This conference call transcript was computer generated and almost certianly contains errors. This transcript is provided for information purposes only.EarningsCall, LLC makes no representation about the accuracy of the aforementioned transcript, and you are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the information provided by the transcript.
spk00: Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for standing by. Welcome to Evagen's fourth quarter and full year 2023 results conference call. All participants are present in listen-only mode. Following management's formal presentation, instructions will be given for the question and answer session. For operator assistance during the conference, please press star zero. As a reminder, this conference is being recorded March 7, 2024. Before we begin, I would like to caution that certain statements made during this earnings conference call by Evagen's management will constitute forward-looking statements that relate to future events. This investor call 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, or words of similar meaning. For example, Evagen is using forward-looking statement in this investor call when it discusses the further partnerships with industry leaders, increased sales of subsidiary products like Castera's Elite Caster Varieties and Levy Bio's Bio-Inoculant Yalows. Expansion beyond its current sectors, continued revenue growth for the Evagen Group in 2024, potential transfer of Canonix operations to a third party, increased production of Castera, commercialization of Agplanis and Levy Bios products, and the timing and results of the clinical trials and preclinical trials of Biomica's products. 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 Evagen 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 Evagen and its subsidiaries, including, without limitation, the current war between Israel and Hamas, 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 Evagen's reports filed with the applicable securities authority. In addition, Evagen and its subsidiaries rely and expect to continue to rely on third parties to conduct certain activities such as their field trials and preclinical studies. And if these third parties do not successfully carry out their contractual duties, comply with regulatory requirements, or meet expected deadlines, Evagen and its subsidiaries may experience significant delays in the conduct of their activities. Evagen 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. More detailed information about the risk factors potentially adversely impacting our performance can be found in our reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Today's call will feature Ofer Khabib, President and CEO of Evogen, alongside Yaron Eldad, CFO of Evogen, and Yoash Zohar, CEO of Castera. Additionally, a representative from each subsidiary will be present at the Q&A session. That said, I would now like to turn over the call to Ofer Khabib, President and CEO of Evogen. Mr. Khabib, please go ahead.
spk03: Hi, and good day, everyone. In today's conference call, I would like to start with a review of the Evogen Group achievements during 2023 until today and provide you with an update on our activities in as well as potential catalysts during the next 12 months. Following my review, Castera's new CEO, Yoash Zohar, will introduce himself, provide an update on Castera's activity, and outline the company's goals for the coming years. Evogen's CFO, Yaron Eldad, will then provide a financial summary and update. After that, we will open the Q&A session. What a year it's been for the Evogen Group since our last earning call, summarizing 2022. Despite the challenges we are facing collectively here in Israel, this year marked a significant shift in how the industry views our technology and products, translating into growing collaborations with world-leading companies. The number and caliber of partnerships Evogen and our subsidiaries have formed speaks of volumes. LaviBio, partnering with Corteva, ICL, and Syngenta. ActPlanus, partnering with Bayer and Corteva. Castera, partnered with Global Oil and Gas Company. Biomica, securing investment from Shanghai Healthcare Capital. And Evogen, collaborating with Verbiotics and Colors, all highlight our growing presence and impact in the life science industry. This expanding collaboration momentum validates the value of Evogen's AI tech engines, MicroBoost AI, Campus AI, and Generatory AI, relying on our CPB platform, which we have been developing for over a decade. Looking ahead, we anticipate further collaboration with industry leaders directly or through our subsidiaries, an increase in the volume of sales of products by our subsidiaries, such as Castera's elite cultural varieties and La Vie Bio's bio-inequivalent Yalos, and expanding Evogen's reach behind its current sectors of activity. These efforts not only validate our contribution, but also strengthen our financial position through non-dilutive funding and revenue streams from upfront payments R&D fees, milestones, and direct product sales, as reflected in the revenue the company reports