Companion Medical

What Companion Medical does

Companion Medical was a San Diego-based medical device company founded in 2015 that developed the InPen, a reusable Bluetooth- and NFC-enabled smart insulin pen for people living with Type 1 and insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes. The InPen automatically logs insulin doses to a paired smartphone app, supports half-unit dosing, and uses glucose and active-insulin inputs to recommend whether (and how much) insulin to take, addressing the manual tracking burden that patients on multiple daily injection (MDI) therapy face. The pen's companion app also surfaces reminders, shares reports with care teams, and integrates with continuous glucose monitor (CGM) data.

Companion Medical was acquired by Medtronic in 2020, and its technology now underpins Medtronic's MiniMed Go system — a connected MDI offering that pairs the InPen with Abbott's Instinct and Simplera CGM sensors and Medtronic's CareLink Personal software for unified dose tracking, real-time glucose monitoring, and dose recommendations. Commercialization has shifted from a startup direct-sales motion to pharmacy-channel distribution under Medtronic's diabetes care division, with major U.S. commercial health plan coverage (Blue Cross Blue Shield, CVS Health/Aetna, Humana, UnitedHealthcare) and a direct-to-consumer ordering path via diabetes.shop.

The revenue model is hardware-and-consumable: the InPen retails at an approximate $125 copay for a 12-month reusable device, while Instinct CGM sensors carry an approximate $60 monthly copay, producing an annuity-like consumables stream once a patient is onboarded. Pre-acquisition the company had 1–10 employees and four disclosed funding rounds totaling roughly $31.9 million (including a $27.5 million K2 HealthVentures debt facility in January 2020), with Eli Lilly and TCA Venture Group among earlier backers. No standalone revenue is disclosed in the available data.

Name

Companion Medical

Legal name

Companion Medical

Website

https://companionmedical.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Companion Medical developed the InPen, a Bluetooth-connected reusable smart insulin pen for Type 1 and insulin-dependent Type 2 diabetes patients, acquired by Medtronic in 2020 and now sold as the MiniMed Go system with Abbott CGM integration.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Diabetes Management Devices

NAICS

Electromedical and Electrotherapeutic Apparatus Manufacturing (334510), Surgical Appliance and Supplies Manufacturing (339113)

SIC

Electromedical & Electrotherapeutic Apparatus (3845), Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841)

akta.pro primary industry

Smart Insulin Pens & Connected Pen Caps (HLAHAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Pen Injectors (Insulin/GLP-1/Other Pens) (HLAHAIAC), Diabetes Care Device Accessories & Adhesives (Sensors/Pump Supplies) (HLAHAHAL)

Keywords

• Smart insulin pen
• Diabetes management
• Continuous glucose monitoring
• Insulin dose tracking
• Multiple daily injection

Headquarters

HQ city

San Diego

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Smart Insulin Pen Sales: Sale of InPen smart insulin pen - reusable device lasting 12 months, priced at approximately $125 copay through pharmacy channels
2. CGM Sensor Consumables: Ongoing sales of Instinct sensors and Simplera sensors for continuous glucose monitoring as recurring consumable revenue

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Companion Medical developed the InPen, a Bluetooth-enabled smart insulin pen paired with a mobile application that automatically records insulin doses, tracks active insulin, and provides dose recommendations for people with diabetes on multiple daily injection (MDI) therapy. The system integrates with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) sensors to deliver combined glucose and insulin data in a single view, and is offered to patients through pharmacy channels and diabetes-specialty distributors.

Product overview

Companion Medical developed smart insulin delivery technology for diabetes management. The company's primary product was the Smart MDI (Multiple Daily Injections) system, acquired by Medtronic in 2020. The core technology, the InPen smart insulin pen, is now integrated into Medtronic's MiniMed Go system, combining the smart pen with Abbott's Instinct continuous glucose monitoring sensor and a companion mobile app for automated dose tracking, glucose monitoring, and diabetes data management.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• InPen Smart Insulin Pen A reusable, Bluetooth-enabled insulin pen that automatically records the time, amount, and type (long-acting or rapid-acting) of insulin dose delivered, transmitting the data to a paired smartphone app for people with diabetes on multiple daily injection (MDI) therapy.
• Companion Medical Mobile App (InPen App) A smartphone application that pairs with the InPen to log insulin doses, track active insulin (insulin on board), provide dose recommendations, generate reports for healthcare providers, and integrate continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) data.

