4wardFutures

What 4wardFutures does

4wardFutures is a Warrington-based UK registered charity (Charity Number 1183382) founded in 2019 that delivers STEM-focused careers education to young people aged 8-18, primarily through partnerships with secondary and primary schools across England and Wales. The organization uses thematic framings — notably space exploration and Mars colonization, sustainability, quantum and AI technologies — as metaphors to introduce students to career pathways and connect them with employers, universities, and professional bodies. Its portfolio spans 18+ branded programs including CALOM, EASLOE, WATMO, G2D, Eyes to the Sky, and the Space and Sustainable Futures Careers Expos, with a stated focus on underrepresented groups in engineering and STEM.

The organization's core technology is a proprietary cloud-based server platform developed during the March 2020 COVID-19 lockdown. This server-based infrastructure hosts course materials, videos, webinars, and virtual collaborative environments, and is designed to enable students with low-spec equipment (Raspberry Pi, older laptops, tablets) to access high-specification applications such as 3D modelling and video production remotely. The platform underpins the 4FJourneys Portal, two major virtual career expos, and the G2D project which integrates the Unreal Engine. Strategic technology partners include Cambridge University Faculty of Education (academic research) and Epic Games (Epic MegaGrants).

The business model is that of a grant-funded non-profit. 4wardFutures operates as a registered charity providing free programs to young people, with no commercial pricing structure. Revenue is sourced from UK institutional grants including STFC SPARK Awards, UK Space Agency Space for All fund, Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Awards, Royal Society of Chemistry, IET/IMechE Engineering Education Grant Scheme, Ogden Trust, and Epic MegaGrants, supplemented by donations through the JustGiving platform. The go-to-market is event-driven, relying on direct school outreach, teacher networks, and virtual event platforms to recruit participants. No revenue figures, audited financials, or commercial customer counts are publicly disclosed.

Name

4wardFutures

Legal name

4wardFutures

Website

https://4wardfutures.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

4wardFutures is a UK registered charity delivering STEM-focused careers education and virtual career expos to young people aged 8-18 through school partnerships, funded by institutional grants and using a proprietary cloud-based server platform for remote collaborative learning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

STEM Careers Education Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), All Other Schools and Instruction (61169), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Project- & Inquiry-Based Digital Learning Modules (EDAFACAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Engineering Design & Project-Based Learning Programs (EDAMADAB), Earth Science & Geoscience Programs (EDAMABAI), Math & Science Interactive Learning Platforms (STEM Core) (EDAFANAH)

Keywords

• STEM careers education
• Virtual career expos
• Online learning platform
• Educational charity programs
• School careers outreach

Headquarters

HQ city

Warrington

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Charitable Grants and Funding: 4wardFutures operates as a registered charity (Number 1183382) funded primarily through grants from educational foundations, government agencies, and engineering institutions. Funding sources include Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Awards, STFC SPARK Awards, UK Space Agency Space for All fund, Ogden Trust, IET/IMEChE, and Royal Society of Chemistry.
2. Donations: The organization accepts donations through JustGiving platform to support ongoing charitable activities and program delivery.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

4wardFutures delivers STEM-focused careers education programs and virtual experiences for young people, delivered through the 4FJourneys online learning platform and virtual career expos (Space Futures, Sustainable Futures, and Space Wales). Programs use thematic metaphors—Mars colonization, space exploration, sustainability, AI, and quantum technology—to expose students to careers through workshops, webinars, and virtual collaborative environments, with industry professionals, universities, and engineering institutions delivering content. Schools book student participation; programs are free to participants and funded through grants and donations.

