Syra Health Corp.

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining us for CIRA Health's third quarter, 2024, financial results conference call. My name is Robert Bloom, and I will be your moderator for today's event. Joining us on today's call is Dr. Deepika Vupalanchi, CEO of CIRA Health, and Priya Prasad, CIRA's chief financial officer. At the conclusion of today's prepared remarks, management will answer some questions that were sent to us by investors and other questions we think are relevant to investors as well. Today's event is being recorded and will be available for replay through the webcast information provided in the press release. I'd also like to call to your attention the customary safe harbor disclosure regarding forward-looking information. The conference call today will contain certain forward-looking statements, including statements regarding the goals, strategies, beliefs, expectations, and future potential operating results of CIRA Health. Although management believes these statements are reasonable based on estimates, assumptions, and projections as of today, these statements are not guarantees of future performance. Time-sensitive information may no longer be accurate at the time of any telephonic or webcast replay. Action results may differ materially as a result of risks, uncertainties, and other factors, including but not limited to the factors set forth in the company's filings with the SEC. CIRA undertakes no obligation to update or revise any of these forward-looking statements. With that said, I would like to turn the event over to Dr. Deepika Vupalanchi, Chief Executive Officer of CIRA Health. Deepika, please go ahead.

Thank you, Robert. Welcome, everyone. Thank you for joining a third quarter's earnings call today. We truly appreciate your continued interest in CIRA Health and are excited to share updates on a recent performance and future goals. I will begin by highlighting a strong third quarter financial performance, followed by an update on the strategic cost-studding initiatives we have successfully implemented. After that, I will outline the significant strides we are making on our journey towards profitability. Then I will hand over the call to our Chief Financial Officer, Priya Prasad, who will take you through a more detailed breakdown of our financial results. In terms of financial metrics, we have experienced significant positive shifts across the board. The third quarter marked an outstanding period for CIRA Health, with revenues growing by a notable 42% compared to the same period last year. This robust performance was driven primarily by our high-margin population health business unit, which has seen sustained demand for its data analytics, epidemiology, and health equity services, alongside strong contributions from our legacy healthcare workforce business, which continues to perform above expectations. This growth underscores the strength of a diversified business model and the ability to capitalize on opportunities in both established and emerging sectors. The gross profit margin was 30% in third quarter of 2024, compared to 35% in the previous year, primarily due to the timing of the implementation cycle versus revenue recognition for certain milestone-driven projects. Total revenue experienced an increase of .4% compared to the previous quarter, showcasing a strong growth trajectory. Additionally, our gross profit margin improved notably, rising by 1,190 basis points, compared to second quarter of 2024, reflecting our commitment to operational efficiency and profitability. Additionally, the strategic focus on high-margin offerings has allowed us to drive operational efficiencies, further solidifying our financial foundation. These gains not only reflect our ability to deliver value, but also support our long-term growth strategy as we scale our operations and enter new markets, including federal and global mental health initiatives. We are also seeing strong demand for our Serenity app in the mental and behavioral health space, signaling potential for exponential growth in these rapidly expanding markets. With the combination of revenue growth, cost optimization, and our focus on innovative solutions, we are confident in our path forward and remain laser-focused on achieving profitability in the near future. We are confident in our growth trajectory and remain focused on achieving profitability in 2025 by emphasizing excellence in commercial, operational, and innovation strategies. Beginning with our emphasis on commercial excellence, we are committed to boosting our revenue and enhancing our profit margins by expanding a portfolio of high-revenue clients. This strategy not only improves our profitability, but also underscores our dedication to delivering greater value to our shareholders. Larger clients significantly contribute to our bottom line through high contract values, economies of scale, and reduced sales and marketing costs. They provide stability and predictability in revenue, create opportunities for cross-selling, and enhance our brand reputation. By serving these large clients, we can drive innovation and develop new high-margin products and services, ultimately reinforcing our commitment to maximizing shareholder value. Shifting our focus to operational excellence, I want to emphasize that our recent cost-cutting measures have not impacted our revenue production. As you may recall, in the second quarter, we announced a restructuring aimed at reducing operating expenses. Over the past few months, we have made strategic adjustments to our workforce to optimize efficiency and lower costs without compromising our revenue generation. We have also improved our operating capabilities. In fact, our net loss for the third quarter of 2024 was a remarkable 69% reduction from the net loss in the second quarter of 2024. These efforts have significantly improved our financial metrics, and we are committed to further stabilizing our operational expense ratio. This enhancement highlights our dedication to efficiency and cost management, which ultimately allows us to allocate more resources towards growth initiatives. In our pursuit of innovation excellence, we are focused on expanding our innovation pipeline to enhance the variety of products and services we provide. This includes our mental health product, Serenity, which is designed to offer effective solutions for behavioral health challenges. We are also developing Saira Health AI guardrails for chatbots and AI agents, ensuring safe and responsible AI interactions in healthcare. Additionally, we are committed to delivering comprehensive, large-scale health education programs that facilitate healthcare workforce development. This dedication not only positions us at the cutting edge of healthcare industry, but also ensures that we are effectively meeting the changing needs of our customers. Building on this foundation, our enhanced financial position allows us to further invest in these innovative offerings, ensuring we continue to meet our clients' evolving needs, and capitalize on emerging market opportunities. Saira Health began in 2020 by staffing licensed health professionals in behavior and mental health as a part of our healthcare workforce capability. Building on our expertise and recognizing the urgent need in this area, we have evolved into a healthcare technology company with the launch of Serenity, a comprehensive mental health app, and other healthcare products. Beyond mental health, our digital health business unit offers Saira Bot, an innovative AI-backed chatbot designed to enhance user engagement and streamline healthcare interactions. Its pre-generated design ensures compliance with regulatory standards, making it an effective solution for various healthcare providers. In our population health business unit, we were awarded a contract under the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, focusing on enhancing mental health services for children and families. This initiative involves conducting a comprehensive assessment of emergency preparedness plans at eight behavioral health centers in Wyoming, followed by tailored recommendations to strengthen their services. Our health education business unit is dedicated to improving health education for both patients and providers. Recently, we secured a six million contract with Indiana Family and Social Services Administration to train healthcare professionals in community-based settings over the next four years. This initiative includes curriculum development and a quality improvement plan to ensure consistent competencies among support professionals. Finally, our healthcare workforce business unit continues to generate steady revenue, recently winning contracts in Delaware, Florida, and Kansas. Together, these business units underscore CYRA health's commitment to enhancing healthcare delivery and improving outcomes through innovative solutions and strategic partnerships. I would like to take a moment to highlight that in September, we successfully completed a capital raise generating gross proceeds of 2.1 million. Although this capital raise was not a mandatory requirement for the company, it was executed in a way that was not intended to be executed strategically. We pursued this opportunity to bolster our financial flexibility and further support our growth initiatives. With that, let me turn over to our CFO, Priya Prasad, who will walk through the financial details. Priya?

