FA Company Spotlight: ButterflyMx
In 2014, Cyrus Claffey didn’t just notice a bad product, he saw a cracked foundation in how buildings manage trust. Apartment intercoms were relics: clunky, wired, and wildly overpriced. So Claffey, alongside Matthew Knoff, Kunal Shah, and Ivan Mihalj, built ButterflyMX, a smartphone-native access platform designed to put the entire building in your pocket. The concept? Let your phone open doors, not just apps. Within a year, they had the first mobile-powered intercom on the market. A decade later, they’re not just opening doors, they’re defining the entire front entrance.
ButterflyMX turned a pain point into a platform play. What began with smart video intercoms has grown into a full-stack access ecosystem spanning elevator controls, security cameras, package rooms, vehicle access, smart lock integrations, and remote front desk management. Every product plugs into the same digital core, built to eliminate wiring, key fobs, and operational headaches. No patchwork integrations. Just clean infrastructure delivering over 122 million door opens across 17,000 properties and counting.
At the center of this growth is Aaron Rudenstine, who stepped in as CEO in 2019 after co-founding Citymaps and leading product at TripAdvisor. Harvard University MBA, operator, and angel investor in Reddit, Inc., Button, and Clear Ballot Group, Rudenstine brings the tempo of a technologist with the range of a strategist. Ivan Mihalj leads the technical evolution from Croatia, keeping the build sharp and the architecture tight. Claffey continues as Executive Chairman, anchoring long-term vision with his M&A edge from BNP Paribas.
When FTV Capital led ButterflyMX’s most recent growth equity round in January 2025, joining JMI Equity, Volition Capital, and Lead Edge Capital, it wasn’t a bet on potential. It was a play on proven momentum. Over 1.5 million people use the platform every day. Revenue tops $65.6M. The team has scaled to over 350 people with offices spanning New York and Europe. This isn’t proptech in a lab, it’s a product with market gravity.
ButterflyMX didn’t chase innovation. It hunted simplicity. By unifying every point of property access into one interface, they turned a broken experience into a seamless utility. They’re not selling hardware. They’re selling peace of mind. And in a $15.2 billion market swelling with demand from digital natives and remote operators, that positioning isn’t just smart, it’s necessary.
They’re hiring. Engineers. Product leaders. Sales pros. Operators. If you’re building at the intersection of real estate and real problems, checking the link in the comments is your next move. This isn’t just an access company, it’s your entrance to the next category-defining platform.
butterflymx.com/careers
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