today, totaling approximately $5.6 million, compared to approximately $1.7 million in 2022. We expect to see continued growth in the Avogen Group revenue in 2024. As we have new listeners on today's call, I would like to briefly review Avogen's core technology and our value proposition. Avogen has been using its computational predictive biology platform, the CPB, to direct and accelerate the development of life science-based products. The CPB is at the foundation of our three AI tech engines, MicroBoost AI, supports the development of microbe-based products. Campus AI supports small molecules-based products. And Generator AI supports products based on genetic elements. Our AI-driven tech engines aim to tackle the main challenges in life science product development, candidate discovery, and optimization. Identifying winning candidates from a vast number of prospects and meeting complex criteria for successful commercial products. The value proposition of our AI-driven tech engines stems from the efficient finding of the needle in the haystack, therefore increasing the probability of the success within a competitive timeframe and in cost-efficient manner. After reviewing our technology, on to our business model. Our business model revolves around two main strategies for leveraging our AI technology. Licensing. Evergen offers time-limited license to third parties, such as our subsidiaries or related entities, allowing them to use our tech engines for product development within a specific commercial domain. This model typically generates revenue through license fee, R&D reimbursement, but more importantly, dividends to Evogen as a shareholder, or significant one-time payments upon an exit event, particularly if Evogen is a major shareholder. Collaborations. Evogen collaborates with industry leaders to jointly drive product development. In these ventures, our partners often take the lead in later stage development and commercialization, while we contribute our unique tech engine to identify and optimize product candidates. Revenue from this model usually came from upfront payment, R&D fees, and royalty from sales of future end products. As of now, we are commercializing MicroBoost AI through licensing agreements with LaviBio for ag-biological and with Biomica for human microbiome-based drugs development, and Avogen is also collaborating with Verbiotic to develop probiotic products. Campus AI is commercialized through a license agreement with our subsidiary, Agplanus, for ag-chemical product development. Generator AI is commercialized through license agreement with Castera, for castor seed varieties, and Canonic for medical cannabis products. Evogen is also collaborating with ColorPharm LTD on crustacean gene editing technology through Generator AI. I would like now to review in more detail the collaboration that Evogen is engaged in with third parties, and then briefly review the main achievements of our subsidiaries. At the beginning of February 2024, we proudly announced a partnership between Avogen and Verbiotics, an innovative probiotics company. Our collaboration with Verbiotics allows us to tap into the growing probiotics market using Avogen's MicroBoost AI tech engines. Together, we are working on identifying and designing probiotic bacteria that produce highly sustainable quantities of microbial metabolites known to improve human health and vitality. With the probiotics market projected to double to around $114 billion by 2031, we are seizing the opportunity to revolutionize this industry and provide cutting-edge solutions for consumers worldwide. Earlier this year, we reported collaboration with Colors Farm and Ben-Gurion University to pioneer castration gene editing technology, aiming to enhance castration traits. The collaboration is powered by a grant from the Israel Innovation Authority and utilized Evogen's generator AI tech engine. Another milestone worth mentioning is that our AXI division secured a 1.2 million euro grant to develop oilseed crops with enhanced CO2 assimilation and drought tolerance. The program known as the EIC 2022 Horizon Program supports business addressing climate focus and sustainable crop development. In this program, we utilize Evogen Generator AI tech engines capabilities as well. These partnerships exemplify our business approach and demonstrate how we use our tech engines to bring innovative products to market in sectors not covered by our subsidiaries. It's important for me to emphasize that all of these collaborations are all generating revenue to Evogen. Now, let's review our subsidiaries' achievements. I would like to start with Castera, Evogen's fully-owned subsidiary, which focuses on developing an integrated solution to enable large-scale commercial cultivation of castor beans, benefiting from its unique elite seed varieties, utilizing generator AI tech engines. Castera's solutions aim to address the global demand for a stable castor oil supply mainly for the biodiesel industry. The past year was pivotal for Castera. Its vision of becoming a significant player in the biodiesel industry progresses with a seed order from a world-leading