FFWD Innovation

What FFWD Innovation does

FFWD Innovation (Pty) Ltd is a South African corporate innovation consultancy headquartered in Midrand, Johannesburg, co-founded by Rapelang Rabana and Floris Buys. The firm coaches, trains and mentors corporate teams to validate ideas and accelerate digital transformation using a proprietary methodology that combines Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Agile and behavioral science, executed primarily through 2-5 day intensive engagement formats (FFWD Sprints). Founded circa 2016, the company positions itself as helping large enterprises operate like hyperscale startups by replacing gut-feel and HIPPO-driven decision making with structured, data-informed experimentation.

The product portfolio is organized into four pillars: Thought Leadership Programs (keynotes, masterclasses, innovation bootcamps, future-fit benchmarking, digital learning journeys); FFWD Sprints (Strategy, Transformation, Proof of Value, Growth Hacking); Digital Collaboration Services (technology sourcing, corporate venturing, bespoke solution development, hackathons, Innovation Accounting Dashboard); and the Future-Fit Program, an end-to-end transformation offering spanning Case for Change, Prepare for Change, Engineer Change and Sustain Change. Supporting tools include an Innovation Accounting Dashboard for tracking innovation metrics, Future-Fit Benchmarking instruments (Digital Maturity Index, Game-Changer Index, ExQ Assessment, Change Capability Assessment), and mobile-accessible Digital Learning Journeys for continuous upskilling. All programs are delivered online or in-person.

Revenue is generated entirely through professional services engagements with enterprise clients on a quote-based, custom-scope model. The go-to-market motion is enterprise field sales executed through thought leadership content, case studies and direct EXCO-level engagement, with named clients including Accenture, African Bank, FNB Namibia, King Price Insurance, Liberty, MultiChoice, MTN, Old Mutual, Makro, Gartner, MIC and XLink. The firm is privately held by its two co-founders, with no disclosed external institutional investment, and operates as a small boutique consultancy of 1-10 employees that draws on a delivery network of subject matter experts. Reported customer outcomes include R100 million in turnover growth for an insurance client, compression of idea-to-business-case timelines from 6 months to 18 days for a Pay-TV provider, and material cost savings from rapid pricing validation work.

Name

FFWD Innovation

Legal name

FFWD Innovation (Pty) Ltd

Website

https://ffwdinnovation.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

FFWD Innovation (Pty) Ltd is a South African boutique consultancy that delivers proprietary innovation sprints, training, and transformation programs to large enterprises seeking to validate ideas faster and adopt lean startup methods.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Innovation Consulting

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital & Technology Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Operations & Process Improvement Consulting (BPAHACAB), Digital Strategy & Transformation (BPAHAEAA)

Keywords

• Innovation consulting
• Design sprint services
• Digital transformation
• Lean innovation training
• Corporate venture coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Johannesburg

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Professional Services - Training & Coaching: Direct delivery of innovation programs including Thought Leadership keynotes, masterclasses, innovation bootcamps, and coaching services to corporate clients. Programs delivered in-person or online.
2. FFWD Sprints: 2-5 day intensive sprint engagements covering Strategy Sprints, Transformation Sprints, Proof of Value Sprints, and Growth Hacking Sprints. Fixed-duration, deliverable-focused engagements with clear outputs.
3. Future-Fit Program: End-to-end transformation program with phases: The Case for Change, Prepare for Change, Engineer Change, and Sustain Change. Longer-term consulting engagement.
4. Digital Collaboration Services: Technology solution sourcing, corporate venturing support, bespoke solution development, and hackathon facilitation connecting corporations with tech scale-ups.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

FFWD Innovation provides corporate innovation consulting services including Thought Leadership keynotes and masterclasses, 2–5 day FFWD Sprints for rapid idea validation, Digital Collaboration services that source technology solutions and run hackathons, and an end-to-end Future-Fit Program for digital transformation. The firm uses a proprietary lean innovation methodology combining Design Thinking, Lean Startup, Agile, and behavioral science to help large enterprises validate business assumptions, prevent wasteful expenditure, and accelerate product-market fit.

