Company Overview
About Vial
Vial is a clinical research organization (CRO) founded in 2020 by Simon Burns and Jason Wang and headquartered in San Francisco, California. The company has built a technology-enabled model for running clinical trials that differs from traditional CROs by directly partnering with clinical practices — particularly in dermatology and ophthalmology — and converting them into research sites. Vial handles the full operational burden: regulatory and IRB submissions, site staff training, clinical equipment provisioning, electronic data capture (EDC) setup, and patient recruitment and scheduling. This allows clinics with no prior research experience to participate in trials, dramatically expanding the pool of available sites and accelerating patient enrollment timelines.
Business Model & Competitive Advantage
Vial raised a $77M Series B in 2022 led by Meritech Capital with participation from GV (Google Ventures), Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), and others, bringing total funding to approximately $100M. The company serves biotech and pharmaceutical sponsors that are running Phase 1 through Phase 3 trials, offering a full-service CRO model with proprietary technology infrastructure for trial management, data collection, and site coordination. By owning the site relationship and technology stack end-to-end, Vial can offer faster site activation timelines and more predictable enrollment than traditional CROs that rely on a broker-like model across pre-existing independent sites.
Competitive Landscape 2025–2026
The tech-enabled CRO space is evolving rapidly, with Vial competing against legacy players like ICON, Parexel, and Covance, as well as newer entrants including Lindus Health and Headlands Research. Vial's initial focus on dermatology has expanded into other therapeutic areas, and its model of direct clinic ownership (or tight operational partnership) positions it as part of a broader movement to decentralize and accelerate clinical research through technology.
Key Differentiators
Strong Challenger
Vial is an established challenger with significant market presence and competitive offerings in Life Sciences & BioTech.
Frequently Asked Questions
Estimated Visibility Trend (Beta)
Simulated 8-week rolling score
Based on estimated brand signals. Historical tracking coming soon.
Similar Brands
Tempus
Tempus AI is a technology company applying artificial intelligence to advance precision medicine across oncology, neurology, psychiatry, and cardiology. Founded in 2015 by Eric Lefkofsky (co-founder o
Emulate
Emulate, Inc. is a Boston-based biotechnology company that designs, manufactures, and commercializes Organ-Chip technology — micro-engineered devices lined with living human cells that replicate the m
ConcertAI
ConcertAI is a Boston-based company that combines artificial intelligence with real-world oncology data to accelerate cancer drug development and improve patient outcomes. Its platform integrates mult
DNAnexus
DNAnexus is the category-defining cloud platform for precision health data management, analysis, and collaboration. Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Mountain View, California, DNAnexus provides a
Schrödinger
Schrödinger was founded in 1990 by Richard Friesner and David Pearlman in New York City, building physics-based computational methods for molecular simulation. For over 30 years the company has develo
Florence Healthcare
Florence Healthcare is the dominant software platform for clinical trial site enablement, providing digital tools that connect trial sites, sponsors, and contract research organizations (CROs) to stre
Compare Vial with Competitors
Side-by-side AI visibility scores, platform breakdown, and market position.
Claim This Profile
Are you from Vial? Claim your profile to see full AI mention excerpts, get weekly visibility change alerts, and optimize how AI systems describe your brand.
Claim Vial Profile →Track AI Visibility in Real Time
Monitor how ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, and Claude mention Vial vs competitors. Get alerts when AI recommendations shift.
Start Free Tracking →