oil and gas company totaling $11.3 million for caster cultivation in Africa. In September, Castera successfully delivered its first shipment of high-yield, high-oiled castor seeds from Brazil and Zambia to an African region, generating revenue of approximately $1 million. Established earlier this week, the company recently signed agreements with existing and new seed producers in Brazil and Africa to increase its production capabilities of castor seeds in 2024 which are expected to add approximately 400 tons. This new agreement will enable the company to support the existing seed orders. Looking forward to 2024, Cacera is committed to expanding its castor seed production capacity through securing agreement with additional subcontractors in Brazil and Africa, on which we expect to update. Finally, on January 2024, we welcomed Yuash Zohar as Castera's new CEO, who will later present himself. Yuash brings a wealth of experience in global ag projects, and I'm confident in his ability to propel the company forward. I wish him and the rest of Castera's team good luck. Now, I would like to review our wholly-owned subsidiary, Agplanus, aiming to discover next-generation innovative crop protection products, including herbicide, insecticide, and fungicide, and commercialize them through collaboration with world-leading partners. Actlanus utilized Avogen Campus AI tech engine to accelerate and direct its product development. Major agrochemical companies dominate today's crop protection industry. Still, They look to smaller agtech companies to discover new target proteins and small molecules that inhibit such target proteins, serving as the active ingredient in commercial crop protection products. Agplanus is the company that addresses this need. As I stated in the previous call, there is a growing interest in Agplanus product pipeline. And recently, we were fortunate to see that interest materialize. In February 2024, AgPlanus announced the signing of a licensing and a collaboration agreement with Bayer's crop science division. Under the agreement, AgPlanus will use its AI-driven computational modeling technology to design and optimize the molecules identified for their broad-spectrum herbicidal activity, targeting the APTH1 protein, a new mode of action identified by Acplanus. Bayer will have the exclusive license for developing and commercializing products developed within the collaboration. Acplanus will be entitled to receive an upfront payment, ongoing research funding, milestone payment, and loyalty based on future product sales. Another impressive and important announcement was the milestone achievement in the ongoing collaboration with Corteva for the development of novel herbicides. The milestone marked the successful identification of a new family of molecules exhibiting herbicidal effect through a novel mode of action, APCO12, discovered by Agplanus. In the next phase, the collaboration will optimize the identified molecules toward commercial-level products, utilizing Agplanus cutting-edge computational technology powered by Evogen's campus AI tech engine. These two collaborations strengthen Agplanus' financial position and overall perceptions in the agriculture market. Last but not least, we introduced Dr. Dan Jacob Gervan as ACK Planus' new CEO. Dan's extensive experience and proven track record well positioned him to guide ACK Planus through its next phase of growth and innovation. ACK Planus' former CEO, Dr. Brian Ember, has transitioned to Chief Business Officer. I would like to thank Brian for his contribution and leadership to Agplanus, and I look forward to continuing our work together in his new role. Agplanus is looking towards an exciting year with new management in place, the collaborative agreements signed with Bayer in February, and the milestone reach in the Corteva collaboration in March. 2024 is looking bright for the company. Alongside those, ACK Planus will continue to advance its pipeline based on the campus AI tech engine and seek additional collaboration with existing and new partners. I would like now to continue with the two subsidiaries using MicroBoost AI to accelerate and direct their product development, Biomica and LaviBio. Biomica, specializing in developing microbiome-based therapeutics for human health utilizing Evogen's MicroBoost AI tech engine to discover and optimize microbes with therapeutic potential. In April, 2023, Biomica completed a $20 million financing round with Shanghai Healthcare Capital investment of 10 million. This investment made at the post-money valuation of $50 million, serve as an external validation of Biomica's long-term potential. Biomica's flagship product candidate, BMC128, targeting immune oncology patients, is currently undergoing phase one clinical trials. The trial, initiated at the Rambam Healthcare Campus in Israel, aims to assess BMC128 safety and durability in combination with Bristol-Myers Squibb's Optivo Immune Therapy. In August 2023, Biomica expanded its operations by opening a second site at the Davidov Cancer Center in Israel to facilitate additional patient recruitment for the clinical