SRES SafeStack | January 2026

Reflections from Jody Nelson, SRES Co-founder & Managing Partner

A Milestone Year in a Volatile Industry

2025 was a big and exciting year for SRES. We crossed our two‑year anniversary this past October, a milestone that carries real weight in the start‑up world. The odds are rarely in anyone’s favor—about 10% of U.S. startups don’t make it past their first year, and only around 20% survive over the long term. Those numbers become even more daunting in the technology and transportation sectors, where volatility is the norm rather than the exception.

Navigating Industry Shifts

That reality hit close to home this year. A few of the companies we partnered with early on have already ceased operations as we turn the corner into 2026. It’s a sobering reminder of how quickly the landscape can shift, and how important resilience, adaptability, and disciplined execution are for any young company.

The broader industry headwinds were impossible to ignore. Several major OEMs walked back their “electric‑only” strategies in early 2024, triggering a noticeable contraction in demand for electric powertrains across both the U.S. and European markets. For many suppliers and innovators, this pivot created uncertainty. For us, it reinforced the importance of staying nimble, diversifying our capabilities, and continuing to build trust through high‑quality engineering support.

Momentum in Autonomy and AI Safety

Amid these industry shifts, one of the brightest spots for SRES in 2025 was our continued success in supporting automated driving system (ADS) companies and advancing AI safety practices. As the market recalibrated around electrification, demand grew for partners who could bring rigor, transparency, and real‑world engineering discipline to autonomy programs. This is where our team’s expertise truly resonated.

Throughout the year, we welcomed 30 new training and consulting customers, alongside 16 returning partners from 2024—a strong signal that our approach is delivering real value. This steady momentum allowed us to expand our team with multiple new full‑time hires, strengthening our capacity to support more complex and diverse projects.

Building Reach Through Training and Outreach

Our outreach and education efforts also reached new heights. We delivered lunch‑and‑learn sessions to more than 350 participants across multiple organizations, and we either hosted or contributed to six webinars focused on AI and ADS safety. To meet the growing demand for practical, standards‑aligned guidance, we launched five new training offerings, including our Safety Analyses for ADS course and a 1‑day ISO/PAS 8800 introductory training. In total, we conducted 27 trainings in 2025, bringing our cumulative number of trained professionals to over 700.

Looking Ahead to 2026

What does 2026 bring? I’m excited and optimistic—but I’ve also been in this industry long enough to know that predictions are more art than science. I still remember sitting in a management retreat in November 2019, being asked to outline a five‑year plan. I couldn’t help but smile. In automotive, the only thing you can count on is rapid change, and any five‑year plan is really just a snapshot of your best thinking at that moment. Within months, the world shifted in ways none of us could have imagined. Whatever we wrote on paper that day was rewritten—sometimes more than once—over the following year.

That experience has stayed with me. It’s a reminder that while we can’t control the future, we can control how we show up for it. Hard work, dedication, and genuine passion have a way of carrying you through uncertainty. Those qualities built SRES, and they continue to guide us as we grow.

As I look back on 2025, I’m deeply grateful—for the chance to reconnect with old colleagues, for the new relationships we’ve built, for customers who trust us with their most important challenges, and for employees who bring heart and expertise to everything they do. This community is what makes the journey worthwhile.

Here’s to a meaningful, resilient, and opportunity‑filled 2026 for all of us.