition of property, plant and equipment

$        15

$           90

$        15

$           21

$          81

Investment in equity-accounted investee with corresponding
deferred revenues 

$      120

$              –

$            –

$              –

$             –

Increase of right-of-use asset recognized with corresponding
lease liability

$      184

$          135

$        54

$           64

$        194

 

 

 

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Technology

Marquis Who’s Who Honors Rupin Chothani for Engineering Leadership

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UNIONDALE, N.Y., July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Marquis Who’s Who honors Rupin Chothani for his leadership in engineering and project management. With more than two decades of professional experience to his credit, Mr. Chothani leverages a unique expertise in fire and petrochemical solutions to find success in his field. As project manager, project engineer and proposal manager at Technip Energies N.V., Mr. Chothani ensures effective results.

Drawn to Engineering

Coming from a family of engineers, Mr. Chothani was naturally drawn to the profession. This inclination was reinforced by comprehensive aptitude and attitude tests administered at the age of 14, which highlighted his strengths in engineering and architecture. Ultimately, this direction reinforced his determination to pursue a degree in mechanical engineering.

By 2003, Mr. Chothani earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Mumbai. After a brief role as a junior manufacturing engineer at Artech Cooling Tower Pvt. Ltd., he completed a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Bridgeport in 2006. In addition to these degrees, Mr. Chothani later achieved AutoCAD certification.

Following his graduation in 2006, Mr. Chothani joined CB&I Lummus / ABB Lummus Heat Transfer (now Lummus Technology) as a thermal engineer. Though his work at Lummus Technology lasted only three years, Mr. Chothani was greatly influenced by mentor figures at the company. These mentors, including Ken Catala, Peter Harvard, Chin Dang and Miller Alanath Carter, provided essential guidance.

Building a Family

In December 2008, Mr. Chothani married his wife, Cathy. Along with his son and daughter, his family has contributed richly to his success in engineering and they continue to inspire him to excel. In addition to their support, Mr. Chothani recognizes that there is no alternative to hard work and dedicated learning.

From Lummus Technology to Technip Energies N.V.

Following his work at Lummus Technology, Mr. Chothani worked with Maco Corporation India Pvt. Ltd. By 2011, he joined Complete Heat Transfer Solutions – Environ Energy Systems as a thermal and mechanical engineer. By 2013, Mr. Chothani became a part of Technip Energies N.V. as a furnace mechanical engineer. By 2023, he added to this role and became a project manager, project engineer and proposal manager at the company.

In his current role at Technip Energies N.V., Mr. Chothani is responsible for a variety of essential duties. He manages and executes on engineering projects for ethylene cracking furnaces and heaters, and oversees proprietary technologies. Additionally, he actively coordinates with procurement, logistics, mechanical engineering and process engineering teams to ensure effective results.

Plans for the Future

Moving forward, Mr. Chothani hopes to advance his project management skills, particularly within the firejet industry. At the same time, he aims to share his knowledge of the industry with the next generation of professionals. Outside of his professional ambitions, Mr. Chothani intends to prepare his children to find success, inspiring them and their peers with hands-on experiments and full-day events.

About Marquis Who’s Who®:

Since 1899, when A. N. Marquis printed the First Edition of Who’s Who in America®, Marquis Who’s Who® has chronicled the lives of the most accomplished individuals and innovators from every significant field, including politics, business, medicine, law, education, art, religion and entertainment. Who’s Who in America® remains an essential biographical source for thousands of researchers, journalists, librarians and executive search firms worldwide. The suite of Marquis® publications can be viewed at the official Marquis Who’s Who® website, www.marquiswhoswho.com.