trial. In January 2024, Biomica reached a significant milestone by completing phase one trial enrollment for its microbiome-based immune oncology drug with preliminary results showing promising outcomes. Initial data point readout is anticipated during 2024. In July 2023, Biomica reported positive interim results from preclinical studies on its IBS program conducted in collaboration with Professor Hira Gross-Margolis' lab at New York University. These results demonstrate the efficacy of Biomica's live bacterial consortia, BMC426 and BMC427, alleviating visceral pain, a major symptom of IBS, presenting promising new treatment avenues. Biomica intend to conduct further preclinical studies on BMC426 and BMC427 to prepare for clinical trials. Looking ahead, Biomica remains committed to addressing its efforts and aims to submit an IND application for BMC128 targeting immune oncology patients during the third quarter of 2024, a pivotal step in preparing for Phase II clinical trials in the US. In addition, the company will continue to advance its candidates in the IBS and IBD programs towards Phase I clinical trials. Now to Lavi Bio, who leverages Evogen's MicroBoost AI tech engine to develop next-generation agri-biological products. In addition to Evogen's majority ownership, La Vie Bio has two additional major shareholders, Corteva, a New York-listed multinational ag tech giant, and ICL, a New York-listed global mineral and an ag tech company. In July 2023, La Vie Bio entered a licensing agreement with Corteva conferring exclusive rights to Corteva for advancing and commercializing La Vie Bio's lead biofungicide Lab 311 and Lab 312, targeting fruit rots. This agreement followed two years of independent field validation trials conducted by both companies. Under the agreement, La Vie Bio received an initial payment of $5 million and will also be eligible for additional future milestone payments and royalties from Corteva's future sales of the product. Another major step for La Vie Bio was the recent announcement in February 2024 of the agreement with Syngenta for the discovery and development of new biological insecticidal solution The collaboration will leverage LaVieBio's unique technology platform to rapidly identify and optimize bioinsecticide candidates. These two collaborations strengthen LaVieBio's financial position and overall perception in the agriculture market. Now, let's move from collaborations to product sales. LaVieBio's first bioiniculant product, Yalos, achieved several impressive milestones. In May 2023, YALS obtained regulatory approval from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, expanding its territory significantly and tripling its reach. In November 2023, YALS expanded its scope to include Durham and barley varieties across the U.S. and Canada. This expansion followed successful field trials in 2023, demonstrating an average of approximately 7% of yield increase in Durham and Barley. In December 2023, La Vie Bio secured an exclusive distribution agreement with Winfield United Canada for Yalos Aiming to drive sales growth in key Canadian agriculture regions, including Saskatchewan, Alberta and Manitoba, the focus of the distribution agreement is on spring wheat, Durham and barley crops. Overall, YALOS made significant strides in regulatory approval, product expansion and distribution partnership, positioning it as a valuable tool for enhancing crop productions and addressing environmental challenges in the agriculture industry. Looking forward to 2024, LaviBio will continue to focus on three main pillars. The first will be to grow the sales and distribution of the company's bio-equivalent product, Yalos, in the US and Canada. The second is to continue driving the company's pipeline of innovative product toward commercialization, including special focus on the company's strategic partnership with Corteva, ICL, and the recent one with Syngenta. The last pillar will be to continue advancing the company's unique technology platform, the BDD, powered by Evogen MicroBoost AI tech engine, with new tools and capabilities. Finalizing my review of our subsidiaries, I would like to update on Canonic, which provides tailored medical cannabis products. Following my previous update in Q3 2023, in which we noted that we have decided to reduce our investment in Canonic due to the challenging market conditions of the medical cannabis sector, we have recently engaged in advanced discussions relating to the potential transfer to a third party of Canonix operations. There is no assurance that such transfer will be completed or on what terms. We will continue to update you on this matter. No doubt, 2023 was an exciting year for the Erbogen Group, filled with achievements. Looking forward to 2024, we expected to see continued growth and additional collaborations benefiting from Evogen 3 AI tech engine. We ended 2023 with a solid cash balance of approximately $31.1 million and are expecting additional cash injections from collaborations and product sales. This concludes my review of the Evogen Group activities. Now, Yoash Zohar, Castera's new CEO, will take the lead.
