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SoundHound's Voice Commerce Gains Traction: Is the Flywheel Emerging?
ZACKS· 2025-09-05 16:06
Core Insights - SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN) is focusing on its Voice Commerce strategy, which is seen as a key growth driver for its automotive and restaurant sectors, with imminent live deployments expected [1][3] - The company reported record revenues of $42.7 million in Q2 2025, reflecting a 217% year-over-year increase, driven by growth across enterprise, restaurant, and automotive segments [2][8] - SOUN processed nearly 3 billion queries in Q2, more than double the previous year, indicating a surge in demand for conversational AI [2][8] Company Performance - SOUN's restaurant adoption has scaled to over 14,000 locations, while new automotive deals include a significant OEM win in China, enhancing its global presence [2][8] - The integration of its proprietary Polaris engine and agentic AI platform is expected to create new revenue opportunities and enhance user experience [3] Competitive Landscape - C3.ai, Inc. is expanding its enterprise AI platform across various sectors, including energy and manufacturing, which may intersect with automotive trends [4] - BigBear.ai Holdings, Inc. is focusing on government and defense markets, with significant cash reserves of $391 million, positioning itself for growth despite short-term revenue pressures [5] Valuation and Estimates - SOUN shares have increased by 31.5% over the past three months, contrasting with a 10.2% decline in the industry [6] - The forward price-to-sales ratio for SOUN is 27.21X, significantly higher than the industry average of 16.99X [10] - The Zacks Consensus Estimate for SOUN's EPS indicates a year-over-year increase of 87.5% for 2025 and 57.7% for 2026, with recent upward revisions in EPS estimates [11]
Cerence AI and SiMa.ai Partner to Power Next-Gen Conversational AI at the Edge
Globenewswire· 2025-09-04 12:00
Core Viewpoint - Cerence Inc. and SiMa.ai have formed a strategic partnership to integrate Cerence's CaLLM™ Edge, an automotive-grade embedded small language model, with SiMa.ai's MLSoC Modalix, aiming to enhance in-car conversational AI experiences with low power consumption [2][4][9]. Group 1: Partnership Details - The collaboration will debut at IAA Mobility 2025 in Munich, showcasing Cerence's xUI™ platform with CaLLM Edge on SiMa.ai hardware [3][9]. - The integration aims to provide automakers with a robust technical foundation for in-vehicle AI, enabling real-time, multi-modal interaction and processing directly on-device [4][6]. Group 2: Technical Advantages - Cerence's hybrid AI architecture combines embedded AI for low-latency responsiveness with cloud-enhanced context-aware information, improving user experience even during connectivity loss [5]. - CaLLM Edge is designed for cross-platform compatibility, allowing OEMs to deploy efficient AI solutions across various hardware architectures [6][7]. Group 3: Market Implications - The partnership addresses the increasing demand for smart, reliable automotive experiences, as drivers expect features to function seamlessly regardless of connectivity [5]. - By leveraging the energy-efficient capabilities of the integrated solution, automakers can enhance flexibility and resilience in their offerings amidst supply chain challenges [6][7].
Wishpond Adds Three New Patent Applications to Expand AI Sales Automation Capabilities
Prnewswire· 2025-09-04 10:00
Core Viewpoint - Wishpond Technologies Ltd. has filed three new non-provisional utility patent applications to enhance its intellectual property portfolio in conversational AI and sales automation, marking a significant advancement for its SalesCloser AI platform [1][7]. Group 1: Patent Filings - The three new patent applications focus on conversational AI workflow building, adaptive voicemail/IVR detection, and real-time appointment scheduling, bringing the total number of patent applications to seven [7][8]. - The first filing introduces an embedded AI assistant for creating and managing AI voice agents through a conversational interface, making agent-building accessible to non-technical users [3]. - The second filing features technology that allows AI agents to detect whether outbound calls connect with a live person, voicemail, or IVR, improving outbound campaign efficiency [4]. - The third filing addresses appointment scheduling by enabling AI agents to connect directly to calendar systems for real-time booking, which shortens sales cycles and boosts conversion rates [5]. Group 2: Strategic Development - Wishpond is developing a strategic patent portfolio aimed at making AI sales agents function more like humans, with patents focusing on natural voice synthesis, managing complex conversations, and facilitating seamless AI-to-human transitions [6][9]. - The company's vision is to create a fully autonomous AI-enabled platform that streamlines the customer acquisition journey, enhancing efficiency and driving higher conversions [10]. - Wishpond's business model is based on Software-as-a-Service, generating revenue primarily from subscription-based recurring revenue, which ensures strong revenue predictability and cash flow visibility [10].
