The Future of Fitness is Open

The future of fitness technology is a connected ecosystem where the data is owned by the athlete and not by any individual company. This is core to what we are building at HYBRD.

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We found out via a DC Rainmaker tweet that Strava will be effectively cutting off the ecosystem of third-party apps that have relied on it to create value for athletes. In short, Strava is blocking apps from analyzing the data that users themselves requested to push from their devices. This isn’t just a technical adjustment—it’s a strategic pivot. The company is signaling its intention to consolidate control over user data and funnel athletes toward its own paid offerings. At HYBRD, we see this decision as more evidence that incumbent players are overlooking three profound shifts happening in the health and fitness space - shifts that make this the perfect moment to build something new. 

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1/ Raw fitness data is rapidly becoming commoditized.

For years, sources of fitness data like Garmin and Polar dominated the space, with price tags that reflected their position as best-in-class devices. But that’s no longer the case. Just look at how brutally Coros can undercut Garmin’s prices while offering comparable functionality. And then there’s Apple Watch—a device that’s only getting better and is clearly signaling its ambitions in the fitness space. It will probably take unique form factors or metrics, like those of WHOOP and Oura, to stand out in the crowded fitness hardware space. 

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As hardware gets cheaper and more competitive, the device itself stops being the differentiator. The real value shifts to the software—the insights it delivers and the experiences it creates. In a world flooded with hardware, the winners won’t just connect devices; they’ll create entirely new experiences by combining data from multiple sources in ways no one else has.

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Strava could have doubled down on becoming the definitive platform for aggregating and analyzing fitness data. Instead, it’s abdicating its role as the connective tissue between devices and apps, leaving a void that others will fill.

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2/ The "plumbing" to connect hardware to software keeps getting better

This is where platforms like Terra API come in. Terra is to fitness what Plaid is to fintech. Just as Plaid made it easy for apps to integrate directly into banking systems, Terra makes it seamless for companies to connect directly to fitness hardware.

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Here’s what that means in practice: Instead of your Garmin watch pushing data to Strava and then sharing it with a third-party app, Terra allows your Garmin to push that data directly to the third-party app—bypassing Strava entirely. It’s faster, more efficient, and better for developers and users alike.

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So while Strava’s API shutdown might create some temporary inconvenience, developers will just bypass Strava and connect “straight to the source.” Strava gains nothing from alienating its ecosystem and risks losing its relevance in the process.

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3/ Most importantly, this data belongs to the users.

At the heart of this issue is a simple truth: fitness data belongs to the athletes who generate it. Limiting how users and developers can engage with their own data isn’t just shortsighted—it’s not putting the user first.

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This isn’t the first time Strava has made decisions that frustrate its community. There was the pricing controversy, where subscription rates were hidden behind convoluted workflows. And the time they killed off the popular app Relive, alienating both users and developers. Each of these moves signals a troubling pattern: prioritizing short-term revenue at the expense of long-term trust.

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Not putting the user first is always a losing strategy on a long enough timeline.

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Why it’s never been a better time to build

But let’s step back and look at what’s possible now. Athletes have access to more data than ever - nearly 40% of Americans own a wearable. Advances in AI and machine learning are transforming how we interact with that data. Think beyond tired chatbots. It’s about solving real problems—like logging a strength workout. What used to mean endless tapping and manual entry can now be streamlined with tools like voice or image recognition. With HYBRD, you can dictate sets mid-workout, snap a photo of your weights, or log everything afterward—and it all gets processed into insights you can actually use. The friction that used to keep valuable data out of reach is finally being removed. 

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And that’s just the start. The real opportunity lies in personalization. The goal isn’t to lock data behind proprietary systems or create walled gardens—it’s to empower athletes by making their devices work together seamlessly, giving them control over their information, and helping them extract real value from it. The future of fitness technology won’t be about controlling data; it’ll be about enabling athletes to combine the data they care about, however they want. That’s the direction we’re taking at HYBRD.

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