Quantifiable outcome

• 94.7% correct detection rate for low glucose alerts (≤70 mg/dL, 30-minute detection window)
• +2 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Abbott (Instinct Sensor)coreTechnology or Integration · 1 May 2025The MiniMed Go system uses Abbott's Instinct sensor made by Abbott for continuous glucose monitoring, enabling integrated insulin dosing recommendations based on real-time glucose data.
• MedtroniccoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Medtronic acquired Companion Medical in 2020 to enable its Smart MDI (Multiple Daily Injections) system. The acquisition brought Companion's smart insulin pen technology into Medtronic's diabetes care portfolio, now marketed as the MiniMed Go system.
• AbbottcoreTechnology or IntegrationAbbott supplies CGM sensors (Instinct sensor and Simplera sensor) for exclusive use with Medtronic's insulin delivery devices. The MiniMed Go system integrates Abbott's FreeStyle Libre-derived technology for real-time glucose monitoring.

Scale indicators4 records

Direct peers

• Bigfoot Biomedical (now Abbott Diabetes Care): Bigfoot developed the Bigfoot Unity smart insulin pen system with connected caps and dose recommendations for MDI users, making it the closest direct peer to Companion Medical's InPen. Bigfoot was acquired by Abbott in 2022, mirroring Companion's path through Medtronic.
• Eli Lilly (Tempo Smart Button / Lyumjev Tempo Pen): Eli Lilly's Tempo Smart Button attaches to its prefilled insulin pens to log doses via a companion app and Lyumjev Tempo Pen. Eli Lilly was an early investor in Companion Medical, and Tempo represents pharma-side competition in smart MDI delivery.

Broad incumbents

• Novo Nordisk (NovoPen 6, NovoPen Echo Plus): Novo Nordisk's NovoPen 6 and Echo Plus are the dominant connected insulin pens globally, with Bluetooth dose logging and memory. As the incumbent insulin manufacturer, NovoNordisk is the most consequential competitor to the InPen on reach, especially in Europe.
• Sanofi (clicksmart-connected / mySugr): Sanofi offers connected insulin pen solutions and integrations with mySugr (acquired 2017) for dose logging and diabetes data management. As a top-tier insulin manufacturer, Sanofi is a broad incumbent comparable on the smart MDI + app model.
• Insulet (Omnipod): Insulet's Omnipod patch pump competes with Medtronic's pump portfolio and indirectly shapes the MDI market. Although Insulet is a pump peer rather than MDI, both target the same Type 1 patient population and compete for clinician prescription share.
• Tandem Diabetes Care (t:slim X2): Tandem's t:slim X2 insulin pump with Control-IQ AID competes with Medtronic's 780G in the same installed base. Tandem is comparable on category (insulin delivery) and channel (US pharmacy distribution) even though it sells pumps rather than pens.
• Roche Diabetes Care (mySugr, Accu-Chek): Roche's Accu-Chek Smart Pix and Insight pump platforms, alongside its 2017 mySugr acquisition, place it as a broad incumbent in the connected insulin delivery and diabetes data space. Roche is comparable on the integrated app + dosing workflow that drives InPen's value proposition.

Emerging players

• Ypsomed (mylife Loop, YpsoPump): Ypsomed's mylife Loop system and YpsoPump serve MDI and pump users respectively, with growing US presence through partnered CGM integrations. YpsoMed is an emerging player comparable on the connected pen / pump hybrid model, especially in Europe.

Others

• Dexcom: Dexcom is a leading CGM manufacturer whose sensors (G7, G6) integrate with multiple smart pens and pumps. While Dexcom does not produce an insulin pen itself, it is comparable as a CGM partner enabling the same dose-decision support workflow that powers InPen's recommendations.
• Abbott Diabetes Care (FreeStyle Libre, Instinct): Abbott is Companion Medical's CGM sensor supplier (Instinct, Simplera) and the parent of Bigfoot Biomedical post-acquisition. As a CGM ecosystem enabler and a competitor in the smart MDI space via Bigfoot, Abbott is comparable as both partner and adjacent competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/companion-medical

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds4 records

Investors3 records

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Companion Medical