spk01: Thank you, Ofer, and good day, everyone. I would like to start by thanking the exceptional team at Castera for welcoming me during this pivotal moment for the company and expressing my sincere gratitude to the Evogen management for their support. As we face the challenges ahead, I'm filled with optimism, driven by the great potential I see in Castera. Ensuring a reliable and stable supply of custard seeds is crucial in meeting our customers' demands while contributing positively to local economies. Our recently signed agreements with seed producers in Africa and Brazil strengthen our supply chain and mark a strategic change towards diversifying our production sources. I believe Evogen's innovative AI technology will play a crucial role in shaping the future of castor seeds, solidifying Castera's position as a world leader in the field. Together, I am confident that we will leverage this technology to maintain Castera's competitive edge and achieve unparalleled success in the global market.
spk02: Thank you, Yoash. As of December 31, 2023, Evergen had consolidated cash, cash equivalents, and short-term bank deposits of approximately $31.1 million. Evergen, together with Castera, Canonic, and AgPlanus, possessed an aggregate of $12.4 million in cash, Biomica, $12.7 million, and LaviBio, $6 million. In July 2023, the company entered into securities purchase agreements with institutional investors in a registered direct offering of shares only. The gross proceeds from the offering were approximately $8.5 million. Looking ahead to 2024, we expect an approximate cash usage of $8 million, excluding the VBIO and Bionica, which is significant decline compared to $12.5 million in 2023. This decline is mainly attributable to an expected increase in revenue in 2024 and a decrease in expenses due to the decline in Canonics activity. The total consolidated burn rate is expected to decline in 2023 as well to $21 million compared to $23.1 million in 2023. We do not have any bank debts. I would like now to highlight some specific items on the P&L. Revenues for 2023 were approximately $5.6 million in comparison to approximately $1.7 million in 2022. The increase in revenues was primarily due to $2.5 million generated by La Vie Bayo as a licensing fee in the frame of its collaboration with Corteva, as well as the revenues recognized from Castera's sale of Castle Seed. R&D expenses for the fourth quarter of 2023, which are reported net of non-refundable grants received, were approximately $5.5 million in comparison to approximately $4.8 million in the same period in the previous year. R&D expenses for the full year 2023 were approximately $20.8 million and remained stable compared to 2022. The main contributors to R&D expenses during 2023 were La Vie Bio's activities and Biomica's development efforts. Sales and marketing expenses for the fourth quarter of 2023 were approximately $1 million, reflecting a slight decrease compared to approximately $1.2 million in the same period the previous year. For the full year 2023, Sales and marketing expenses were approximately $3.6 million in comparison to approximately $3.9 million in 2022. General and administrative expenses for the fourth quarter of 2023 were approximately $1.2 million in comparison to approximately $1.7 million in the same period in the previous year. For the full year 2023, general and administrative expenses were approximately $6.1 million in comparison to approximately $6.5 million in 2022. The decrease was mainly attributed to the decrease in the cost of directors' and officers' insurance. Other income in the fourth quarter of 2022, the company received three and a half million dollars from buyer under the joint seed trade collaboration agreement as part of restructuring and release of the patent filing prosecution and maintenance obligation under the collaboration. Operating loss for the fourth quarter of 2023 was approximately $7.6 million in comparison to an operating loss of approximately $3.8 million in the same period in the previous year. The increase in the operating loss was mainly due to the other income recorded in the fourth quarter of 2022, as mentioned above. Operating loss for the full year 2023 was approximately $26.5 million in comparison to $26.9 million in 2022, mainly due to the significant increase of revenues in 2023 offset by the other income recorded in 2022. Financing income net for the fourth quarter of 2023 was approximately $297,000 compared to approximately $6,000 in the same period in the previous year. Financing income net for the full year 2023 was approximately $521,000 compared to financing expenses of approximately $2.8 million in the same period in the previous year. The difference between periods was mainly due to the US dollar and the new Israeli Shekel exchange rate, a change in the value of marketable securities and an interest income compared to the same period in the previous year. Net loss for the fourth quarter of 2023 was approximately $7.3 million in comparison to a net loss of approximately $3.8 million in the same period in the previous year. The increase in net loss during the fourth quarter of 2023 is mainly due to other income received in 2022, as mentioned above. Net loss for the full year 2023 was approximately $26 million in comparison to a net loss of approximately $29.8 million for 2022. With that, both Ofer and I would now like to open the call for any questions you may have.
