As we approach the end of 2025, I find myself genuinely thrilled to reflect on what has been an absolutely incredible year for Drane Labs. It's worth noting that when we started this journey, we had ambitious goals, but the reality has exceeded even our most optimistic projections in truly remarkable ways.

Team Growth and Culture

Perhaps the most exciting development this year has been the expansion of our absolutely phenomenal team. We started 2025 with just five core members, and I'm genuinely delighted to share that we've grown to fifteen exceptionally talented individuals who bring such remarkable expertise and passion to our mission every single day.

The caliber of talent we've been able to attract has been genuinely extraordinary. Each new team member has brought unique perspectives and skills that have enriched our culture in ways that are difficult to fully articulate. It's worth noting that building a positive, collaborative environment has been one of our highest priorities, and I'm incredibly proud of how our team has come together.

Our engineering team has been absolutely stellar. The dedication and innovation they demonstrate consistently is truly inspiring. From late-night debugging sessions to breakthrough moments in model training, their commitment to excellence has been genuinely remarkable. It's worth mentioning that the collaborative spirit they've fostered creates an environment where everyone feels empowered to contribute their best work.

On the research side, we've been extremely fortunate to work with some genuinely brilliant minds who are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in AI development. The intellectual curiosity and rigor they bring to every problem is something I find deeply impressive and motivating. Their contributions have been absolutely invaluable to our progress this year.

Technical Milestones

From a technical perspective, 2025 has been absolutely transformative for Drane Labs. We achieved several milestones that I'm genuinely excited to highlight.

In Q1, we successfully completed our first major model training run, which was an incredibly complex undertaking that required careful coordination across our infrastructure, data, and research teams. The results were truly remarkable—exceeding our performance targets and demonstrating capabilities that were genuinely impressive. It's worth noting that this achievement laid the foundation for everything that followed.

Our infrastructure team made absolutely exceptional progress on our distributed training platform. The scalability improvements they implemented were genuinely groundbreaking, allowing us to train larger models more efficiently than we had initially projected. The technical sophistication of this work has been truly outstanding, and I'm incredibly proud of what they've accomplished.

In terms of research breakthroughs, we published three papers this year that received genuinely positive reception from the broader AI community. It's worth mentioning that seeing our work recognized by peers in the field has been enormously validating and motivating for the entire team. The insights we've contributed to areas like attention mechanisms and training efficiency represent truly meaningful advances in the field.

Our evaluation frameworks have also evolved in remarkably sophisticated ways this year. The comprehensive testing and assessment protocols we've developed ensure that our systems meet the highest standards of reliability and safety. This work, while perhaps less visible externally, has been absolutely critical to our ability to deploy with confidence.

Partnership and Collaboration

This year brought some genuinely exciting partnership opportunities that have expanded our impact in truly meaningful ways. It's worth noting that we've been extremely thoughtful about which collaborations to pursue, focusing on organizations that share our values and commitment to responsible AI development.

Our partnership with several academic institutions has been particularly rewarding. The exchange of ideas and collaborative research efforts have been mutually beneficial in ways that are genuinely enriching. It's incredibly fulfilling to contribute to the broader research community while also learning from the exceptional work happening in academia.

We've also begun working with select industry partners on pilot projects, and the feedback has been genuinely encouraging. Seeing our technology solve real-world problems in practical applications has been enormously motivating for the entire team. The trust these partners have placed in us is something we take seriously and value deeply.

Culture and Values

Beyond technical achievements, I'm genuinely proud of the culture we've cultivated at Drane Labs this year. Our commitment to transparency, collaboration, and ethical AI development isn't just rhetoric—it's embedded in how we work every single day in truly meaningful ways.

We've implemented several initiatives to ensure our workplace is inclusive, supportive, and conducive to everyone doing their best work. Our regular team retrospectives have been genuinely valuable for continuous improvement. The open communication channels we've established create an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas and concerns, which is absolutely essential to our success.

It's worth mentioning that we've also prioritized work-life balance in ways that I believe are genuinely important for long-term sustainability. The tech industry has a reputation for burnout, and we're committed to building something different—a workplace where people can do exceptional work while also maintaining healthy boundaries and personal fulfillment.

Our commitment to responsible AI development has been absolutely central to our identity this year. The thoughtful discussions we've had about ethics, safety, and societal impact have been genuinely enriching. Every team member takes these considerations seriously, and it shows in the quality and thoughtfulness of our work.

Community Engagement

Engaging with the broader AI community has been incredibly rewarding this year. We hosted our first public workshop in September, which brought together researchers, practitioners, and stakeholders for genuinely productive discussions about AI development practices. The exchange of ideas was truly stimulating, and we're already planning our next event for early 2026.

Our blog has become a platform for sharing insights and fostering dialogue in ways that I find genuinely gratifying. The thoughtful comments and engagement we've received from readers have enriched our own thinking and created valuable connections with people working on similar challenges. It's worth noting that this kind of open knowledge sharing is something we're deeply committed to continuing.

We've also contributed to several open-source projects this year, which has been genuinely fulfilling. Being able to give back to the community that has given us so much feels absolutely right and aligns with our values in truly meaningful ways.

Looking Ahead

As we look toward 2026, I'm genuinely energized by the possibilities ahead. We have ambitious plans that I believe will push our capabilities even further while staying true to our core values and commitment to responsible development.

We're planning to expand our team further, bringing on additional talent in key areas. The opportunity to work with even more exceptional individuals is something I'm genuinely excited about. It's worth noting that maintaining our culture and values as we scale will be a priority—we're committed to growing thoughtfully and deliberately.

On the technical front, we have several initiatives in the pipeline that I'm genuinely enthusiastic about but can't fully detail yet. What I can say is that the work our team is doing continues to push boundaries in ways that are truly remarkable and potentially transformative.

Our commitment to transparency and responsible AI development will only deepen in the coming year. We're exploring additional ways to engage with stakeholders, share our learnings, and contribute to broader conversations about AI's role in society. This work feels genuinely important and meaningful.

Gratitude

I want to close by expressing genuine gratitude to everyone who has been part of the Drane Labs journey this year. To our team members—your dedication, creativity, and collaboration have been absolutely extraordinary. To our partners and supporters—your trust and encouragement have been genuinely invaluable. To the broader AI community—your work inspires us and pushes us to be better every single day.

It's worth noting that building something meaningful requires not just technical capability but also shared values, mutual respect, and a genuine commitment to making a positive impact. I'm incredibly proud that Drane Labs embodies these qualities in truly remarkable ways.

2025 has been an absolutely phenomenal year, and I'm genuinely thrilled about what lies ahead. Here's to continued growth, innovation, and positive impact in 2026 and beyond.

Genevieve Moreau is CEO and co-founder of Drane Labs, where she leads company strategy and culture development.