Pinned straw:
Hi DrJP have also been investigating AYA and my comments are below.
With FDA regulatory approval for their platform software Salix Anatomy and Salix Plaque AYA have a saleable product. Like 4DX this is now a story of US execution. However for AYA, there are already two other US players there with competing products.
Last financial year AYA had a $5m income (all R&D tax incentives) and had a spend of $18m. With some early software sales AYA currently have sub $1m income. (Maybe here AYA are being smart, and nearly giving away the software to get it established).
This week they concluded a $75m raising (and a miserable $5m SPP to follow). So AYA have a ton of cash. Makes an investor think what stupid things management can do with all this cash. However at the very least they will be able to invest hard in the US sales push.
The Executive Chair is the ex MD at Imdex (ASX:IMD), Bernie Ridgeway whose background is accounting. IMD is about rock drilling fluids, drill apparatus and its controlling software. I don’t want to take anything away from Bernie, however you would think if you were to undertake a US medical software sales push you would have some more appropriately qualified and experienced person than Bernie. The other two board members are a US based MD and Kate Hill an accountant by background with 3 other ASX board seats.
On 1 July 2025, Mat Regan (a software guy who was ex-Imdex and brought in by Bernie to clean things up), resigned as CEO of the Company. John Konstantopoulos, one of the two founders was appointed as the incoming CEO on the same day. The other co-found John Barrington appears to have receded into the background.
I have money in both AYA and 4DX, however if I was going to rate their chances of “success” I would put 4DX ahead of AYA. This is because whilst AYA have technically what appears to be a superior product, they already face established US competition. In addition, as indicated above their management team is not yet based in the US and appears lightweight for the mammoth task ahead. Maybe all that new cash will fix this.
Contrast with 4DX which post options being exercised has enough cash to get to breakeven. Also its key management, including the CEO have been based in the US for over 3 years. Plus 4DX has links to the Australian medical software superstar, PME with Sam Hupert on the 4DX advisory board.
AYA definitely has promise, but very difficult to tell how all will turn out.