Breakthrough > Breakdown (Back to the Futures #5)
This past month has made us think a lot about how breakthroughs actually happen.
They rarely arrive in a flash. More often, they come after a slow build-up, when things feel messy, uncertain, or even stuck. We’ve felt that tension lately, in conversations with students full of radical imagination, in interviews with investors rethinking value, and while pulling together our new Megatrends Framework.
It’s a lot of noise. But when you pay attention, a pattern starts to emerge.
The truth is, most of us are navigating spaces between breakdown and breakthrough. What determines the direction often comes down to how we frame things and how we support others in doing the same.
This edition is about that: framing, focus, and finding momentum. It’s about recognising moments that stretch us and learning to use them as fuel. Whether through deep dives into strategic foresight, co-creating future visions with students, or exploring how impact is shifting in business and policy, April has shown us again and again that transformation is possible.
And that’s what we want to share with you here. Let’s get into it.
LOOKING BACK
📌 Megatrends Launch
It’s here. After months of research, testing, and feedback, our Megatrends Framework is now out in the world.
📅 Join our free webinar on May 8
With over 1,000 downloads and growing interest across sectors, the Framework provides eight critical Megatrends and 24 supporting shifts, alongside our new PRISM tool—a method to move from observation to action.
📌 OECD Foresight Day: Megatrends PRISM
We led a bite-sized session for the OECD Government Foresight Community exploring how to use our PRISM framework for strategic reflection. Even in 45 minutes, the discussion helped sharpen questions and surface ideas worth pursuing. Read the recap.
📌 Citizens Reimagined: Futures Literacy Lab
Our latest online Futures Literacy Lab on April 24 was "sold out" in days. With engaged participants, Søs Christine Hejselbæk, Finn Ehrenberg and Mathias Behn Bjørnhof explored the futures of citizenship through the lenses of identity, participation, and belonging. What emerged was a rich space of imagination and critique, questioning who gets to shape our collective futures.
📌 Futures in Academia
On April 8, our founder Mathias joined sessions at Aalborg University and KADK to guide students working on speculative design, strategic foresight, and design sprints. Engaging with emerging talent remains one of the most inspiring parts of our work.
-> Service Design students imagining new futures
📌 NPC2025 Panel on Urban Futures
As part of the APA Trend Scouting Community, we joined a panel on the future of urban planning and how long-term thinking can help shape cities that are more equitable, resilient, and responsive.
📌 Culture Connectors
Our contribution to the global Culture Connectors project is now live. Mathias authored the "love letter to Denmark," combining cultural signals with future reflections. Explore the report
📌 Sustainability Futures Field Trip: Amsterdam
We co-hosted a 2-day field trip for 10 professionals from Lithuania to explore futures, systems thinking, and sustainability. From circular innovation at Heineken to imagination labs and government foresight, we explored the frictions between ambition and constraints—and how to navigate them. See reflections
📌 Impact Investing Interviews
In our ongoing research on the futures of impact investing, we’ve interviewed thought leaders from across the globe, and a clear pattern is emerging: impact is becoming central to capital flows and innovation. Got a tip, insight, or intro? Reach us at hi@anticipate.dk
📌 Back to AKA Incubator
Mathias returned to AKA’s startup program to share his founder journey, reflect on building ANTICIPATE, and explore the tough questions that surface when shaping something new. Read the post
📌 Reflections on Innovation
In line with the theme of breakthroughs, Mathias shared thoughts on how to approach innovation more deliberately. Read it here
LOOKING AHEAD
📌 Future Days 2025 (April 29–May 2, Lisbon)
We’ll be hosting a zine-making unconference activity alongside Danish Design Center's Andreas Korntved Mortensen. The session will explore Symbiotic Futures through the lens of power, participation, and imagination. More info
📌 Megatrends Launch Webinar
May 8, 15:00–16:00 CEST | Sign up here We’ll introduce the Framework, explain how to use it, and host a short futures reflection using PRISM.
📌 Strategic Foresight Internship
We’re looking for a curious, proactive intern to join our team in Copenhagen. Full-time, ECTS-eligible, and highly hands-on. Apply now
📌 Rulebreaker Future Congress (Leipzig)
In mid-May, Mathias will speak at this flagship foresight and innovation event about the future of strategic foresight and its role in leadership.
📌 Digital Innovation Conference
We’ll contribute to a Copenhagen-based conference bridging Denmark and Japan on the future of digitalization and societal wellbeing.
📌 ConsilioCircles
We’ll be facilitating four closed sessions for business leaders on AI, disrupted supply chains, and strategic transformation, in collaboration with ConsilioNexus.
📌 Copenhagen Democracy Summit
For the second year in a row, we’ll be hosting a Democratizing Futures Lab—this time with young innovators from Ukraine, Armenia, Georgia, and Moldova, in partnership with conscious AI startup DemAI.
📌 New ANTICIPATE Advisory Board
We will soon be announcing the new ANTICIPATE Advisory Board that we have put together of leading experts and great colleagues who will provide ongoing strategic sparring and support to move ANTICIPATE into the next phase.
SIGNAL OF THE MONTH
What if we aren’t alone? A potentially game-changing discovery hints at signs of life beyond Earth. Read more
Even if unconfirmed, it sparks questions of perspective: What does it mean to be human in a universe that might hold more than just us? How might it inspire new ideas for governance, ethics, and exploration?
RECOMMENDATION
Check out The Guardian’s Breakthroughs series. A sharp, hopeful look at potential futures and where innovation and change are already happening around the world. Explore the series
SERVICE SPOTLIGHT: HORIZON SCANNING
We support organizations through signal scanning, research, and trend synthesis, helping leaders anticipate shifts, map opportunity spaces, and build more resilient strategies. Read more
Back to the Futures is your monthly glimpse into what we’re doing at ANTICIPATE. If you’d like to collaborate, bring foresight into your work, or just stay more plugged into the futures space, we’d love to hear from you.
Until next time, stay curious!
Mathias Behn Bjørnhof & the ANTICIPATE Team
