SUN Business Network (SBN)

What SUN Business Network (SBN) does

SUN Business Network (SBN) is a global non-profit network founded in 2012 and co-convened by the Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP) as the private-sector arm of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement. SBN operates 19 country networks across Africa, Asia, and Latin America (Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, Myanmar, Nigeria, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Nepal, Zambia, Lao PDR, Madagascar, Mozambique, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Malawi, El Salvador, Honduras, Sri Lanka, and Benin), convening local businesses to make nutrition-focused commitments, assessing technical and financial support needs, and advocating for the role of business in national nutrition agendas. The SBN website is legally owned and managed by GAIN, a Swiss non-profit foundation headquartered in Geneva, and the network itself employs only 9 core staff with country-level coordination distributed through GAIN and WFP country offices.

SBN's product surface is built around a core platform plus a set of modular programs: a Member Commitment Tracking system that surveys members annually on pledges such as fortified formulations, accessible pricing, distribution expansion, and nutrition awareness; a Business Model Research publication series including 13 agrifood SME intervention guides covering vegetables, dairy, eggs, meat/fish/poultry, cross-subsidisation, ingredient cost reduction, convenience value, last-mile distribution, flexible quantities, lower-income consumer targeting, distribution support, small packaging, and waste-product utilization; the Fortification Forward Innovation Challenge; a 2024 E-Learning Course on Engaging the Private Sector for Nutrition; and country-specific multi-year strategy frameworks such as the SBN Uganda Strategy 2022/23-2029/30 and the SBN Benin Strategy 2024-2029. Marketing is community-led through newsletters, website content, events, and case-study storytelling.

SBN's business model is grant-funded rather than fee-based: it does not charge membership fees to businesses, and its primary financial backer is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, channeled through the CARE-GAIN CASCADE Project consortium. Revenue is therefore best characterized as donor-sourced program funding rather than commercial revenue, with operational scale proxied by country-network count (19), membership reach (e.g., 200+ private-sector members in Sri Lanka by April 2024), and survey sample sizes for commitment tracking (65 in Mozambique, 51 in Nigeria, 13 in Tanzania). The go-to-market is community-led: national networks recruit members, assess support needs, run learning exchanges, and feed outcomes back into annual tracking and donor reporting.

Name

SUN Business Network (SBN)

Legal name

SUN Business Network (SBN) - Website legally owned and managed by Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)

Website

https://sunbusinessnetwork.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

SUN Business Network (SBN) is a non-profit global network co-convened by GAIN and WFP that mobilizes businesses across 19 countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America to improve nutrition through commitments, research, and capacity-building programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Geneva

HQ country

Switzerland

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Grant funding and donor support: SBN operates as a non-profit network funded primarily by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and other development partners. The CASCADE Project, implemented by the CARE and GAIN consortium, finances network activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SUN Business Network (SBN) is a global membership-based network that convenes businesses to increase the availability and affordability of safe, nutritious foods, especially for low-income consumers. At the national level, SBN networks assess technical, financial, and business support service needs for members, advocate for the role of business in addressing nutrition, and track nutrition-focused member commitments. At the global level, SBN acts as a focal point for engaging multinational businesses through workplace nutrition commitments.

Product overview

SUN Business Network (SBN) operates as a global network platform focused on nutrition, not a traditional SaaS product. The core offering is the SBN network itself, which convenes businesses and provides strategic support at global and national levels. The network enables member businesses to make nutrition-focused commitments, access business model research, and participate in innovation challenges. National SBNs operate independently with strategy frameworks tailored to country priorities. Key products include the Member Commitment Tracking system for monitoring nutrition pledges, Business Model Research publications (13 interventions for agrifood SMEs), the Fortification Forward Innovation Challenge, and an E-Learning Course on engaging the private sector for nutrition.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SUN Business Network Platform
• Member Commitment Tracking
• Business Model Research Publications
• Fortification Forward Innovation Challenge
• E-Learning Course on Engaging the Private Sector for Nutrition