Product overview

4wardFutures is a Warrington-based charity providing career education programs for young people through a portfolio of themed initiatives delivered via virtual platforms and online learning systems. The core offerings include the 4FJourneys Portal (an online training platform hosting course materials, videos, and webinars) and two major virtual career expos (Space Futures Careers Expo and Sustainable Futures Careers Expo). The Space Futures stream encompasses CALOM, VALOM, CASSOM, GALOM, and STAOE projects exploring space exploration themes, while the Sustainable Futures stream includes EASLOE, EASES, CASLOE, and CASLOE-CS projects addressing environmental challenges. Additional programs include 3D Futures Challenge, Gaming to Development (G2D), Eyes to the Sky, WATMO, Society 5.0, Quantum Futures, and AI Futures. The organization operates a cloud-based server platform enabling remote access to collaborative learning environments and applications. Programs are delivered through interactive workshops, webinars, and virtual galleries, with access to the 4FJourneys Portal limited to project participants.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• CALOM: Constructing a Life on Mars - a project using Mars colonization as a metaphor to explore careers in space, engineering, design, technology, and digital construction sectors.
• VALOM
• 3D Futures
• EASLOE
• CASLOE-CS
• CASLOE
• WATMO
• Eyes to the Sky
• Space Futures
• GALOM
• STAOE
• Quantum Futures
• Society 5.0
• AI Futures
• 4FJourneys
• G2D
• EaSES
• Virtual Environments
• Sustainable Futures
• Space Careers Expo
• Sustainable Careers Expo

Products and services

• 4FJourneys Portal Online training platform used to deliver 4wardFutures career education programs; hosts course material, videos, webinars, and interviews with industry professionals discussing their career journeys. Access is limited to project participants.
• Space Futures Careers Expo Virtual expo platform allowing young people to explore career opportunities in the space sector through Google Maps-style navigation, featuring exhibitor halls, virtual galleries, an auditorium for webinars, and an International Space Station breakout challenge area.
• Sustainable Futures Careers Expo Virtual sustainability expo featuring exhibitor stands with logos, banners, leaflets, videos, and posters showcasing careers in green energy, fashion, sustainable development, engineering, construction, architecture, and technology sectors.
• Constructing a Life on Mars (CALOM) Project using Mars colonization as a metaphor to engage young people in exploring future career opportunities and skills valued by employers in space, engineering, design, technology, and digital construction sectors.
• Visualising a Life on Mars (VALOM) Creative project where young people visualise and share what it would be like to travel to and live on Mars through poems, paintings, posters, animations, photomontages, short films, or music, with entries exhibited in a virtual online gallery.
• Creating a Sustainable Society on Mars (CASSOM) Project where young people collaborate with professionals to explore how Mars settlers could overcome challenges in creating a sustainable society, addressing social, legal, political, economic, ethical, environmental, and resource perspectives.
• Growing a Lunch on Mars (GALOM) Project where students research which foods could be grown on Mars and test different growing techniques using hydroponics and various soils to assess optimal food production for Mars colonies.
• Space Technology Applications on Earth GIS (STAOE GIS) Educational program covering GIS principles and remote sensing, including applications for biodiversity management, land use analysis, pollution monitoring, water resource management, and disaster response.
• Space Technology Applications on Earth Robotics (STAOE Robotics) Project where students explore how robotic technology developed for the space industry is being applied on Earth, including designing and building remotely-controlled robotic systems.
• 3D Futures Challenge Virtual work experience program where young people develop 3D, VFX, VR/AR, mixed media, or game-based resources, including the 3D Space Design Challenge and the CALOM Space Architecture Design Challenge.
• Gaming to Development (G2D) Educational approach developed with Cambridge University that bridges skills young people develop in games like Fortnite to real-time virtual asset construction using the Unreal development engine, featuring cloud-based collaborative 3D environments.
• Eyes to the Sky (E2S) Project introducing young people to STFC researchers' work exploring the universe through AR-based resources and virtual deep space environments, featuring a virtual art gallery showcasing student work.
• What Are Things Made Of (WATMO) Project introducing young people to STFC researchers' work on material science, featuring an Intergalactic Spaceship Virtual Visitor Centre where student work is exhibited.
• Engineering a Sustainable Life on Earth (EASLOE) Engineering careers education project where young people explore sustainability challenges and engineering solutions through workshops and webinars with engineering professionals.
• Engineering a Sustainable Energy Supply (EASES/EaSES) Project providing engineers with training to deliver workshops on sustainable energy generation and supply systems for young people aged 8 to 11, funded by the Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious Awards.
• Creating a Sustainable Life on Earth Chemical Sciences (CASLOE-CS) Chemical sciences sector careers education project where young people explore environmental challenges and career pathways in green energy, materials, environmental science, and agriculture.
• Creating a Sustainable Life on Earth (CASLOE) Careers education project exploring environmental challenges across sectors including green energy, sustainable development, space, design, environmental science, engineering, construction, and fashion.
• Society 5.0 Project exploring Japan's Society 5.0 concept, giving young people opportunities to understand digital technology underpinnings and create plans for a sustainable, technology-integrated society aligned with UN SDGs.

