1. THE CONTEXT

How Fellow Future Was Born

Founded by Erika Johansson Ph.D. in Sweden, 2018, Fellow Future was born out of a vision to help accelerate the transition through collective action. She recognized the demand to provide better access to verified projects/initiatives, solutions, insights, resources, tools, and professional support/expertise. 

This inspired the creation of our pioneering platform, PaaS — bridging the gap between industries and stakeholders working towards a sustainable future. Fellow Future was not born as a business idea. It emerged as a response — to a sense of urgency and an inner calling that became impossible to ignore.





3. THE ROOTS


Where It All Began

Erika's own journey began in 1998, studying painting conservation at the University of Gothenburg. The principles she learned — protecting what matters, seeing the holistic, qualities, materials, working across disciplines, and acting before damage occurs — laid the foundation for everything that followed.

During her doctoral studies at Chalmers University of Technology, she explored education and training in the construction sector. The HMS model (2008), developed together with Swedish industry actors and academia, aimed to shape the future of leadership — i.e. with sustainability and impact at its core.






4. THE FOUNDATION


Global Perspectives, Shared Humanity

Before her Ph.D. studies, Erika spent five years living and working in New York CIty, USA. As a Fulbright scholar and ASF Fellow at Columbia University, she became part of the global community at International House NY, united by a commitment to peace, sustainability, diversity, and global understanding.

This experience shaped her worldview. She lived through 9/11, and worked as an architectural conservator in Manhattan. The urgency of protecting what matters became a lasting imprint. It laid the basis for a life devoted to bridging worlds, cultures, and systems — which is needed more than ever today.






5. THE SEED


The Inception of a Movement

In the coming years, before the word impact was trending, Erika explored sustainability as a value-driven pursuit, how we could live and work in line with the future we wanted to create – for people, planet, family, the quality of life. What began as an exploration transformed into an entrepreneurial mission.

In 2015 — just after her twins were born — she began shaping a platform for sustainable living. It was a marketplace of products and ideas B2C, helping people to live more aligned with their values. But that was just the seed. It was the first step towards a larger vision – to help co-create a better world.






6. THE FIRST VENTURE


A Journey of Transformation and Growth

The journey began with a former company, driven by a vision for sustainable living. In these early years, the company faced significant challenges that led to the eventual shutdown. However, rather than seeing this as a failure, it became an invaluable learning experience that provided critical insights.

The lessons learned — from understanding market readiness to refining the strategy, approach, leadership, building a strong team — laid the groundwork for the next chapter. It was all clear that the vision for a regenerative, purpose-driven platform was not only possible, but essential for long-term success.






7. THE HURDLES


The Challenge of Early Innovation

When Fellow Future was first conceived, the idea of creating a sustainable marketplace was not new. There were many attempts to build platforms for sustainable living. However, most of these are limited in scope, primarily focusing on products B2C, and do not focus on creating regenerative impact.

The focus on lifestyle alone felt incomplete. Consumers, by themselves, could not drive the deeper transformation required for long-term change. What was missing was an integrated platform B2B2C that could foster collaboration, providing services, tools, events, investment opportunities, and expertise.






8. THE ARCHITECTURE


From Concept to Integrated Platform

What followed were years of deep learning, iteration, and evolution. Erika drew on her background in environmental science, her work in conservation, leadership, education, and R&D — finding partners, co-founders, advisors, building something that could meet the complexity of the time we're living in.

Fellow Future is the result of that journey. Not linear. Not easy. But deeply grounded. It became evident that we needed something more than action. We needed infrastructure and collaborative ecosystems. We needed new ways to trade, invest, and work together — across sectors, borders, and disciplines.

9. THE COMPLEXITY


Communicating the Business Model

Fellow Future integrates sustainable commerce, investment, collaboration, education, and advisory in one platform. In the early stages, communicating the full scope of our business model was one of the biggest challenges. That level of integration didn’t fit into existing frameworks, formats, or categories.

Rather than simplifying to fit expectations, we chose to stay true to the systemic logic behind the model. It took us a lot of time, and effort — refining our concept, and offering, finding the right metaphors, tech etc. But as complexity becomes the new normal, our approach makes more sense than ever.






10. THE STRUGGLE


An Innovation Ahead Of It's Time

The platform challenged expectations. It was often seen as too complex, or too broad. Some wanted us to focus on one niche. Others doubted platforms, and that such a model could ever be scaled. Even those who believed in the idea often struggled to place it. - “It sounds amazing, but I don’t quite get it”.

