FastForward

What FastForward does

FastForward (legal entity: Fast Forward LLC) is a privately held, founder-operated digital design and software development agency founded in 2013 and headquartered in Salem, Massachusetts, with 11-50 employees. The firm operates across two practice areas: a Digital practice covering web design and development, content management systems, data-driven applications, and site migration; and an Experiences practice covering touchscreen interactives, immersive environments, museum and science center exhibits, and corporate visitor centers and tradeshows. Service delivery is structured around four functional pillars — Strategy, Design, Development, and Support — with a custom-project, scope-based pricing model and multi-year support contracts rather than public tiered pricing.

The technology stack spans web and immersive domains: Next.js, React, Angular, Drupal, WordPress, and headless CMS architectures on the digital side, and Unity3D (often paired with Microsoft Kinect for motion-capture interactives) for installations. Notable engineering work includes API-driven integration of enterprise systems (Banner, Illuminate, Salesforce, Mailchimp, Zendesk, Sage ERP, Solr), a 17-foot 8K multi-touch video wall for The Mob Museum, a 3D CAD-based virtual product demo for Sebia, and a multilingual mobile health app for Boston Medical Center. Fast Forward's longest-standing external relationship is a 10+ year hosting and WebOps partnership with Pantheon, which underpins both delivery tooling and lead generation.

Commercially, Fast Forward acquires enterprise and institutional clients primarily through portfolio-led inbound (website case studies and the 'Think Fast' technical blog), direct outreach, industry recognition (FWA Site of the Day, 2023), and subcontracted referrals from creative agencies such as White Rhino, Northern Light Productions, and Zero Degrees. The customer base spans education (Northeastern University), cultural institutions (MFA Boston, Mob Museum), healthcare (Boston Medical Center), medical devices (Sebia, NeuroMetrix), security technology (Rapiscan AS&E), and events (PEAK Event Services). Revenue is professional-services, project-based, and not publicly disclosed; there is no evidence of external venture or private equity investment, M&A activity, or productized software revenue.

Name

FastForward

Legal name

Fast Forward LLC

Website

https://fastforward.sh

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FastForward is a Salem, MA-based digital design and software development agency (founded 2013, 11-50 employees) serving enterprise and institutional clients across museums, healthcare, education, and technology with custom web, mobile, CMS, and interactive installation projects delivered through a Pantheon-hosted technology stack.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Salem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Design & Development: Custom design and development services billed on project basis. Services include UX/UI design, web development, mobile/desktop applications, interactive installations, and digital strategy consulting.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

FastForward is a software development and design agency that builds custom web applications, native mobile applications, content management systems, and interactive installations for enterprise clients. The firm delivers projects through four practice areas (Strategy, Design, Development, Support) and specializes in complex multi-system integrations, accessibility-compliant interfaces, and immersive experiences such as touchscreen video walls and spatial computing exhibits.

Product overview

Fast Forward LLC is a software development, design, and user experience company offering a comprehensive suite of digital services. The company operates across two main practice areas: Digital services (web design & development, content management systems, data-driven applications, site migration & upgrades, and Pantheon partnership hosting) and Experiences (touchscreen interactives, immersive environments, museum & science center exhibits, and corporate visitor centers & tradeshows). The portfolio includes named project deliverables such as the Northeastern University Course Registration Platform, Sebia Capillarys Virtual Product Demo, MFA Boston Interactive Exhibit, MINI Z Gamified Microsite, Hey Mama Mobile Application, PEAK Event Services Website, Mob Museum Video Wall Exhibit, and Quell CES Interactive Experience. Services are delivered through Strategy, Design, Development, and Support practice areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategy Services Digital strategy and consulting including technical consulting, competitive analysis, platform evaluation, user experience audits, and project management services for organizations planning digital initiatives.
• Design Services UX/UI design, experiential design, design prototyping, 2D/3D animation, design systems, and visual identity creation for digital products and experiences.
• Development Services Software development across mobile, desktop, and web platforms; content management systems; API development; cloud platform integration; hardware integrations; and AR/VR development.
• Support Services Hosting and maintenance, platform migration, managed updates, automated testing, accessibility compliance, translation services, and analytics for ongoing client engagements.
• Site Migration and Upgrades Platform and host migration, major version upgrades, SEO and content preservation, and migration planning and risk assessment services for websites moving between CMS or hosting providers.
• Data-Driven Applications Custom web applications including dashboards, portals, and tools that connect to data and integrations; covers custom application development, data integration and APIs, dashboards and data visualization, and portals and workflow tools.
• Content Management Systems

Quantifiable outcome

• Served approximately 8,000 graduate students at Northeastern University with simplified registration
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

AI capability7 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Northern Light ProductionsminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Collaboration on The Mob Museum Global Networks exhibit. Northern Light Productions led creative direction while Fast Forward developed the interactive software and technical implementation for the 17-foot video wall.
• PantheoncoreTechnology or IntegrationStrategic hosting and WebOps partnership spanning more than a decade. Fast Forward has migrated sites across Drupal, WordPress, and Next.js platforms on Pantheon. The partnership enables CI/CD workflows, multidev environments, and automated upgrades for client sites.
• Zero DegreesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUX firm collaboration on Northeastern University Grad Studies project. Zero Degrees designed clickable prototypes tested with students to ensure the solution aligned with student needs including schedule management and accessibility.
• White RhinominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDigital marketing agency that brought in Fast Forward to develop the gamified web experience for Rapiscan AS&E's MINI Z product launch. White Rhino had the creative concept; Fast Forward provided technical implementation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Work & Co: Small premium digital product studio that designs and builds digital products for enterprise and consumer brands. Highly comparable in size, premium positioning, integrated design+development model, and emphasis on craft — direct competitor for the same enterprise RFPs.
• Instrument: Independent digital agency and creative studio working with enterprise and tech-forward brands on brand systems, digital products, and interactive experiences. Comparable in combining strategy, design, and development for complex engagements.
• Stimulant: Interactive experience studio building web, mobile, and immersive installations for museums, brands, and public spaces. Directly comparable in the immersive/Unity/3D interactive work for museums and trade shows.
• Ustwo: Digital product studio with integrated design and engineering teams delivering apps, platforms, and experiences for global brands. Comparable boutique positioning and premium client roster.
• Big Spaceship: Brooklyn-based digital agency building digital products, platforms, and brand experiences for enterprise clients. Similar in targeting complex digital engagements and combining strategy with execution.
• Crema: Mid-sized digital product agency offering strategy, design, and development for startups and enterprise. Comparable in product-focused custom development and cross-functional team model.
• Viget: Full-service digital agency offering strategy, design, and development with CMS, web, and application specializations. Comparable in Pantheon/Drupal/headless CMS expertise and boutique-agency scale.
• Dom & Tom: Digital agency building web and mobile products for enterprise and growth-stage clients. Comparable full-lifecycle product development offering at similar size band.
• Resn: New Zealand-based interactive studio specializing in immersive web experiences, interactive installations, and award-winning digital craft. Directly comparable in the high-craft interactive/experiential work that earns industry recognition.

Broad incumbents

• AKQA: Global award-winning design and innovation agency within WPP, delivering brand experiences, digital products, and campaigns for major enterprises. Overlaps with Fast Forward's experiential/trade-show and interactive work but operates at much greater scale with a broader portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fast-forward-innovation
• Xx.com/thinkfastfwd
• Facebookfacebook.com/fastforwardinno

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about FastForward