Marquis Who’s Who
Uniondale, NY
(844) 394 – 6946
info@marquiswhoswho.com
www.marquiswhoswho.com

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COALITION OF INDEPENDENT INTERNET PROVIDERS ASKS CRTC TO FIX ERRORS IN WHOLESALE FIBRE RATES

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Coalition of competitive ISPs say current fibre rates make competition impossible and threatens to harm millions of Canadian consumers

CHATHAM, ON, July 23, 2026 /CNW/ — A coalition of independent internet service providers (the Coalition) led by TekSavvy Solutions Inc. (TekSavvy) today applied to the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) to review and vary Telecom Order 2026-77, which set final wholesale rates for fibre internet services. In that decision, the CRTC approved wholesale rates for fibre internet services that are higher than the retail prices charged by the large carriers. This makes competition impossible, as independent providers are forced to either sell at a loss or set prices above the large carriers, leaving millions of Canadian consumers without competitive options for essential internet services.

The application identifies key errors that led the CRTC to approve severely inflated final wholesale rates, which make it economically impossible for independent providers to compete. The Coalition argues that the CRTC’s incorrect rates negate the very purpose of Canada’s wholesale framework, which is to foster competition in retail broadband markets. Specifically, the Coalition asks the CRTC to make three key changes to Telecom Order 2026-77:

Eliminate one cost factor that is inconsistent with the CRTC’s established costing principles, which artificially increased fibre wholesale rates by an estimated 25% to 30% (the Adjustment Factor).Reduce another element of the costing that is inflated above reasonable levels: The Coalition calls on the CRTC to reduce the markup applied to wholesale fibre services from 30% to 15%, reflecting declining costs, operational efficiencies, and the need to support competition.Correct technical errors relating to certain wholesale fibre speed descriptions.

“Canadians were promised greater competition for fibre internet services, but these rates make competition impossible.” said Andy Kaplan-Myrth, TekSavvy’s Vice President of Regulatory and Carrier Affairs. “The CRTC must correct these errors to ensure its wholesale rates promote broadband competition that challenges the market power of monopoly incumbents, lowers prices, and increases consumer choice.”

About the Coalition

The Coalition consists of competitive telecommunications providers and industry associations advocating for fair wholesale access to fibre networks and a competitive broadband marketplace that delivers affordable, high-quality Internet services to Canadians, including: TekSavvy Solutions Inc., BC Broadband Association (“BCBA”), Canada-Wide Internet Service Providers Association (“CanWISP”), Fibernetics Inc., ISP Telecom Inc., National Capital FreeNet Inc., Novus Entertainment Inc. and Purple Cow Internet Inc.

About TekSavvy Solution Inc.

Based in Chatham, Ontario, TekSavvy is Canada’s largest independent telecom service company. TekSavvy has been proudly delivering award-winning services and fighting for consumers’ rights for nearly 30 years. TekSavvy is committed to providing quality competitive choice and closing Canada’s digital divide.

SOURCE TekSavvy Solutions Inc.

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Monk Launches Voice Collections, Bringing AI Phone Calls and Callbacks to Accounts Receivable

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Monk’s collections agent, Julia, can now place outbound collection calls and answer inbound AR questions from a dedicated business number, so finance teams can use the channel that collects best without adding headcount.

Multimedia: Watch Voice Collections in action: https://youtu.be/w09PoN1yACE 

NEW YORK, July 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Monk, the AI-native accounts receivable platform, today launched Voice Collections. Its collections agent, Julia, can now place outbound collection calls and answer inbound customer questions about invoices and payments from a dedicated phone number for each organization. The feature brings the phone, long the most effective collections channel and the hardest one to scale, into Monk’s Intelligent Collections.

Roughly $10 trillion sits in unpaid invoices worldwide, and the average invoice now takes 59 days to clear (Allianz). Most accounts receivable runs on email, and most of it waits. More than half of B2B invoices in the United States are overdue at any given time, and 92% of businesses are typically paid after their due date (Chaser, 2026). Phone calls recover overdue invoices two to three times better than email (Dunwise), yet 91% of finance teams still rely on email as their main follow-up channel and only 56% use the phone, because calling every overdue account by hand does not scale and a single human dunning call can cost $12 to $18 (HighRadius).

Voice Collections gives teams that coverage. Julia can call on the accounts a playbook flags for phone follow-up, and answer when a customer calls the same number back to ask about an invoice, a payment, or a bank detail. Businesses that follow up on 100% of overdue invoices are 76% more likely to be paid within a week (Chaser), and a voice agent is what makes full coverage possible.

