Behavioral Insights Lab

What Behavioral Insights Lab does

Behavioral Insights Lab (BiL) is a US-incorporated research and training organization founded in 2022 and headquartered in Mercer Island, Washington, that applies behavioral science methodology to improve health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The organization specializes in vaccine demand generation, immunization programs, and HIV prevention, operating at the intersection of academic research and field implementation. Its work targets field-based public health practitioners and government health programs, with end-beneficiary research populations that include caregivers of adolescent girls targeted by HPV vaccination programs in Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Southern Africa.

BiL's product portfolio centers on three interconnected assets: BOSS (Behavioral Outbreak Sentinel Surveillance), a digital surveillance platform that runs weekly 20-question pulse surveys across approximately 200 respondents per city per week in sentinel cities including Lagos, Abuja, Benin City, Kampala, Kinshasa, Goma, and Johannesburg, distributed via Facebook and Instagram; the Africa Behavioral Science Network (ABSN), a practitioner network of 151 public health professionals across 25 countries that BiL co-founded in 2025 and uses as a training and dissemination channel; and a research publication program ("The Pulse") covering HPV vaccination, Ebola, Hantavirus, and Lenacapavir behavioral signals. BiL's methodology is anchored in the Fogg Behavior Model for segmenting populations by motivation and ability.

BiL generates revenue through professional services delivered as research grants and programmatic partnerships, with no disclosed commercial pricing model. The organization is led by Dr. Sohail Agha (Founder and Director) and Dr. Ifeanyi Nsofor (Director of Digital Field Operations), a two-practitioner team with prior experience at the Gates Foundation, Johns Hopkins, and leading African public health institutions. The go-to-market approach is community-led, relying on peer-reviewed evidence generation, public dissemination of behavioral insights, and practitioner training through ABSN rather than direct commercial sales.

Name

Behavioral Insights Lab

Legal name

Behavioral Insights Lab

Website

https://binsightslab.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Behavioral Insights Lab is a US-based research and training organization that applies behavioral science to improve vaccine uptake, immunization, and HIV prevention outcomes for public health practitioners and government programs across sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public Health Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (54172), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYHLAJANAD

Behavioral Risk & Health Survey Surveillance

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Program Evaluation & Surveillance

SECONDARYHLAJANAH

Immunization Program Evaluation & Coverage Assessment

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Program Evaluation & Surveillance

SECONDARYHLAJANAE

Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Program Evaluation

Healthcare & Life Sciences/Public Health, Government & Regulators/Health Program Evaluation & Surveillance

Keywords

• Behavioral science research
• Public health research
• Vaccine demand generation
• Behavioral surveillance platform
• Health intervention evaluation

Headquarters

HQ city

Mercer Island

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel

Revenue model

1. Research and Evaluation Services: BiL conducts rigorous evaluations of HPV vaccination and PrEP demand generation programs, generating revenue through research grants and programmatic partnerships with public health organizations.
2. Training and Capacity Building: Live online training program for practitioners delivered through ABSN, providing capacity building services to public health professionals.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Behavioral Insights Lab is a research and training organization that designs and evaluates behavioral interventions in immunization, conducts rigorous evaluations of HPV vaccination and PrEP demand generation programs in Nigeria, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Southern Africa, and runs the BOSS digital behavioral surveillance platform across urban sentinel cities in sub-Saharan Africa. It translates its findings into training for field-based public health practitioners through the Africa Behavioral Science Network (ABSN), reaching 151 professionals across 25 countries.