spk00: Thank you. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, we will begin the question and answer session. If you have a question, please press star 1. If you wish to cancel your request, please press star two. If you're using speaker equipment, kindly lift the handset before pressing the numbers. Your questions will be polled in the order they are received. Please stand by while we poll for your questions. The first question is from Ben Cleave of Lake Street Capital. Please go ahead.
spk05: All right. Thank you for taking my questions. A few questions. The first couple regarding Castera. You talked about the increased access to farmers supplying you with castor seed. I'm wondering if you can characterize, if you feel confident that you have enough inventory to fill the entirety of the initial $11.3 million order in 2024. Do you guys feel comfortable with the inventory that you're going to have to do that? Or do you think there's any variability there? Definitely.
spk03: Hi Ben, this is Ofer and Yoash is also online, Yoash the CEO of Castera. We believe that we would be able to supply the orders we receive in 2023 during 2024. A fraction will come from a seed production that was initiated during 2023 and now it's on its way. The rest will come from a production that we are going to conduct during this year, which this is part from what we announced during the last quarter. So the answer to your question is yes. Great. That's great. Thank you.
spk05: And so then that, so follow-up question to this then is, you know, regarding a follow-on order from this unnamed energy partner. Can you characterize what is needed in order for a follow-on order to be received? So do you guys need to, you know, deliver fully before you think they will commit to a follow-on order? Is there ongoing discussions about a follow-on order currently? What can you help us understand about expectations and timing around that?
spk03: So we are already starting to talk with our partners with respect to orders for year 2025. I believe that the main challenge is still to be able to produce the needed quantity for the year 2025. So in a way, our plans for the year 2024 is to produce a cultural seed, not just in order to supply the existing purchase order we receive in 2023, Our target is also to end the year with inventory and seed production in the field that will support the demand for 2025. So bottom line, as part from our progressing in supplying the seed for this year, we are expecting also to receive order for next year, and we will start the production during 2024 as preparation for 2025. Great, great. That's very helpful.
spk05: Thank you, Ofer. Pivoting over to Canonic, in your prepared remarks, Ofer, you talked about kind of a strategic review that's going on there and looking at your options. Is your hope for Canonic that this is something that Evogene will still retain ownership of, but maybe in a different structure than it is today? Or is this an operation that you think is one that is potentially going to be non-core and something that would be outside of Evogene here in coming quarters?
spk03: So I think that our final target is that starting from this year, Canonic activity won't be material in our P&L. And the way that we are planning to achieve it is by integrate canonic activity to other third parties that we are talking with. We still, it's under discussion, but that is that we will stay a minority shareholder in a company but we won't continue to invest in this activity the way that we did in the previous years. So bottom line, we might stay with some rights through equity or through other mechanism in this field, but we will stop to invest in the cannabis industry.
spk05: Great, great. Thank you. And then one last one for me, and then I'll get back in queue as it pertains to Lobby Bio. And I had to hop in and off of the call here when you were talking about this. So if I'm making you repeat yourself, I apologize. But can you talk about the supply chain at Lobby Bio and, you know, that I know had some challenges last year? I believe you have that supply chain, you know, really secure to really enable a more material commercial launch of YALOs here. in 2024, but can you just confirm that really the inventory build in support of commercial launches is in place? Are there any supply chain challenges that you're still working through?