Voca CIC Achieves Microsoft Teams Unify Integration Certification and Wins 2025 UC Today Best Teams Contact Center Award
Prnewswire· 2025-08-26 13:00
Core Insights - AudioCodes' Voca Conversational Interaction Center (CIC) has been certified for Microsoft Teams, enhancing its integration capabilities with Teams Phone [2][6] - The Voca CIC is built on Azure Communication Services, providing standardized access to Microsoft Azure AI Foundry and achieving a service availability target of 99.999% [3][4] - The solution has received multiple awards, including the Best Microsoft Teams Contact Center in the UC Today 2025 Awards, highlighting its commitment to customer experience [5][6] Company Overview - AudioCodes is a leader in unified communications, voice, contact center, and conversational AI services, enabling enterprises to enhance customer and employee experiences [9] - The company serves a global clientele, including 65 Fortune 100 companies, and offers a range of products that ensure interoperability with major UCaaS and CCaaS platforms [9] Product Features - Voca CIC allows for rapid customer onboarding and provides advanced conversational AI capabilities such as interaction summarization and sentiment analysis [4][6] - The solution is available for a 30-day free trial, allowing new customers to quickly build a conversational contact center with AI and omnichannel features [7]
LivePerson Announces AWS Integration to Unify Voice and Digital Customer Experiences
Prnewswire· 2025-08-25 13:00
Core Insights - LivePerson is collaborating with Amazon Web Services (AWS) to integrate Amazon Connect with its digital contact center, aiming to enhance customer service through a unified platform that combines AI capabilities and conversational intelligence [1][2][3] Group 1: Integration Benefits - The integration will provide contact center agents with a single interface to manage all interactions, improving efficiency and customer satisfaction [2] - Businesses can reduce operational complexity and costs by eliminating separate telephony requirements, allowing for more efficient scaling of customer service operations [2][3] Group 2: Advanced Features - The combined platform will offer seamless transitions between automated systems and human support, enhancing customer service experiences [3] - LivePerson's digital contact center will support a wide array of communication channels, including SMS, WhatsApp, and various messaging apps, providing a comprehensive digital toolkit [7] Group 3: AI Capabilities - The integration will feature advanced conversational AI, including generative AI capabilities such as conversation summarization and specialized AI agents for routing and data gathering [7] - LivePerson's platform will consolidate customer sentiment and agent performance data from any voice or digital provider, creating a fully unified conversational intelligence platform [7]
Agora(API) - 2025 Q2 - Earnings Call Presentation
2025-08-19 01:00
Business Highlights - Agora's Conversational AI Engine has been upgraded with new features like Advanced Attention Locking, Real-time Vision Understanding, and Interactive Avatars[5,6] - The company launched the Convo AI Benchmark Arena to measure Overall Latency and Component Latency[18] - Agora's real-time voice recognition ranks first in voice recognition (ASR) and large language model (LLM) benchmarks, with a last word latency of 534 ms and 404 ms respectively[19] Customer Base and Revenue - The number of active customers increased from 3,731 in September 2024 to 3,877 in June 2025[23] - Total revenues for Q2 2025 were $343 million, representing an 110% year-over-year growth[27] - Agora revenues in Q2 2025 reached $182 million[31] - Shengwang revenues in Q2 2025 were $161 million, based on an exchange rate of 719 RMB per USD[33] Financial Performance - The dollar-based net retention rate for Agora