Thank you, Deepika. And let me add my warm welcome to everyone joining on this call. The financial results for the third quarter are provided in detail within our press release, which we issued earlier this morning and in our 10 queue. Total revenues for the third quarter of 2024 were 2.3 million compared to 1.6 million in the third quarter of last year, representing 42% growth. Growth was driven by our population health, healthcare workforce, and behavioral and mental health business unit. I will now go through each business unit in detail. Within our population health business unit, revenues were 560,000 in the third quarter versus 413,000 in the same period last year, growth of more than 36%, driven by continued demand for public health services by government health agencies. Our healthcare workforce business unit also experienced strong growth in the third quarter with revenues of 1.6 million compared to 1 million, a growth of 54%. The increase in healthcare workforce revenue was driven by new customers and contract renewals. Our behavioral and mental health business unit posted revenues of 13,250 compared to 3,668 in the same period last year. We anticipate further growth in this business unit due to the broader availability of serenity as a direct to consumer product. Within our digital health business unit, revenues were 92,000 during the third quarter driven by sales of Syrabot. Growth profits in the third quarter of 2024 was 668,298 compared to 554,541 in the third quarter of 2023, an increase of 21%. Growth profit margins in the third quarter of 2024 was 35% compared to 30% in the third quarter of 2023, attributed to the bulk of the revenue recognition in third quarter of 2023 from the milestone-based implementation of our first digital health product. Growth profit margins in the third quarter of 2024 was .7% compared to .8% in the second quarter of 2024. The 1,190 basis point increase in growth margins, quarter over quarter was primarily driven by cost saving initiatives and enhanced operational efficiencies achieved by adopting a lean approach and reducing redundancies. Total operating expenses for the third quarter of 2024 were 1.1 million compared to 897,557 in the third quarter of 2023, but down considerably from the second quarter of 2024 when operating expenses totaled 1.7 million due to our streamlined operations and optimized workforce initiatives, which we expect to continue. Salaries and benefits remained flat in third quarter of 2024 versus third quarter of 2023. Professional fees increased 161% due to the cost of running a public company. Selling, general and administrative expenses increased 23% in advance of recent cost reductions. Depreciation expense was 25,541 compared to 12,357 reflecting expanded office space and additional office equipment. R&D expenses were 34,821 reflecting the continued development of our technology-based solutions. Net loss for the third quarter of 2024 was a negative 417,535 compared to a negative 354,376 in the third quarter of 2023, but down a significant 69% since the second quarter of 2024 where the loss was a negative 1.4 million. Net loss per share decreased to a negative 0.06 in the third quarter of 2024 from a negative 0.21 in the second quarter of 2024. Adjusted EBITDA for the third quarter of 2024 was a negative 389,728 compared to a negative 327,839 in the third quarter of 2023. Cash on hand on September 30, 2024 was 2.7 million. Projections indicate an approximate two-year capital runway. Again, full reconciliations are provided in the tables included in today's press release. With that, let me turn the call back over to Deepika.

