What Humantific does

Humantific is a strategic innovation consultancy founded in 2001 and headquartered in New York, with operational team presence in Madrid and Copenhagen and delivery activity extending into Paris, Milan, and Mexico. The firm was founded by Elizabeth Pastor and Garry K VanPatter and operates with a small team of 11-50 professionals. It serves large global enterprises and foundations — including BBC, BBVA Compass, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Novartis, Pfizer, Telefonica, Morgan Stanley, Johnson & Johnson, Santander, Carlsberg, and Hill's Pet Nutrition — across pharmaceuticals, financial services, media, telecommunications, consumer goods, and philanthropy.

The firm's core product is a set of proprietary human-centered methodologies — most prominently Complexity Navigation, Visual SenseMaking, and Strategic Co-Creation — delivered through project-based consulting engagements, skill-building workshops, and innovation-culture transformation programs. These methodologies are codified across multiple published books and are extended through long-term ecosystem partnerships, notably a 17-year collaboration with Measure of America (DATA2GO.NYC, relaunched June 2025) and an academic partnership with the Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX) since 2018.

Humantific is privately held, founder-owned, and operates on a professional services business model: revenue is generated from consulting fees, workshop facilitation, and sponsored research/journal activities. The firm has not raised external funding, has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities, and is positioned as a high-expertise boutique rather than a scalable platform business. Geographic expansion, thought-leadership publications, and academic partnerships are the primary vectors through which the firm extends its reach.

Name

Humantific

Legal name

Humantific

Website

https://humantific.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Humantific is a New York-based strategic innovation consultancy, founded in 2001, that uses proprietary Complexity Navigation and Visual SenseMaking methodologies to help global enterprises and foundations tackle complex organizational challenges through consulting, workshops, and culture-transformation programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Services-Management Services (8741)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital & Technology Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAH)

Keywords

• Innovation consulting
• Complexity navigation
• Strategic facilitation
• Visual sensemaking
• Design thinking

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Strategic Consulting Services: Custom consulting engagements helping organizational leaders tackle complex everyday challenges including complex problem framing/solving, strategic initiative facilitation, and visual strategic storytelling.
2. Skill-Building Programs: Workshop-based training including the Complexity Navigation Program, custom workshops, and Innovation Acceleration Labs teaching leaders skills for organizational complexity.
3. Public Workshops and Training Sessions: Public sessions on topics such as Open Challenge Framing conducted in various cities including Madrid, Copenhagen, Paris, Milan, and New York.
4. Book Publications: Revenue from published books including 'Rethinking Design Thinking' and 'Innovation Methods Mapping: De-Mystifying 80+ Years of Innovation Process Design'.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Humantific is a strategic innovation consultancy that helps organizational leaders tackle complex everyday challenges through SenseMaking for ChangeMaking services. Its offerings include Everyday Complexity Navigation consulting (problem framing, strategic initiative facilitation, visual strategic storytelling), the Complexity Navigation Program skill-building workshops, Innovation Culture Building engagements, and custom workshops and Innovation Acceleration Labs.

Product overview

Humantific is a professional services firm (founded 2001) offering SenseMaking for ChangeMaking services including Everyday Complexity Navigation consulting, the Complexity Navigation Program (skill-building workshops), and Innovation Culture Building programs. Their service portfolio includes Custom Workshops, Custom Innovation Acceleration Labs, and Systemic Challenge Framing training. The firm publishes books including Innovation Methods Mapping, Rethinking Design Thinking, and has upcoming titles (Design for Complexity, Actionizing Enterprise Adaptability) in progress. Core practices include Visual SenseMaking and Strategic Co-Creation. Long-term collaborative projects include Measure of America publications and the DATA2GO.NYC data visualization platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Complexity Navigation Program: A skill-building program that teaches leaders skills, tools and methods for navigating complexity in organizations.

Products and services

• Everyday Complexity Navigation Consulting service helping organizational leaders tackle complex everyday challenges in an accelerated manner, including complex cross-disciplinary problem framing/solving, design and facilitation of complex strategic initiatives, and design of clear and engaging visual strategic stories. For enterprise and organizational leaders.
• Complexity Navigation Program Skill-building workshop program that teaches leaders skills, tools and methods synced to the complexities facing their organization. A key skill taught is Systemic Challenge Framing for complex organizational and societal contexts. Delivered globally in cities including Copenhagen, Madrid, New York and Aarhus.
• Innovation Culture Building Service helping organizational leaders build positive inclusive innovation cultures, including creating inclusive innovation strategy, inclusive innovation leadership coaching, and custom culture building programs. For senior executives and HR/L&D leaders.
• Custom Workshops and Innovation Acceleration Labs Tailored workshop offerings and Innovation Acceleration Labs designed for specific organizational needs, focused on future work skills and accelerating innovation capabilities within organizations. For enterprise teams seeking customized capacity-building.
• Rethinking Design Thinking: Making Sense of the Future That Has Already Arrived Published book by GK VanPatter examining design and design thinking methodology, covering Design 1.0 through 4.0 evolution and approaches for complex organizational and societal situations. Available through Amazon and direct inquiry.
• Innovation Methods Mapping: De-Mystifying 80+ Years of Innovation Process Design Published book focused on making sense of innovation process design, offering an analysis framework spanning 80+ years of innovation process design history. Available through Amazon and direct inquiry.

Quantifiable outcome

• The Measure of America series created with Humantific is internationally recognized as an important benchmark in the realm of Societal SenseMaking

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Danish School of Media and Journalism (DMJX)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Humantific has been conducting ongoing partnerships with DMJX in Denmark, building internal future-oriented changemaking skills among faculty leadership teams. The Academy team led by Elizabeth Pastor and Janet Getto teaches skill-building workshops in Copenhagen and Aarhus. Humantific also conducts free public sessions on Open Challenge Framing at DMJX facilities.
• Measure of AmericaflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008Humantific has been working closely with Measure of America since 2008 on the creation of the influential Measure of America series. For 17 years, Humantific has partnered with authors Sarah Burd-Sharps and Kristen Lewis on publications including Portrait of New York City, Portrait of California, Portrait of Mississippi, Portrait of Louisiana, Portrait of Los Angeles, and Portrait of Marin. The collaboration has created internationally recognized societal sensemaking benchmarks with 297 diagrams designed to inform and engage policy-makers.
• TeamLabs MadridminorGTM or Marketing PartnerHumantific CoFounder Elizabeth Pastor gave a free public talk on Strategic CoCreation Leadership at TeamLabs in Madrid, demonstrating partnership for knowledge sharing and public education in the innovation space.
• NextD JournalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHumantific is corporate sponsor of NextD Journal, an experimental project undertaking peer reviews of public documents to make sense of confusion around Design Thinking. The firm actively contributes through co-founder GK VanPatter participating in peer reviews alongside other thought leaders.
• Stiftung Bauhaus DessauminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer with ARCH+ of the Out of Balance international competition on information design after Otto Neurath, with Humantific as co-sponsor.
• HumanCities CollaborativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership mentioned alongside Measure of America and Humantific in reference to civic innovation initiatives.
• Centro University (Mexico)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerHumantific CoFounder GK VanPatter was keynote speaker at Centro University's 6th Design Forum in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, presenting excerpts from the firm's upcoming book on design thinking.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Market position

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/humantific
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Humantific
• Facebookfacebook.com/Humantific
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humantific

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 Humantific