Quantifiable outcome

• 122 learners introduced to sustainability challenges and engineering careers through EASLOE project
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• UK Space AgencycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFunded Gofod i Gymru (Space for Wales) project through Space for All fund. Supporting virtual careers expo focused on space sector careers for Welsh students.
• Cambridge University Faculty of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic research partner for Gaming to Development (G2D) project, conducting design-based research on bridging gaming skills to real-time 3D visualisation careers.
• Epic GamescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided Epic MegaGrants to support Gaming to Development project, enabling students to use Unreal development engine for space design challenges.
• Lancaster & Morecambe CollegeminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHosted G2D program with students working on Epic Games project using Unreal Engine in collaborative virtual environment.
• Keele UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWidening participation university partner collaborating on outreach programs and student engagement activities.
• Arno dem Toon (Space Survival Specialist)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSpecialist collaborator from Amsterdam contributing to Growing a Lunch on Mars (GALOM) project on food sustainability for Mars colonies.
• SATROminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEducational charity partner in sustainability expo collaboration.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Speakers for Schools: UK charity connecting schools with industry professionals for career talks and virtual work-experience programs. Highly comparable on the careers-education, virtual-delivery, and employer-engagement model that underpins 4wardFutures' expos.
• SATRO: UK educational charity delivering STEM and sustainability engagement programs to schools and young people. Listed as a 4wardFutures channel partner on the Sustainable Futures expo, indicating directly comparable mission, school-delivery model, and funder base in the UK STEM outreach space.
• The Smallpeice Trust: UK charity running engineering-focused residential courses, workshops, and STEM project programs for secondary school students. Closely comparable to 4wardFutures on target audience (14–18 year-olds), engineering-career focus, and school partnership model.
• TeenTech: UK charity running technology and engineering careers events and challenges for teenagers, including school-based and virtual programs. Closely comparable in target demographic (secondary students), project-based delivery, and technology/careers focus.
• Primary Engineer: UK STEM education charity delivering engineering project-based learning programs to primary and secondary schools, including competitions and teacher CPD. Directly comparable on project-based engineering education for schools and grant-funded delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• EngineeringUK: UK not-for-profit promoting engineering careers through programs such as the Big Bang Fair and Tomorrow's Engineers. Overlaps with 4wardFutures on engineering-career exposure for young people but operates nationally with significantly larger resources.
• Royal Institution: Long-established UK science education charity running school lectures, masterclasses, and public engagement. Overlaps with 4wardFutures on STEM engagement for young people and school partnership channels, but with a broader science (not specifically careers) focus and far greater scale.
• STEM Learning: UK's largest STEM education charity, providing STEM Ambassadors, CPD, and school resources across all STEM disciplines. A broad incumbent operating in overlapping school-based STEM outreach but at a far larger scale and with a much broader portfolio than 4wardFutures' specialized themed programs.
• Institute of Physics (IOP) Schools Outreach: UK professional body running physics-focused schools and public engagement programs. Comparable on physics/space career education and grant-funded outreach delivery, and identified as a 4wardFutures partner in the data — operates as a much larger institutional player.

Emerging players

• Apps for Good: UK charity delivering technology and digital-skills project-based programs to school students, including app development courses. Comparable on project-based digital learning delivery to schools, though more narrowly focused on app development than 4wardFutures' space/sustainability themes.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/4wfcomms
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/4wardfutures

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 4wardFutures