was 97% in June 2025, while for Shengwang it was 87%[36] - Gross profit for Q2 2025 was $229 million, resulting in a gross margin of 668%[40] - Operating expenses for Q2 2025 were $265 million, representing 774% of total revenues[43] - Net income for Q2 2025 was $15 million, with a net income margin of 43%[47] Balance Sheet and Share Repurchase - The company's total cash, cash equivalents, bank deposits, and financial products issued by banks amounted to $377 million as of June 30, 2025[50] - A total of $1272 million worth of shares have been repurchased[54] - Cash per ADS was $415 in June 2025[56]
Agora, Inc. Reports Second Quarter 2025 Financial Results
Globenewswire· 2025-08-18 22:00
Core Viewpoint - Agora, Inc. reported its third consecutive quarter of GAAP profitability in Q2 2025, driven by solid revenue growth and efficiency improvements, particularly in its Conversational AI Engine and partnerships across various applications [2][4]. Financial Performance - Total revenues for Q2 2025 were $34.3 million, a slight increase of 0.1% from $34.2 million in Q2 2024 [4][8]. - Agora's revenues were $18.2 million, reflecting a 16.7% increase from $15.6 million in the same period last year, attributed to business expansion and growth in sectors like live shopping [4][8]. - Shengwang's revenues were RMB115.5 million ($16.1 million), a decrease of 12.4% from RMB131.9 million ($18.6 million) in Q2 2024, primarily due to the decline in certain end-of-sale products [4][8]. Cost and Profitability - Cost of revenues decreased to $11.4 million, down 12.3% from $13.0 million in Q2 2024, mainly due to the end-of-sale of certain products [5]. - Gross profit increased to $22.9 million, a 7.7% rise from $21.2 million in the same period last year, with a gross margin of 66.8%, up from 62.0% [6]. Operating Expenses - Operating expenses were $26.5 million, a decrease of 18.7% from $32.6 million in Q2 2024 [7]. - Research and development expenses were $14.0 million, down 23.0% from $18.1 million in the same period last year [19]. - Sales and marketing expenses increased to $6.5 million, a 4.0% rise from $6.3 million [19]. - General and administrative expenses decreased to $6.0 million, down 26.6% from $8.2 million [19]. Customer Metrics - Active customers for Agora increased to 1,880 as of June 30, 2025, a 12.4% rise from 1,672 a year earlier [8]. - Shengwang had 1,997 active customers, an increase of 1.4% from 1,970 [8]. - Dollar-Based Net Retention Rate for Agora was 97%, while for Shengwang it was 87% for the trailing 12-month period [8]. Net Income and Cash Flow - Net income for Q2 2025 was $1.5 million, compared to a net loss of $9.2 million in Q2 2024 [12]. - Net cash used in operating activities was $0.4 million, significantly improved from $7.6 million in the same quarter last year [8]. Share Repurchase Program - The company repurchased approximately 13.1 million Class A ordinary shares for about $10.9 million during the three months ended June 30, 2025, representing 5.4% of its $200 million share repurchase program [15]. - As of June 30, 2025, the company had repurchased approximately 144.9 million Class A ordinary shares for about $127.2 million, representing 63.6% of the program [16]. Leadership Changes - The company announced the resignation of Mr. Sheng (Shawn) Zhong from his roles as Director, Chief Technology Officer, and Chief Scientist, with Tony Zhao assuming his operational responsibilities [18]. - Mr. Tony Wang and Mr. Jingbo Wang were appointed as directors of the company [20]. Equity Incentive Plan - The company adopted an Amended and Restated Global Equity Incentive Plan, increasing the number of Class A ordinary shares available for awards to 50 million [23]. Financial Outlook - The company expects total revenues for Q3 2025 to be between $34 million and $36 million, indicating year-over-year growth of 7.6% to 13.9% [25].