Product overview

Behavioral Insights Lab (BiL) operates as a research and training organization that applies behavioral science to improve health outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. The company offers a portfolio of interconnected products and research programs: BOSS (Behavioral Outbreak Sentinel Surveillance) serves as the core digital surveillance platform for tracking behavioral signals across urban sentinel cities; the Africa Behavioral Science Network (ABSN) provides the practitioner network backbone for training 151 professionals across 25 countries; and specialized research programs on HPV vaccination in Nigeria and Bangladesh deliver behavioral insights to support immunization programs. The Pulse serves as the company's publication platform for disseminating research findings. The overall offering combines rigorous behavioral research methodology with practical implementation support for public health practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BOSS: Behavioral Outbreak Sentinel Surveillance — a rapid digital behavioral surveillance platform deployed across multiple urban sentinel cities via Facebook and Instagram targeting, covering awareness diffusion, behavioral disruption, information environment, and underlying concerns driving behavior change.

Products and services

• BOSS (Behavioral Outbreak Sentinel Surveillance) A rapid digital behavioral surveillance platform deployed across multiple urban sentinel cities via Facebook and Instagram targeting. Conducts weekly 20-question pulse surveys covering four tracking domains: awareness diffusion, behavioral disruption, information environment, and underlying concerns driving behavior change. Surveys are administered in English and French, with approximately 200 respondents per city per week, covering Lagos, Abuja, Benin City (Nigeria), Kampala (Uganda), Kinshasa, Goma (DRC), and Johannesburg (South Africa).
• HPV Nigeria Research
• HPV Bangladesh Research

Quantifiable outcome

• 9.5 percentage point increase in HPV vaccination in one arm and 5.3 percentage point increase in second arm from social media intervention in Bangladesh
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Africa Behavioral Science Network (ABSN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBiL serves as the research backbone of the Africa Behavioral Science Network (ABSN), a practitioner network reaching 151 public health professionals across 25 countries. Together, BiL and ABSN generate original implementation research and translate it directly into insights and training for field-based practitioners. BiL co-founded ABSN in 2025.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• ideas42: ideas42 is a behavioral science nonprofit that designs and tests behavioral interventions across global health, finance, and education. Comparable to BiL in its translation of behavioral science into field-tested programs in low-resource settings.
• Busara Center for Behavioral Economics: Busara applies behavioral science to development challenges in LMICs, running field experiments and advisory work for global health and finance clients. Most directly comparable to BiL on behavioral science methodology applied to LMIC public health and development programs.
• Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA): IPA conducts rigorous impact evaluations and behavioral research in LMICs across health, education, and finance. Closely comparable to BiL in producing peer-reviewed evidence for development programs in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.

Broad incumbents

• RTI International: RTI International is a large research institute delivering applied behavioral and public health research globally, including in LMICs. Comparable to BiL on the survey research, evaluation, and behavioral methodology applied to vaccine demand and HIV prevention.
• JSI (John Snow, Inc.): JSI is a global public health consulting and research organization implementing immunization, HIV, and supply-chain programs in LMICs. Comparable to BiL on the operational/public-health implementation side, though much larger and broader.
• Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI): CHAI works with governments in LMICs to expand access to vaccines, HIV prevention (including PrEP), and other health commodities. Comparable to BiL in its focus on HPV vaccination and HIV prevention program design in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
• FHI 360: FHI 360 is a large global development and public health organization with extensive work on HIV prevention (PrEP), immunization, and behavioral research in LMICs. Overlaps with BiL on HPV vaccination and PrEP demand generation program evaluation.

Emerging players

• Global Health Corps: Global Health Corps builds a network of young public health leaders placed with health organizations in Africa and the US. Comparable to BiL on the practitioner-network and capacity-building side, though with a broader remit beyond behavioral science.
• Morehouse School of Medicine: Morehouse School of Medicine conducts health-equity research and training with strong ties to African public health institutions and practitioners. Partial overlap with BiL on practitioner training and health-equity-focused research in sub-Saharan Africa.
• Bridges to Development: Bridges to Development is a smaller global health organization focused on vaccine equity and introduction of new health technologies in LMICs. Comparable to BiL on targeted vaccine-demand work, especially around newer products like HPV and Lenacapavir.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/behavioral-insights-lab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Behavioral Insights Lab