Monk’s collections agent is already proven on the accounts it handles by email. Across Monk’s first 100 customers, Julia reaches customers with a 24% higher response rate than standard dunning and resolves 88.2% of collections with zero human intervention. Voice extends that reach to the phone.

“For years the assumption was that customers would not talk to an AI on the phone,” said George Kurdin, Founder and CEO of Monk. “The evidence now points the other way. People engage with a good voice agent, and in AR the phone was always the channel that collected best. We built Voice Collections so finance teams can finally use it at the scale email gave them.”

That assumption is worth retiring. In a University of Chicago Booth field study of roughly 70,000 interviews, people interviewed by a voice AI agent were 12% more likely to receive an offer, 18% more likely to start, and 17% more likely to still be there after 30 days, and 80% chose the voice AI over a human when given the choice. The setting was recruiting rather than collections, but the finding travels: given a capable voice agent, people lean in rather than hang up. A call also does something email cannot, which is secure a verbal promise to pay in the moment.

Built for finance, with the phone agents kept with strict guardrails

Voice in finance has to be constrained, and Monk designed Voice Collections around that from the start. The agent is read-only on the phone. It answers questions, confirms details, and routes the next step. It will not rewrite an invoice, change a payment status, or accept a sensitive payment change by voice.

The agent is also reference-based. If a caller asks about an invoice, Julia asks for both the company name and the invoice number before looking anything up, and it will not search broadly from a single detail. Every inbound and outbound call is kept in the collection record alongside the email history, so a callback is part of the same thread the team already sees, and anything that needs judgment escalates to a person.

“Voice in finance has to be careful by design,” said Joe Zhou, Co-Founder and CTO of Monk. “Julia will not browse across accounts or move money over the phone. A caller has to bring the company name and invoice number before it confirms anything, and every call lands in the record. In finance a 1% mistake is still unacceptable, so we built for that first and added the reach second.”

Teams run autonomous collections on Monk

Monk runs collections for finance teams at companies like Unify, Pump, Siro, and Elate, and Voice Collections extends what those teams already do by email onto the phone.

“We chose Monk to help automate our collections, a process previously demanding several hours a week of manual, one-off outreach,” said Will Stewart, Head of Finance and BizOps at Unify. “Today, our Monk agent is always running in the background and I have a single dashboard to manage AR from.”

At Pump, which manages volume across more than 1,500 customers, Monk has helped collect over $10 million in recent months.

Voice AI is now infrastructure

The timing reflects how far voice AI has come. It has moved from demo to infrastructure: Vapi has processed more than 1 billion calls, Bland handles over 3.5 million calls a week, and ElevenLabs raised a $500 million round at an $11 billion valuation in early 2026. Monk builds Voice Collections on that foundation and adds the part finance actually needs, which is the AR context, the controls, and the audit trail.

Voice Collections is available now as an opt-in feature. Monk configures the dedicated number and call behavior with each organization before turning it on in Collections. See it in action: https://youtu.be/w09PoN1yACE.

About Monk

Monk is the AI-native accounts receivable platform that helps finance teams turn revenue into cash. Its agent, Julia, runs collections, cash application, and forecasting as one connected system. Monk resolves 88.2% of collections with zero human intervention, reaches customers with a 24% higher response rate than standard dunning, reduces DSO by more than 40%, automatically matches 80% of incoming payments with a full audit trail, and gives finance teams back roughly 26 hours a month. Teams onboard in under a week and see results in their first month. More than $1.5 billion in receivables is managed on the platform, including for customers like Profound and ElevenLabs. Monk has raised $25 million and is based in New York.

Media contact
Kendall Warson
kendall@monk.com
+1 415-827-6585

Sources: Chaser 2026 Accounts Receivable research; Dunwise dunning research; HighRadius collection call cost analysis; University of Chicago Booth field study on AI in recruiting; voice AI figures compiled by Enterprise DNA; Federal Reserve data; Allianz Worldwide DSO survey.

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SOURCE Monk

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