spk03: I think that in this case, I have good news. It's really nice to see that you remember that we had some challenges in producing YALOS in 2022, but I'm very happy to report that we successfully produced the quantity that we were targeting and even a little bit more than what we were targeting for the sales season of 2024. So we are in good shape. We changed the and we are very happy with his performance and the quality of the product. Great.
spk05: Great. Very good. Well, I appreciate you taking my questions. Plenty more to talk about, but that's a good place to leave it. I'll get back to you. Thank you.
spk00: The next question is from Ben Hainor of Alliance Global Partners. Please go ahead.
spk06: Good day, gentlemen. Thanks for taking the questions. I wanted to focus on Ag Plenus and the agreements that you have there with Bayer and Corteva on the APCO-12 and APTH-1. What do we expect kind of from a development timeline there and when And how large, to the extent that you can discuss, might some of these upfront milestone payments, royalties, et cetera, be as part of these agreements here?
spk03: Thank you, Ben, for this question. First, I would like to use this question and to share with people participating in this how proud we are that, you know, we are in a position that La Vie Bio, our subsidiary in the world of ag biological, is collaborating and working with third masters in the ag industry, ICL, Corteva, and Syngenta. And we also have Agplan, who's working with, you know, Corteva and also with Bayer. It's really incredible that today in the Avogen group we are working with almost all the first tier type of companies. I think that only BSF is the only company that we are not working yet and probably this is the only question of time. So I think that this is something that's worth to note. Well, respect to your question, I think that both ongoing collaboration with Corteva and with Bayer They are an important part from funding of Act Planus activity for the next few years. There is a reason why we report on the buyer collaboration agreement in a 6K format. I can't disclose, of course, the numbers, but as we mentioned, this agreement includes upfront payment, R&D fee, and then, of course, milestone payment and royalty. I think what is important in these two announcements is that the first, that another first-tier company choosing ActPlanus to work with to develop one of the most important products in the ag-chemical industry, herbicides. And the second announcement, if you think about it, this is the first time that we have confirmation from a third party that our tech engine, Kempas, and ActPlanus succeed to achieve a milestone. So I think this is very important news. Now, as I said, we expect that the significant portion from Act Planus expenses budget will be covered by these two collaborations. And I hope and believe that there will be more in the future. And I think that what we should expect in the near future is achieving additional milestones that will present the progress of this collaboration. With respect to royalty, it still will take some time. But, you know, like in the ecological arena, what is important is advancing in the pipeline because the value creation scheme is rapidly increased when you are moving from heat to lead, to optimize lead, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. So this is a great news for Agplanus that we achieve first milestone in the collaboration with Corteva, and we are looking ahead to the next challenges and milestones which we believe will achieve them.
spk06: Okay, great. And maybe just to follow up on the near-term milestones, are any of those expected to hit this year?
spk03: Can you repeat what you said just now?
spk06: Sure. I think you said near-term milestones, milestone payments, or upcoming milestone payments. Are any of those expected to be recognized this year?
spk03: So there are some milestones that we are trying to reach during this year, not necessarily in ACK Planus. There are other agreements in the group that we are targeting for, but milestones also depend on research activity. So, yes, we are looking forward to see the progress. In some cases, we hope and believe that we will be able to achieve them. Some, you know, there is always a challenge with respect to R&D activity. It might take a little bit longer, but we are excited to see the current progress in all fronts with respect to our activities in our subsidiaries. Okay. That's fair enough.
spk06: And then I apologize if I missed this earlier. On the 400 tons of cancer seed, Is that sufficient? I thought I caught the end of the response to one of the earlier questions. Is that enough to meet the current order and the beginning of supply for 2025, or can you clarify on what that 400 tons of production capacity gives you?
spk03: Okay, so our target is that in order to support The demand from the purchase order received in 2023 is coming from three avenues. The first one is from production took place last year, and now we are harvesting the field, packaging the seed, and shipping them to our partners. Additional avenue is from the seed production agreement that we announced this quarter. And there is additional ongoing discussion that we are now planning to close the agreement, not just to supply the existing demand, but also to start to build an inventory for 2025. So as I respond earlier, According to our plan, we believe and expect it to be able to deliver not just the quantity we obligate last year, but we are also planning to build an inventory for the future purchase order for 2025. Okay. That's helpful, and thank you for readjusting that.
