Precursor
Etymology
From Latin praecursor, "forerunner," from praecurrere, "to run before," combining prae, "before," with currere, "to run" (the root of "current" and "courier"). The literal image is of a runner going ahead of the main body. English uses it for anything that historically or causally precedes and anticipates something later.
noun · /pri-KUR-ser/
A person or thing that comes before and paves the way for another.
What it names
The word for an earlier version or forerunner — the precursor to a modern invention, movement, or event — that precedes and often prepares the way for what follows.
Example
The pneumatic tube systems of old department stores were, in a modest way, a precursor to instant digital messaging.
Related idea
Antecedent simply means what came before in sequence; precursor adds the sense of leading toward or preparing the way for what follows.