About 311 Institute
We help people see the future early and shape it.
Founded in 2015 and based in London, 311 Institute is a futures and foresight practice. We work with boards, governments and leadership teams around the world to anticipate change and turn it into decisions.
What we stand for
Purpose, mission and vision
Our purpose
To help humanity build a future where people and planet thrive, and where the benefits of human progress are shared by everyone, not just the few.
Our mission
To unlock the potential of individuals and organisations alike to anticipate change, shape the future and advance human progress for all.
Our vision
To be the foresight practice that serious decision-makers reach for first when the future stops behaving.
Our values
How we think and work
We believe the future can be shaped
The future is not predetermined. Through foresight, innovation and informed action, people and organisations can shape what comes next.
We pursue truth with rigour
We are curious, evidence-led and independent. We challenge assumptions and keep refining what we know. Truth matters more than certainty.
We unlock human potential
We help people build the knowledge, skills and confidence to anticipate change and make better decisions.
We advance human progress
Innovation only matters when it improves lives. Progress should always serve humanity.
We think in systems
The biggest opportunities and challenges are connected. We look at relationships and long-term consequences, not single trends.
We lead with courage
We ask difficult questions, explore uncertain futures and approach bold ideas with honesty and optimism.
Progress should benefit everyone
The benefits of progress should never be reserved for the few. Knowledge and opportunity should be open to all.
We leave every future better than we found it
We measure success by the lasting positive impact our work has, for this generation and the next.
Our point of view
What we believe about the future
These are positions we are prepared to defend. They shape every keynote, report and engagement.
The world is VUCA-MAX
Not merely uncertain. The scale, pace and exponential dynamics of change are first-order conditions, not background noise.
Most strategic surprises are knowable
They are visible in advance to anyone reading the right signals in the right combination.
Being late now costs more than being early
The institutional habit of waiting for certainty is itself a risk.
Connections beat silos
Technology, geopolitics and capital can no longer be analysed separately. The most important signals appear where fields meet.
Our founder
Matthew Griffin
Founder and Futurist in Chief of 311 Institute. A keynote speaker, advisor and the author of 17 codexes in the Codex of the Future series.
Before founding 311 Institute, Matthew spent almost thirty years in the technology industry, including as a director at IBM and as global head of sales at Atos. He also founded the World Futures Forum and XPotential University, two philanthropic organisations that work with the United Nations and others on the world's biggest challenges.
Trusted by leadership teams at
and more than 500 organisations in 102 countries
- Accenture
- Adidas
- Coca-Cola
- IATA
- KPMG
- Microsoft
- PepsiCo
- Qualcomm
- Samsung
- Siemens Energy
- Workday
Answers
Common questions
When was 311 Institute founded?
311 Institute was founded in 2015. It is based in London and works with clients in more than 102 countries.
What makes 311 Institute different from a consultancy?
It is a working foresight practice rather than a think tank or a traditional consultancy. Its focus is anticipating plausible futures and translating them into decisions leaders can make today.
Which sectors does 311 Institute cover?
All of them. The work spans frontier technology, geopolitics and economics, the future of work and deep dives into sectors including financial services, healthcare, defence, energy and insurance.
Talk to us about the future you are facing.
Tell us what you are facing and we will come back to you with how we can help, whether that is a keynote, a briefing or a longer engagement.