What FutureEverything does

FutureEverything was a Manchester-based non-profit cultural agency founded in 1995 that operated for 31 years producing digital arts projects, festivals, labs, and artist development programmes at the intersection of art, technology and society. The organisation curated landmark international exhibitions including 'You and AI' with the Onassis Foundation (80,000+ visitors) and 'Plasmata' (400,000+ in-person, 3.5M TV audience), co-commissioned Atmospheric Memory by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer for Manchester International Festival 2019, and delivered citizen-science and smart-city initiatives such as the GROW Observatory and CityVerve. Its final major initiative, Nature Directed (2024-2026), reoriented the organisation around ecological resilience, producing the Nature Directed Lab (creative R&D), the Nature Directed Incubator (three-tier consultancy on ecological governance), and the Compost Computer project (microbial fuel cell powered low-carbon web server developed with UAL's Critical Climate Computing team). In October 2025 it became the first cultural organisation globally to appoint Nature to its Board of Directors with voting rights.

Revenue was generated through public grants (Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation status until 2023, Innovate UK, UKRI), exhibition and event co-productions with institutional partners (Manchester International Festival, Onassis Foundation, British Council, National Trust, Science Gallery London, Greater Manchester Combined Authority), ticketed events, and consultancy fees from the Nature Directed Incubator. Distribution was event-driven and partner-mediated, with international reach spanning Europe, Asia, Africa and North America. Following the loss of NPO funding in 2023 and subsequent financial difficulties, FutureEverything ceased operations on 4 April 2026, with founder Drew Hemment continuing as custodian of the archive and legacy.

Name

FutureEverything

Legal name

FutureEverything

Website

https://futureeverything.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Closed

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

FutureEverything was a Manchester-based non-profit cultural agency (1995-2026) producing international digital arts festivals, AI exhibitions, artist development programmes and ecological governance initiatives, serving cultural institutions, governments and the public globally before closing in April 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Arts Services

NAICS

Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation (71), Other Performing Arts Companies (711190), Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (711510)

SIC

Services-Mailing, Reproduction, Commercial Art & Photography (7330)

akta.pro primary industry

AI & Emerging Technology Literacy (EDAAAIAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Digital Skills & Tech Upskilling (Noncredit) (EDAAAEAE), Crafts & Maker Arts (Ceramics, Textiles, Jewelry, Mixed Media) (EDAMAAAD), Maker / DIY Electronics & Physical Computing Platforms (EDAFANAC)

Keywords

• Digital arts festivals
• Art technology labs
• Artist development programs
• Cultural consultancy services
• Ecological futures research

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Public Funding and Grants: Core revenue from Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation status (lost in 2023), supplemented by Innovate UK grants, UK Research and Innovation funding, and project-specific grants from cultural and government bodies.
2. Exhibition and Event Revenue: Revenue from major exhibitions, festivals, and events including ticket sales, venue partnerships, and co-production arrangements with international cultural institutions.
3. Consultancy Services: Nature Directed Incubator consultancy service providing organizations with guidance on embedding ecological governance, offered through three tiered packages.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

FutureEverything is a Manchester-based non-profit cultural agency that produces digital arts projects, festivals, innovation labs, and artist development programmes. It operated at the intersection of art, technology, and ecological futures, running programmes such as Nature Directed, commissioning works like Atmospheric Memory and Compost Computer, and curating exhibitions including 'You and AI: Through the Algorithmic Lens'.

Product overview

FutureEverything was an art-technology organization founded in 1995 that operated as a cultural agency after 2018, delivering ambitious international programmes. Its final major initiative was Nature Directed - a trail-blazing programme that repositioned the organization around ecological practice. The Nature Directed portfolio included: the Nature Directed Lab (creative R&D programme), the Nature Directed Incubator (consultancy service), and Compost Computer (innovative technology transforming compost bio-energy into low-carbon computing). The organization also delivered artist development programmes (PROTO), design-led Innovation Labs, major AI arts exhibitions (You and AI, AI: Who's Looking After Me?), and internationally renowned commissions (Atmospheric Memory). Legacy projects included GROW Observatory and CityVerve. FutureEverything closed as a company on April 4, 2026.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Nature Directed
• Nature Directed Lab
• Nature Directed Incubator
• Compost Computer
• PROTO Artist Development Programme
• Innovation Labs
• You and AI: Through the Algorithmic Lens
• AI: Who's Looking After Me?
• Atmospheric Memory
• GROW Observatory
• CityVerve

