Cathy Hackl
Futurist and CEO of Future Dynamics
Cathy Hackl is a Costa Rican-American futurist and author who advises consumer and fashion brands on emerging technology, from the metaverse and virtual fashion to spatial computing and AI. She leads the foresight lab Future Dynamics and has been futurist-in-residence at Nokia since 2025.
| Role | CEO of Future Dynamics |
|---|---|
| Also | Futurist-in-residence at Nokia since 2025 |
| Nationality | Costa Rican-American |
| Known for | Metaverse, spatial computing and AI foresight |
| Books | Five, including Spatial Computing (2024) |
Who is Cathy Hackl?
Cathy Hackl is a technology futurist, author and adviser whose work sits where consumer brands meet new computing platforms. She is the chief executive of Future Dynamics, which she describes as a foresight and exploration lab, and since 2025 she has been futurist-in-residence at Nokia. She has also served as an external senior adviser to Boston Consulting Group's frontier technology practice. For the fashion industry she is best known as one of the most visible voices on virtual fashion, gaming platforms and, more recently, AI and spatial computing.
Career
Hackl began her technology career in 2017 at HTC Vive, working on augmented and virtual reality, and later joined the team at Magic Leap. In 2021 she launched her own business, the research and consulting firm Futures Intelligence Group, which advised brands including Clinique and P&G on NFTs, video games and virtual fashion. She studied at the University of Texas at Austin.
She has written or co-written five books:
- Marketing New Realities (2017, with Samantha G. Wolfe)
- The Augmented Workforce (2021, with John Buzzell)
- Navigating the Metaverse (Wiley, 2022)
- Into the Metaverse (Bloomsbury)
- Spatial Computing: An AI-Driven Business Revolution (Wiley, 2024, with Irena Cronin)
Influence on the fashion business
Hackl has advised brands such as Nike, Louis Vuitton and Walmart, and has created immersive brand experiences on Roblox and Fortnite, including Walmart Land. During the 2021 to 2022 wave of interest in the metaverse and NFTs, her consulting work helped consumer and beauty brands decide how to approach virtual goods and digital identity, themes that overlap directly with digital fashion. Her writing has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, WIRED and Forbes.
Cathy Hackl and technology
Her focus has moved with the market. Her current work centres on agentic AI, physical AI, AI glasses and world models, and her 2024 book frames spatial computing as a business revolution driven by AI. She drew attention as the first person to ring the Nasdaq opening bell both in person and as a digital twin, a stunt that illustrated her argument that avatars and digital identities will become part of everyday commerce.
Why it matters
For fashion executives, Hackl is a useful barometer of how emerging technologies are being framed to boardrooms. Her shift from the metaverse to AI and spatial computing reflects the industry's own change of priorities, and her client list shows how quickly large brands want guidance on platforms that are still forming.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Cathy Hackl?
Cathy Hackl is a Costa Rican-American futurist, author and adviser who helps brands understand emerging technologies such as virtual worlds, spatial computing and AI. She leads Future Dynamics and has been futurist-in-residence at Nokia since 2025.
What is Cathy Hackl known for in fashion?
She is known for advising brands including Nike, Louis Vuitton and Walmart on the metaverse, virtual goods and immersive experiences on platforms such as Roblox and Fortnite. Her current work focuses on AI and spatial computing.