Insitro vs Butterfly Network

By valuation, Insitro is the larger company at $2.2B versus $957M — a 2.3x difference. Size can also be measured by team: Insitro employs 300 people while Butterfly Network has 500-1000 employees.

Insitro has raised more in total funding at $743M, compared to Butterfly Network's $370M — a gap of $373M. Combined, the two companies have completed 8 known funding rounds.

Butterfly Network leads with an Awaira Score of 85/100, while Insitro sits at 73/100. That 12-point gap reflects real differences in funding, scale, and traction — it's not a vanity metric.

Insitro was founded by Daphne Koller in 2018. Butterfly Network was founded by John Martin in 2011. Visit each company's profile on Awaira for a full founder biography.

Insitro: Insitro is an AI-driven drug discovery company founded in 2018 that applies machine learning to accelerate pharmaceutical development. The company combines computational biology, artificial intelligence, and wet-lab experimentation to identify and validate drug targets more efficiently than traditional methods. Insitro's platform uses proprietary algorithms to analyze complex biological data, predict drug efficacy and safety profiles, and optimize candidate selection across therapeutic areas including metabolic disease, oncology, and immunology. The company has raised $743 million across multiple funding rounds, achieving a valuation of $2.2 billion as of its Series C stage. This positions Insitro among well-capitalized AI healthcare startups addressing the structural inefficiencies in drug discovery. The company partners with pharmaceutical institutions to apply its technology to their pipelines, utilizing both internal discovery programs and collaborations. Insitro's competitive approach differs from pure software platforms by integrating experimental validation, reducing the translation gap between computational predictions and real-world drug performance. The company operates in a crowded but expanding market of AI drug discovery platforms competing against both established pharma AI initiatives and other venture-backed startups. Its growth trajectory reflects investor confidence in AI-enabled drug discovery models, though clinical validation remains ongoing for internally developed candidates. Insitro uniquely combines machine learning with integrated wet-lab capabilities rather than operating as pure software, bridging computational predictions to experimental validation. Butterfly Network: Butterfly Network produces the Butterfly iQ, a handheld ultrasound device powered by a proprietary semiconductor chip that replaces traditional piezoelectric transducer arrays with a single silicon chip capable of whole-body imaging. The AI software layer provides real-time image interpretation guidance, enabling clinicians with limited ultrasound training to perform diagnostic scans at the bedside.\n\nThe company is publicly traded on the NYSE under the ticker BFLY and raised over 700 million USD prior to and through its public listing. Butterfly has deployed devices across hospitals, emergency rooms, and point-of-care settings in over 50 countries, with particular penetration in resource-limited healthcare settings where traditional ultrasound equipment is prohibitively expensive or unavailable.\n\nPortable AI-assisted diagnostic imaging represents a structural shift in how and where medical imaging is performed. Butterfly Network has created a defensible position through its proprietary chip architecture, which competitors cannot easily replicate, and through its growing library of AI-assisted clinical guidance tools. The transition from hospital-based imaging to point-of-care diagnostics powered by AI guidance is a multi-decade trend that positions Butterfly at the center of a fundamental change in diagnostic medicine. Butterfly Network operates in the AI Healthcare sector and is headquartered in United States. Founded in 2011 by John Martin, Butterfly Network has raised $370M in total funding, achieving a valuation of $957M as of its latest round. The company's funding journey includes a Seed of $11.1M in 2011, a Series A of $29.6M in 2012, a Series B of $66.6M in 2014, a Series C of $114.7M in 2015, a Series D of $148M in 2016. With approximately 500-1000 employees, Butterfly Network has established itself as a Public-stage player in the AI Healthcare market. The company holds an Awaira Score of 85/100, reflecting its strong position across valuation, funding trajectory, team scale, and market influence. Butterfly Network competes in a rapidly evolving segment alongside other AI Healthcare companies. Based in United States, Butterfly Network is part of a growing international AI ecosystem attracting talent and investment. The AI Healthcare space has attracted significant investment in recent years, with companies racing to capture enterprise and consumer demand for AI-powered solutions.

Butterfly Network got there first, launching in 2011 — that's 7 years of extra runway. Insitro didn't arrive until 2018. In AI, that kind of head start means more training data, deeper customer relationships, and a bigger talent moat.

Insitro has about 300 employees; Butterfly Network has about 500-1000. A bigger team usually means more revenue or heavier VC backing, but in AI, small teams can build at massive scale.

Yes — they're direct rivals. Both Insitro and Butterfly Network compete in AI Healthcare, targeting many of the same buyers. If you're evaluating one, you should be looking at the other.