Our Vision
A future where innovation enables every individual to live a full life within the limits of the earth.
What we do
The 9BL Machine
Part movement – part think tank – part investment platform – and all collaboration. We systematically identify innovations with big impact potential, validate them for 9B Readiness and curate them for impact investors searching for deal flow of impact initiatives.
Current Innovation-to-Impact
funding opportunities:
CeraMaji Water Filtration System: Impact 500,000+ people. Provide clean water for 500,000 people living in East Africa slums. Learn more.
Kibera Electronic Medical Records Initiative: Initial impact for 1M people. Improve access to health services for the urban poor in Kibera, the second largest slum area in Africa. Learn more.
Carbon-to-Value Fund: Accelerating the Carbon-to-Value technology sector. An investment fund focused on quickening the path to scaled C02 reductions AND delivering returns. Learn more.
The Challenge
If the entire world lived like today’s average American, it’s estimated we would need 5 planets to provide for 9 billion people.
9 Billion Lives asks: “Where can breakthroughs occur to enable a dignified life for 9 billion people?”
How we do it
A Practical Approach
Our distinct systems approach to delivering impact has four stages. These elements form a powerful whole.
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Imagine Boldly |
Think Critically Use the 9B Lens to assess and validate innovations for 9B readiness. |
Act Thoughtfully Leverage our data to accelerate investment and funding, connecting funders to innovations. |
Reflect to Learn Review and assess all actions for effectiveness to serve as a basis for continual learning. |
Lens to Drive Impact
Drones are delivering critical medical supplies to rural areas in Rwanda.
9 Billion Lives asks: “How can existing technologies be used to significantly impact the greater good?” Learn more about our 9BL lens.
Who we are
Positioned to THINK & Act BIG
We are a diverse team with decades of experience in both the innovation sector and in addressing sustainability on a global level. We have a core team of professionals, supported by strategic advisors and a global network of changemakers, innovators, impact investors and big thinkers.




Our Experience Speaks for Itself: We have worked on NRG COSIA Carbon XPRIZE, the U.N.’s Earth Summit 2002, and ran the ARCTIC Challenges, just to name a few.
Scaling for Impact
The time to act is now. In the next 40 years we’ll need to produce as much food as we have in the last 10,000.
[Source: McKinsey]
9 Billion Lives asks: “What other new innovations can deliver high-impact solutions to the world’s greatest challenges?”
Connect With Us
The Future is Now – What Will Your Impact Be?
We live in an era of unprecedented opportunity for positive change. There is no shortage of innovation and, arguably, no shortage of funding for innovation.Yet, existing innovations are not having the impact they could. 9BL will work collaboratively to identify and scale innovations for meaningful sustainability impact.
Help us empower innovation-to-impact.