At the same time, life demanded everything. A sudden health crisis forced an immediate pause, followed by years of recovery. The world moved on — but the mission grew even stronger. We kept listening, learning, refining. Today, all the pieces are falling into place, and we know: This is what the world needs.






11. THE INNER WORK


Leadership, Resilience, and Regeneration

The journey was shaped not only by external developments, but also by deep personal challenges. This called for reflection, reorientation, and inner strength — and revealed that real leadership in times of transition begins within. It’s not just about strategy, but about clarity, presence, and resilience.

This perspective has become part of Fellow Future’s foundation. The platform was built not only to enable change on the outside, but to reflect a way of thinking and leading that's grounded, conscious, and regenerative. Inner development is not separate from systems change — it’s what makes it possible.






12. THE EVOLUTION


Building for What Comes Next

Fellow Future began evolving into a collaborative effort. It became a vibrant process shaped through co-creation and iteration — with experts, advisors, and Founding partners. Together, we've tested ideas, challenged assumptions, refined the model, and laid the foundation for something that could scale.

Yes, there were many years where we couldn’t launch. Not only because we weren’t ready, but because the world wasn’t. The timing of a concept like this truly matters. And it is now — as the demand for systemic solutions, verified impact, and regenerative models finally catches up — that everything aligns.





13. THE BREAKTHROUGH


A New Narrative Takes Place

We refined not just the platform — but the way we communicated it. By shifting the focus from features to purpose, from complexity to coherence, the value became easier to grasp. We stopped trying to explain everything at once, and started showing how we could empower real impact and change.

What was once hard to communicate began to resonate — especially as the need for systemic solutions became more widely understood. Today, more people and organizations are recognizing the platform’s potential — and are reaching out to explore how we can build something meaningful together.

14. THE TECHNOLOGY


The Infrastructure That Make It Work

While vision and leadership lay the foundation, partnerships and tech enables us to build the systems needed for lasting impact. Meaningful change requires more than just tools and ideas — it demands digital infrastructure to support sustainable commerce, investments, and collaboration at scale.

Choosing the right systems hasn't been simple. The complexity of our model required careful decisions. But each step has clarified our purpose. As the platform evolves, technology remains a vital means — to connect, to empower, and to help regenerate how we trade, work, interact, and grow together.

15. THE TEAM


The People Behind The Platform

Fellow Future is built by a diverse, committed team and network — driven by the same vision that sparked the journey. Our team combines experience in sustainability, ESG; tech, commerce, education, finance, leadership, marketing, and design. We come from different sectors, countries, and backgrounds.

What brings us together is more than just skills. It’s a mindset. A regenerative approach to innovation, business, and change. Our team works closely with an expanding circle of partners, developers, experts, investors, clients, advisors, and NGOs— ensuring that what we build is both relevant and robust.





16. THE TRACTION


Turning Vision and Insight Into Action

Since 2024, we’ve taken bold steps — transforming vision and insights into action. We’ve launched strategic partnerships, signed our first international MoUs, onboarded early clients, experts, advisors, developers, and begun pilots in areas such as regenerative investments and collaborative commerce.

More organizations and individuals are reaching out — ready to co-create, test new models, and drive verified impact. Our traction spans sectors and geographies, from Latin America to Africa, and Northern Europe. Each step forward confirms that the time is now. Together, we're building momentum.

17. OPPORTUNITY


An Invitation to Lead

Throughout this journey, we have come to recognize that the complexity and scope of our vision were not limitations, but an opportunity. Fellow Future is both an opportunity – and an invitation. To step into your role as a builder of the future. To create real impact and value that lasts. And to do it together.

While the market wasn’t ready when we first launched, the time has come to lead the way. As we continue to build, more and more Founding partners, experts, developers, and investors are aligning with our mission — and are actively joining us to drive the systemic changes that the world now demands.






18. THE FUTURE


Let's Create a Better Future - Together

This year, we are moving from vision and insight to realization. We're expanding the platform — launching pilots in regenerative investment, collaborative commerce, and systemic innovation. We will invite more partners, investors, experts, buyers, innovators, suppliers, and NGOs, to be part of what's next.

It takes courage to lead in uncharted territory. That’s why we choose to work with pioneers — organizations and individuals willing to rethink business as usual and co-create new business models for regeneration and growth. Together, we’re forging a path toward a more resilient and impactful future.

If our story resonates with you, let's talk. Connect via LinkedIn or book a call to explore next steps!