LivePerson Recognized as a Niche Player in the 2025 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Conversational AI Platforms
Prnewswire· 2025-08-18 16:16
Core Insights - LivePerson has been recognized as a Niche Player in the 2025 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Conversational AI Platforms, marking its first evaluation in this report [1][2] - The recognition enhances LivePerson's credibility and supports its long-term position as a strategic provider of enterprise conversational AI [2] - LivePerson's Connected Experience Platform facilitates AI-driven engagements across digital and voice channels, focusing on customer service, support, and digital commerce [2][4] Company Overview - LivePerson is a leading provider of enterprise conversational AI, empowering over 1,000 brands in more than 100 countries [2] - The company manages nearly a billion conversational interactions monthly, providing a rich data set and AI-powered solutions for contact center transformation and personalized customer experiences [4] - LivePerson has been named the 1 Most Innovative AI Company in the world by Fast Company [4] Market Position - The Gartner Magic Quadrant serves as a critical resource for brands selecting conversational AI platforms, emphasizing the importance of complex automation and multimodal interactions [3] - To qualify for inclusion in the Magic Quadrant, providers must meet Gartner's criteria and demonstrate execution capability and completeness of vision [3]
AdaptHealth (AHCO) FY Conference Transcript
2025-08-13 13:00
Summary of Adapt Health Conference Call Company Overview - **Company**: Adapt Health - **Industry**: Digital and tech-enabled health, specifically focusing on durable medical equipment (DME) Key Points and Arguments Management Changes and Operational Simplification - New CEO Suzanne Foster has been with the company for over a year, focusing on simplifying the operating model and building a strong management team [3][4] - The company has reduced its operating regions from six to four, centralizing functions such as patient intake and customer service in regional offices [7][8] Technology Investments - Significant investments in technology, including the proprietary MyApp, which allows patients to reorder supplies and schedule deliveries without human interaction [8][9] - Introduction of conversational AI, with over 10% of call volume now handled by AI, improving patient experience and reducing labor costs [11][12] Financial Performance - The second quarter showed solid performance, meeting expectations in revenue, adjusted EBITDA, and free cash flow [15] - Completed two acquisitions of DME companies, enhancing infrastructure and patient referral relationships [16] - Successfully divested non-core businesses, including custom rehab and adult incontinence, to streamline operations [17][18] New Contract and Revenue Opportunities - Secured a transformational contract with a national hospital and payer, expected to generate at least $200 million annually over the next five years, totaling a potential $1 billion [20][23] - The new contract is expected to bring in 100% new patient volume, with plans to expand operations in new markets [30][31] Diabetes Business Update - The diabetes segment is showing signs of recovery after a challenging period, with sequential growth in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) starts for three consecutive quarters [42][44] - New leadership in the diabetes division has contributed to improved retention rates and patient acquisition [41][44] Sleep Business Recovery - The sleep segment faced challenges in the first quarter but rebounded in the second quarter, setting up 128,000 patients, just shy of company records [45][47] Competitive Bidding Outlook - Anticipation of new competitive bidding rules from CMS, expected to reduce the number of suppliers in the industry, which could benefit Adapt Health by increasing market share [49][51] Additional Important Insights - The company is focused on enhancing patient engagement through technology, which is seen as a competitive advantage over incumbents [26][27] - Adapt Health's operational efficiency improvements are expected to continue driving growth in the second half of the year [44][47]
SoundHound's Q2 NRR Hits 120% From 90%: What's Fueling the Rise?
ZACKS· 2025-08-12 17:21
Core Insights - SoundHound AI, Inc. (SOUN) reported impressive second-quarter 2025 results, highlighted by a net revenue retention (NRR) increase from under 90% to over 120%, indicating strong customer retention and upselling success [1][9] Financial Performance - The company achieved a 217% sales growth driven by increased demand for AI solutions [5] - The consensus estimate for 2025 sales suggests a growth of 98.3%, with an expected improvement in the bottom line from a loss of $1.04 per share in the previous year [12] Technology Integration - SoundHound's integration of recent acquisitions, particularly Amelia and Synq3, has led to significant improvements in accuracy, latency, and cost efficiency by utilizing its proprietary Polaris speech recognition model [2][9] - The technology enhancements have resulted in better customer satisfaction, faster deployment cycles, and higher renewal close rates [2] Cross-Selling and Partnerships - Cross-selling between business units has been a key driver, with SoundHound successfully selling solutions from its recent acquisition to a major customer of an earlier acquisition [3] - Strategic partnerships with AVANT Communications, Acrelec, and Par Technologies have expanded SoundHound's reach into global restaurant chains and enterprise service providers, driving new customer acquisitions and product adoption [4] Competitive Landscape - SoundHound faces strong competition from Nuance Communications and Cerence Inc., both of which have established market positions and significant resources [5][6] - Nuance, now part of Microsoft, has deep penetration in healthcare and customer engagement, while Cerence dominates automotive voice technology [6] Stock Performance and Valuation - SOUN shares have increased by over 48% since the second-quarter earnings release, outperforming the Zacks Computers - IT Services industry [7] - The stock is currently trading at a premium with a forward 12-month price-to-sales (P/S) ratio of 33.19 [11]