C3.ai(US:AI)2025-02-27 00:14Financial Data and Key Metrics Changes - Total revenue for Q3 increased 26% year-over-year to $98.8 million, with subscription revenue growing by 22% to $85.7 million, representing 87% of total revenue [15][33] - Non-GAAP gross profit was $68.2 million, resulting in a gross margin of 69% [15][36] - Non-GAAP operating loss improved to $23.1 million, better than the guidance of $38.6 million to $46.6 million [16][37] - Free cash flow for Q3 was negative $22.4 million, an improvement from negative $45.1 million in the same quarter last year [39] Business Line Data and Key Metrics Changes - Revenue from software licenses was $28.6 million, while professional services revenue was $13.1 million, accounting for 13% of total revenue [33][35] - Subscription and professional engineering services revenue combined was $91.4 million, representing an 18% increase compared to the previous year [36] Market Data and Key Metrics Changes - The partnership with Microsoft resulted in 28 closed agreements across nine different industries, marking a 460% increase quarter-over-quarter [17][21] - The joint qualified sales pipeline with Microsoft surged by 244% year-over-year, targeting 621 accounts recognized as eligible customer opportunities [18] Company Strategy and Development Direction - The company is focusing on expanding its strategic alliances with Microsoft, AWS, and McKinsey QuantumBlack to enhance global reach and execution speed [19][20] - The emphasis on Generative AI and Agentic AI is expected to drive innovation and customer traction, with a goal of increasing market share in fiscal years 2026 and 2027 [30][31] Management's Comments on Operating Environment and Future Outlook - Management expressed confidence in the company's positioning to capitalize on the growing enterprise AI market, highlighting the importance of their partner ecosystem [30][31] - The company anticipates continued investments in sales, partner ecosystem, and research and development, expecting to be free cash flow positive in Q4 [42][43] Other Important Information - The company closed 50 pilots during Q3, with 310 pilots cumulatively signed, of which 245 are still active [41] - The total accounts receivable balance at the end of Q3 was $180.4 million, with a strong health of accounts receivables [40] Q&A Session Summary Question: Can you give more color on the total number of pitches and pipeline? - The company is currently involved in over 600 engagements with Microsoft, with 28 agreements closed in the last quarter [48][55] Question: Can you discuss the trends in remaining performance obligations? - The total remaining performance obligations (RPO) at the end of the quarter was around $208 million, with expectations of some decline in RPO in the near term [61] Question: What drove the outperformance in professional services this quarter? - The uptick in professional services revenue was driven by increased revenue from consulting services, paid implementation services, and training services [78] Question: Why are demonstration licenses outperforming this year? - The increase in demonstration licenses is attributed to the need for sales teams to have effective tools to engage customers, leading to a significant rise in interest from large organizations [82][84]