spk06: I'll leave it there. Thanks for taking the question, gentlemen, and congrats on all the validation you've seen from third parties here recently. Thank you.
spk00: The next question is from Brett Reese of Jenny Montgomery Scott. Please go ahead.
spk04: Hi, Ofer. Hi. First question, you know, based on the crop rotation cycle, When will we definitively know that the new group of Brazilian and Kenyan farmers have been able to successfully grow and deliver the seeds so we can consummate sales?
spk03: First, one of the reasons that we are growing in different regions is to be able to capture more than one season to grow a castor. In addition, in all the areas that we are now engaged, there is an irrigation system in order to address the issue of water for the castor. I think that We are planning to, probably we will have better understanding during the second quarter or close to the end of the second quarter with respect to this question. And in any event, our plan, we are going to engage with much more than what we need for this year to supply. So as I said, part of it will be for the inventory for next year. But I think that during the second quarter this year, we'll have a better clarity. But at least from what we are doing now, I think that we'll be able to achieve this target.
spk04: Okay, I thank you for that. One of the prior callers asked about the 400 tons of production. I'm going to ask it a different way. If you're able to generate 400 tons of production, what capacity of dollar revenues can result in if you're able to, you know, successfully come in with 400 tons of production?
spk03: I can't disclose this information because then, you know, our competitors will know what is the price that we are selling our product. So I prefer to keep this commercial information confidential. And this is, you know, we were hesitating what information we can disclose. I think it was important for us to send a message that we are taking care on the production issue. So this is why we came with this press release. We prefer not to share more information because it's not for the benefit of the company.
spk04: Okay. And last one. Since so much depends on your selecting the right farmers in Brazil, and Kenya and monitoring them. Have you marinated yourself and your team? Have they marinated themselves in Brazilian and Kenyan business culture so that we're sure we're selecting the right farmers and they deliver what they're contracted to do?
spk03: This is a very good question, and we are trying to tackle this challenge in different ways. The first one is that if in the past we worked only with two seed producers, currently we are working with more than five, and the numbers will continue to grow. And it's in different regions. In addition, we expand significantly the number of Castera employees. All of them are agronomists that have experience in growing castor. And a significant portion from the time they are export our seed grower in Africa and in the As an example, Yoash is currently in the call, but he's located now in Kenya, where he is conducting set of meetings with our existing seed producer and additional seed producer that we are planning to engage with them for growing for us additional castor seeds. And we have one Brazilian employee that is located in Brazil, and we are planning to open a subsidiary in Kenya that there will be local people that will work for Castera, and they will be on the ground through the years all the time. So in addition, I think that today when we are choosing a seed producer, we are visiting his farm, we are checking the facility, he have and we are doing a lot of work before we engage with them. But maybe the most important thing is that we are not choosing one seed per user and give him, you know, all day and build all of our expectation on him like maybe we did in the past. Today, we are prepared to work with many seed per users in order to make sure that even if one of them won't achieve his target, Still, we will get the overall performance will cover our expectation.
spk04: Great. Thank you for taking my questions.
spk00: There are no further questions at this time. Before I ask Mr. Ofer Habib to go ahead with his closing statement, I would like to remind participants that a replay of this call is scheduled to begin two hours after the conference. In the U.S., please call 1-888-326-9310. In Israel, please call 03-9255-901. Internationally, please call 972-39255-901. Mr. Khabib, would you like to make your concluding statement?
spk03: Yes. Thank you once again for your ongoing support. Together, we will continue to drive our company forward and create long-term value for all stakeholders. Thank you and goodbye.
spk00: Thank you. This concludes Evogen's fourth quarter and full year 2023 results conference call. Thank you for your participation. You may go ahead and disconnect.
Disclaimer