Thank you, Priya. Binding on our impressive growth and strategic advancements, we are poised for continued success in the coming quarters. Our strong performance in high-margin business units has solidified our position in critical sectors with increasing demand. With the successful launch of our mental health app Serenity, we are tapping into expanding national and global markets for mental and behavioral health solutions with the need for innovative evidence-based interventions continues to grow. Looking ahead, we are committed to driving revenue growth through the expansion of our service offerings and the execution of key contracts in multiple states. The healthcare workforce and training sectors remain a focus as we deepen our partnerships and increase our presence in new markets. We are also keen to explore and expand our presence in federal markets, leveraging our expertise to meet the growing needs of government agencies focused on health and public welfare. This will further strengthen our portfolio and position us as a trusted partner in large-scale federal initiatives. Importantly, our ongoing cost-saving initiatives have resulted in a sustainable reduction in operating expenses, allowing us to optimize resources while maintaining high-quality service delivery. We remain focused on enhancing operational efficiency and leveraging AI technology to support long-term growth. With the narrowed net loss, improved growth margins, and the strengthened operational strategy, the company is poised for growth, reporting a solid two-year capital runway. With these efforts, we are optimistic about the potential to achieve profitability by 2025 and to scale our impact in healthcare innovation continuing to deliver value to our clients, stakeholders, and communities. I thank you for your attention. I'm happy to take any questions you may have. Robert?

Thank you to the management team. We have some questions for you. First, what was the objective behind the capital raise you conducted in the third quarter?

Yes, Robert. The recent capital raise was executed strategically, and it was not a mandatory requirement for the company. We pursued this opportunity to enhance our financial flexibility and support our growth initiatives.

Okay, great. Next question, can you provide any updates on Serenity?

Most definitely. Serenity is our unique scientifically validated and comprehensive mental health app, which has a dual focus on prevention and intervention. It's one of the many mental health apps available where it is one of less than 5% that is based on science. Sophisticated algorithms provide risk scores for various mental health conditions, and the app also suggests tailored interventions. Serenity also includes a direct link for suicide prevention where immediate support is needed. The early feedback we have been receiving from our customers, it's been very encouraging, and we are excited about the potential this product holds.

Okay, great. And our final question is, tell me about your approach to integrating AI in your technology products.

Yeah, definitely. By integrating AI in our proprietary guardrails technology, we are leading the change in creating AI systems that are not only powerful and efficient, but also ethical and transparent. Side of guardrails is an explainable AI framework that ensures AI-generated responses are safe, non-judgmental, and compliant with healthcare regulations. Unlike traditional AI, which operates as a black box, our guardrails technology is designed to be transparent and explainable, allowing users and healthcare providers to understand and trust AI's decisions. Whether it's a hospital chatbot that needs to avoid giving medical advice, or an AI journal that must stay within regulatory guidelines, SIDA guardrails ensures that the AI remains on task and within defined ethical boundaries.

Okay, it looks like we are out of time. My thanks to everyone for participating in today's call. We look forward to speaking with all of you again next quarter.