Quantifiable outcome

• SBN networks operating in 19 countries across Africa, Asia, and Latin America
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGAIN is the co-convenor of SBN along with WFP. GAIN manages the SBN website and provides strategic leadership. GAIN's registered office is in Geneva, Switzerland. GAIN's Business Model Research project works closely with SBN to identify areas of interest for network businesses.
• World Food Programme (WFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWFP is the co-convenor of SBN along with GAIN. WFP supports SBN country networks including Sri Lanka, Uganda, and other nations. WFP offices at country level provide operational support for network activities.
• CARE InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCARE is a key implementation partner for SBN. Under the CASCADE Project (implemented by CARE and GAIN consortium with funding from Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs), CARE supports SBN network establishment in countries like Benin and provides program management.
• PAOSMIminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPAOSMI is a confederation of over 60 affiliates advocating for SMEs with governments. Given the Africa Continental Free Trade Area, PAOSMI presents opportunities for cross-African trade linkages.
• FATE FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnterprise support organization based in Nigeria that collaborated with SBN Nigeria on the Nourish Nigeria Challenge Business Model Research Pitch Competition.
• CS_SUNN (Civil Society Scaling Up Nutrition in Nigeria)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCivil society network in Nigeria working on nutrition. SBN Nigeria engages with CS_SUNN for collaboration and knowledge sharing on nutrition initiatives.
• National Association of Small and Cottage Industries of Bangladesh (NASCIB)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerApex trade body for SMEs in Bangladesh with capacity to create sub-national committees. SBN Bangladesh collaborates with NASCIB to build capacity of 3,000 members on fortification and food safety.
• Bangladesh Food Safety Authority (BFSA)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBN Bangladesh signed cooperation agreement with BFSA to endorse food safety curriculum developed by SBN, WFP, and GAIN for individuals and businesses.
• Institute of Nutrition and Food Science (INFS) at Dhaka UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic collaboration to improve access to food safety and nutrition knowledge for SMEs in Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh Agriculture University Food Engineering DepartmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch collaboration with SBN Bangladesh to improve food safety and nutrition knowledge for SMEs.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Global Alliance for the Future of Food: A philanthropic alliance focused on transforming food systems globally. Less directly operational than SBN but thematically aligned in mobilizing cross-sector actors around nutrition, sustainability, and food-system change.

Direct peers

• Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN): GAIN is the co-convener of SBN and legally owns/operates the SBN platform. Both organizations mobilize the private sector to improve nutrition outcomes in low- and middle-income countries, with overlapping mandates in food fortification, SME support, and workforce nutrition.
• CARE International: CARE co-implements the CASCADE Project with GAIN, which directly funds SBN country networks including Benin. CARE is a core operational partner, sharing nutrition, food security, and SME-support mandates in overlapping geographies.
• HarvestPlus: HarvestPlus is part of the CGIAR and works with public and private partners to develop and scale biofortified crops. Both HarvestPlus and SBN operate multi-country nutrition platforms that engage the private sector to deliver nutrient-rich foods to low-income consumers.
• Global FoodBanking Network (GFN): GFN supports food banks in over 40 countries to reduce food loss and improve nutrition for vulnerable populations. Comparable to SBN as a global, country-network platform addressing nutrition through private-sector and civil-society engagement.
• Food Fortification Initiative (FFI): FFI is a public-private-civic partnership that promotes grain fortification worldwide. FFI overlaps directly with SBN's nutrition-focus areas (e.g., the Fortification Forward Innovation Challenge in Benin) and shares the same member-convening model with industry partners.
• Nutrition International: Nutrition International is a global nutrition organization that works with governments and the private sector on fortification, supplementation, and adolescent nutrition. It is highly comparable to SBN as both engage private-sector actors in nutrition improvement across developing markets.
• Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement Secretariat: The SUN Movement is the parent multi-stakeholder platform of which SBN is the private-sector arm. SUN coordinates 65+ country governments and partners around nutrition; SBN specifically channels the private-sector contribution into this same ecosystem.
• TechnoServe: TechnoServe works with entrepreneurs and SMEs in developing countries to build competitive farms, businesses, and industries, including in nutritious food value chains. Comparable to SBN's agrifood SME engagement mission across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
• World Food Programme (WFP): WFP is the other co-convener of SBN and provides country-level operational support across the same 19-country footprint. Both organizations work through multi-stakeholder approaches to address malnutrition, with WFP focusing on food assistance and SBN on private-sector engagement.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutu.be/81VU5XJzvPU
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sun-business-network-sbn

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 SUN Business Network (SBN)