You’d be forgiven for thinking from sparing posts that not much is going on at Fitabase. Not the case; we’ve been quiet because we’ve been very hard at work on a great many R&D projects and new initiatives, all poised to be announced at various times throughout 2026.
In the upcoming year, you’ll see Fitabase release a multitude of new tools that make Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) and Just In Time Adaptive Interventions (JITAI) way more interesting. We also have improvements coming to our core tools, our SMS platform, and some larger backend infrastructure performance overhauls. I’ve increased spending in R&D significantly this year, including growing the dev team with a new member we were excited to welcome onboard a week ago.
As we roll out all these new offerings and improvements, we’ll be doing so during our 15th year in business. We marked our 14th anniversary this past week, a milestone that many told me I likely wouldn’t meet when I started Fitabase. People told me this was a terrible business idea. The sales cycles are long, the addressable market in academic research is small. And researchers are slow to adopt anything new and instead stick to what works. I’m 42 now, and I’m glad I was in my 20s when I heard the above, because I was filled with energy and excitement that gave me the spirit to dive in and not second guess it.
They were right to warn me that it wouldn’t always be easy: 2025 saw a lot of uncertainty. Like many of you, we felt the impacts of a U.S. administration that threatened many of the already-funded studies and the funding structure generally that we also depend on. We tried our best to respond to changes in priorities for research. And we worked closely with privately-funded research institutions and overseas customers, too. It wasn’t without stress and a lot of fits and starts, but we turned out a pretty impressive year.
Each December, I wrap up the accounting and metaphorically put a ribbon around the books. I can’t help to construct a narrative around what the numbers mean. This year the numbers show me a healthy business that just won’t quit or be derailed. We’re a good ol’ profitable, sustainable small business, and we revel in that. We aren’t a giant company, we don’t have splashy marketing, but we have a solid, nimble, dedicated team that rides the waves when they help us progress, but also brace firmly when the tides recede.
14 years is a long time to be in the seat at a technology company, but this year I’m reflecting on how lucky I am to be able to continue to do something that I think is important, to have a team around me that I honestly enjoy working with every day, and to have the kinds of customers we do. To our customers: you continue to support us, you push us, and your work inspires us to keep at it, which is exactly what we’ll keep doing.
Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and wonderful 2026.