Quantifiable outcome

• 400,000+ in-person visitors and 3.5M TV audience for Plasmata exhibition
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Lawyers for NaturecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2025Collective of leading environmental lawyers who served as architects of the Nature on the Board governance concept alongside Earth Law Center. Provided legal expertise for FutureEverything's constitutional amendment to appoint Nature as company director.
• University of the Arts London (UAL) - Critical Climate Computing InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Collaboration on Compost Computer project developing bio-energy powered computing infrastructure. UAL's Critical Climate Computing (CCC) team, including artists Mariana Marangoni, Shinji Toya, Wesley Goatley, and Eva Verhoeven, worked with FutureEverything to transform computational infrastructure through more-than-human protocols.
• MUD (Manchester Urban Diggers)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Community growing site hosting the Compost Computer bio-reactor at Platt Fields Market Garden in Manchester. MUD provides the composting infrastructure and public space for the low-carbon server installation.
• Sow the CitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Manchester-based social enterprise supporting compost analysis and community growing initiatives. Collaborated on assessing impacts of bio-reactor technology on composting processes and ecosystem.
• Earth Law CentercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Partners in developing the Nature on the Board governance model, contributing legal and ecological expertise to the framework for more-than-human representation in organizational governance.
• Julie’s BicyclesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnvironmental charity working with Arts Council England to support cultural sector climate action. Vicky Sword-Daniels from Julie's Bicycle served on the Nature Directed Working Group.
• Manchester International FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing co-production partner for major commissions including Atmospheric Memory by Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, described as the festival's most ambitious project.
• Onassis FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on multiple AI arts exhibitions including You and AI (80,000+ visitors) and Plasmata (400,000+ in-person visitors, 3.5M TV audience). Flagship international collaboration for critical AI-themed programming.
• British CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on [Digital] Transmissions programme supporting emerging artists in Jordan through digital and immersive creative practice across three seasons, engaging 34 artists and 12,500+ visitors.
• Science Gallery LondoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-production partner for AI: Who's Looking After Me? exhibition (June 2023 - January 2024) exploring AI's implications for wellbeing and daily life.
• National TrustsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership on Unintended Consequences exhibition at Quarry Bank mill, examining environmental legacy of industrialisation with 129,000 visitors.
• University of ManchestersupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner on Innovation Labs programme and soil fertility research collaboration, including workshops on understanding soil health.
• Stockport Creative CampuscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDeepening relationship producing Emotional Biodiversity (107,000+ visitors) and Electric Echoes commissions, supporting digital arts in Stockport through community co-creation.
• Greater Manchester Combined AuthoritysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommissioned this place [of mine] digital placemaking project bringing together young people to reimagine high street futures using art and technology.
• MediaCity Immersive Technologies Innovation Hub (MITIH)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through The Landing company and Salford City Council in collaboration with University of Salford, supporting innovative businesses and start-ups in Greater Manchester through Innovate UK's Innovation Accelerator programme.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Transmediale: Berlin-based festival and year-round programme for art and digital culture, exploring the intersection of technology, art and critical thought. Direct festival-format peer to FutureEverything's annual festival-as-lab programming.
• ZKM Center for Art and Media: Karlsruhe-based museum and production centre for media arts. Closely comparable to FutureEverything's art-technology exhibition and commission model, with a strong research orientation on digital culture, AI and ecological themes that parallels Nature Directed.
• Ars Electronica: Austrian art-technology festival and research organisation operating the Prix Ars Electronica platform. Closest international analogue to FutureEverything's festival-as-lab model, curating exhibitions at the intersection of art, technology and society and producing iconic commissions that FutureEverything itself won recognition from (Prix Ars Electronica Honorary Mention, 2006).
• MU Hybrid Art House: Eindhoven-based platform for artists working at the intersection of art, technology and society, presenting exhibitions, residencies and research. Closely comparable as a small, programme-driven hybrid art organisation focused on cultural experimentation.
• Lighthouse: Brighton-based digital culture agency producing projects, festivals and commissions at the intersection of art, technology and society. A natural UK peer to FutureEverything with overlapping exhibition and artist-development programming.
• FACT (Foundation for Art and Creative Technology): Liverpool-based charity producing exhibitions, films and participatory projects exploring the meeting point of art, technology and society. Directly comparable as a UK art-tech cultural organisation of similar scale producing AI-adjacent programming and artist commissions.
• Eyebeam: New York-based art and technology centre supporting artists in developing new work, including residencies, commissions and public exhibitions. Directly comparable as a residency and commission-driven art-tech platform of similar scale and programming model.
• Furtherfield: London-based arts and charity organisation creating art projects, platforms and networks exploring internet cultures, participation and ecology. A UK peer with overlapping focus on commons-based digital culture and ecological themes resonant with FutureEverything's Nature Directed programme.
• V2_ Lab for the Unstable Media: Rotterdam-based art-science lab developing and presenting works at the intersection of art, technology and critical theory. Comparable to FutureEverything's Innovation Labs and Compost Computer ethos of experimentation at the edge of technology and ecology.

Broad incumbents

• IRCAM: Paris-based institute for music and acoustic research and creation, producing installations, concerts and tools at the intersection of art, sound and technology. Comparable in institutional scale and research orientation but specialising in sound and music, providing a broader-incumbent reference point for FutureEverything's AI arts and multimedia programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/futureverything
• Facebookfacebook.com/FutureEverything
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/futureeverything
• Instagraminstagram.com/futureverything

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 FutureEverything