Product overview

FFWD Innovation is a consulting and training company that offers a portfolio of innovation methodology programs organized into four main service pillars: Thought Leadership Programs (keynotes, masterclasses, bootcamps), FFWD Sprints (intensive 2-5 day innovation sprints), Digital Collaboration Services (technology sourcing, corporate venturing, hackathons), and the Future-Fit Program (comprehensive end-to-end transformation). Supporting these pillars are complementary offerings including an Innovation Accounting Dashboard for tracking metrics and Learning Journeys for continuous digital upskilling. The company focuses on helping corporations transform into hyperscale startups using lean innovation, design thinking, and scientific experimentation approaches.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Thought Leadership Programs A suite of thought leadership offerings including Mind-Shifting Keynotes, Tech-Fluency Masterclasses, Innovation Bootcamps, Future-Fit Benchmarking, and Digital Learning Journeys designed to shift organizational mindsets and build innovation capabilities for enterprise audiences.
• FFWD Sprints Proprietary 2–5 day intensive innovation sprint engagements covering Strategy Sprints, Transformation Sprints, Proof of Value Sprints, and Growth Hacking Sprints, designed to accelerate idea validation and business transformation for enterprise clients.
• Digital Collaboration Services Digital collaboration services spanning Sourcing of Technology Solutions, Corporate Venturing, Bespoke Solution Development, Hackathons, and an Innovation Accounting Dashboard, connecting organizations with vetted technology partners for innovation execution.
• Future-Fit Program End-to-end transformation program structured around four phases (The Case for Change, Prepare for Change, Engineer Change, Sustain Change) that delivers long-term digital transformation through practical solutions and rapid prototyping for enterprise clients.

Quantifiable outcome

• 93% of Chief Strategy Officers say new technologies will rapidly change their company's industry
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Rekindle LearningcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRekindle Learning is a company founded by Rapelang Rabana, co-founder of FFWD Innovation. The relationship indicates shared intellectual property and methodology development in the learning and innovation space. Rekindle Learning focuses on digital learning solutions that align with FFWD's innovation accounting dashboard and digital learning journeys offerings.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Singularity University: Education and advisory organisation focused on exponential technologies and corporate innovation programs. Overlaps with FFWD's thought leadership, masterclass and digital learning offerings for enterprise audiences.

Broad incumbents

• Doblin (Deloitte): Deloitte's established innovation consulting practice offering Ten Types of Innovation and enterprise transformation services. Competes for the same enterprise digital transformation mandates, with substantially greater resources.
• ?What If!: Innovation consultancy (now part of Accenture) specialising in applying creativity and innovation methods to enterprise growth. Comparable in methodology and target buyer, but operates at significantly larger scale as part of Accenture.
• Innosight: Clayton Christensen-founded innovation strategy consultancy (now part of Huron). Comparable in advising enterprises on disruptive innovation and transformation, but at a much larger scale and with broader strategy capabilities.

Direct peers

• Strategyzer: Provides business model innovation tools, workshops and consulting built around the Business Model Canvas. Closely comparable to FFWD's experimentation-driven innovation methodology and corporate training offerings.
• Gemic: Innovation and strategy consultancy that combines qualitative research with rapid prototyping for corporate clients. Overlaps with FFWD's sprint-based validation approach and enterprise transformation work.
• AJ&Smart: Specialist Design Sprint consultancy originally spun out of Google Ventures. Offers 2-5 day sprint engagements and training that compete head-to-head with FFWD's core methodology and enterprise upskilling offer.
• ReD Associates: Strategy and innovation consultancy that combines ethnographic insight with rapid prototyping for global corporates. Comparable in its blend of qualitative research, sprint-style validation and enterprise transformation work.
• Fahrenheit 212: Innovation consultancy that helps corporates identify, prototype and launch new growth ventures. Comparable in its rapid prototyping/sprint-like engagement model and enterprise transformation focus.
• Board of Innovation: Global corporate innovation consultancy that helps corporates launch new ventures and run innovation sprints. Directly comparable in methodology, enterprise target segment and corporate venturing services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ffwd-innovation

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 FFWD Innovation