The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva

What The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva does

The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva is a policy innovation hub headquartered at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, operating within the United Nations system as the chief sustainability and innovation advisory branch of the Director-General at UN Geneva. Originally established in 2017 as the SDG Lab and rebranded in 2023, the organization focuses on long-term sustainable development, intergenerational equity, and the future of international cooperation. Its work addresses short-termism in policy and finance, inadequate metrics beyond GDP, and the need for constructive hope as a driver of collective action.

The Lab's portfolio spans convening, methodology development, and digital engagement. Core products include the Beyond Action Platform (combining Beyond Magazine, Beyond Talks Podcast, and Beyonds Challenge), the Futures Balance AI-facilitated policy planning tool, the Hope Method (developed with the University of Geneva's Swiss Center for Affective Sciences), the What's Next dialogue series, the Youth Moving Beyond GDP initiative, the Beyond Lab Residency, and Building Bridges (co-founded sustainable finance platform launched 2019). Engagement is delivered through invitation-only Chatham House Rule workshops, open events, digital platforms, and a global Youth Network spanning 90+ countries.

The Lab operates as a non-commercial UN entity with no pricing model — all programs are provided free of charge. Funding derives from institutional development cooperation partners, principally the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Germany's Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and GIZ. Strategic collaborations extend across UN agencies (UNCTAD, OHCHR, UNRISD), governments (Kenya, Canada), academia (Geneva Graduate Institute, ETH Zürich, University of Amsterdam), and global organizations (OECD, WEF, Club of Rome). With approximately 9 employees, the Lab operates as a lean convening and thought-leadership entity rather than a scalable commercial enterprise.

Name

The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva

Legal name

The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva

Website

https://thebeyondlab.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva is a United Nations policy innovation hub that convenes governments, UN agencies, academia, and youth to advance long-term sustainable development, intergenerational equity, and futures-oriented multilateralism through events, methodologies, and digital platforms.

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, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Institutional Funding: As a United Nations entity based at UN Geneva, The Beyond Lab operates as a policy innovation hub funded through institutional partnerships and development cooperation agencies. Funding comes from partners including the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Beyond Lab is a UN-based policy innovation hub that designs and runs long-termism-focused programs to equip policymakers, researchers, and practitioners with new tools, perspectives, and frameworks to confront short-termism in global governance. It operates through flagship fellowships, residencies, cohorts, and a joint lab with UNDP, supported by strategic foresight, generative AI scenarios, and systems thinking methodologies.

Product overview

The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva is a policy innovation hub offering a portfolio of initiatives, tools, and platforms focused on long-term sustainable development, intergenerational equity, and the future of international cooperation. The portfolio includes the Beyond Action Platform (combining Beyond Magazine, Beyond Talks Podcast, and Beyonds Challenge), policy tools like Futures Balance and Hope Method, event series such as What's Next and Spillover-Innovation Learning Journey, programs including Residency and Youth Moving Beyond GDP, and the co-founded Building Bridges sustainable finance initiative. These offerings work together to convene diverse stakeholders, develop innovative methodologies, and shape narratives for sustainability beyond 2030.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Beyond Action Platform: A dynamic hub for inclusive and imaginative policy engagement, bringing together The Beyond Magazine, The Beyond Talks Podcast, and the Beyonds Challenge to amplify diverse voices across generations, geographies, and disciplines.
• The Beyond Magazine
• The Beyond Talks Podcast
• Beyonds Challenge
• Hope Method
• Youth Moving Beyond GDP

Products and services

• The Horizons Fellowship

Quantifiable outcome

• 350+ youth changemakers engaged from 90+ countries through Youth Network on Beyond GDP
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

26 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• UN Innovation NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of UN entities working on innovation, collaborating on advancing sustainable development approaches and practices.
• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing strategic partner for convening the Geneva SDG Community, publishing policy commentaries, and co-creating knowledge products on sustainable development.
• UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCore partner in the Youth Moving Beyond GDP initiative and co-organizer of the Youth Network on Beyond GDP, contributing expertise on development metrics and trade.
• Rethinking Economics InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Youth Network on Beyond GDP, leveraging international networks of economists and researchers rethinking economic paradigms.
• Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Human Rights Economy Roundtable on Beyond GDP, integrating human rights principles into measures of societal progress.
• UNRISD (United Nations Research Institute for Social Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-organizer of the Human Rights Economy Roundtable, contributing research expertise on social development and transformation.
• Building BridgesflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Beyond Lab is co-founder of Building Bridges, a globally recognized sustainable finance platform launched in September 2019. The Lab remains an active contributor, advisor, and thought leader to the initiative through governance, policy orientations, and outreach.
• United Nations Human RightscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on integrating human rights perspectives into sustainability frameworks and Beyond GDP metrics.
• United Nations Youth OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on youth engagement initiatives and amplifying youth voices in UN processes and sustainable development discussions.
• United Nations Development Coordination OfficecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates on development coordination and alignment of sustainable development efforts across the UN system.
• UN Global PulseminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on innovation and data for sustainable development within the UN system.
• GESDAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGeneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator, collaborating on science diplomacy and futures anticipation.
• Open Quantum InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on quantum computing applications for sustainable development.
• Geneva Graduate InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey academic partner for co-organizing events like Geneva SDG Day, Applied Research Projects, and student engagement.
• Universite de GenevecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner, particularly for the Hope Method developed in collaboration with the Swiss Center for Affective Sciences at University of Geneva.
• ETH ZürichminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSwiss technical university collaboration on innovation and research initiatives.
• The Club of RomecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosts the Innovators-in-Residence (Nolita Mvunelo) and collaborates on systems change and sustainability frameworks.
• World Economic ForumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on global economic and sustainability discussions and initiatives.
• OECDcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartners on wellbeing frameworks, beyond GDP metrics, and policy approaches to sustainable development.
• IDIA (Initiative for Development and Justice)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration on regenerative livelihoods and development initiatives.
• Another NarrativeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCreative studio collaboration on narrative and storytelling for sustainability.
• Task PlatformminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlatform collaboration on sustainability task coordination and knowledge sharing.
• Reos PartnersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSocial innovation organization that partnered on the SDG Summit 2023 workshop on manifesting new sustainability values.
• Major Group for Children and YouthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOfficial UN stakeholder group partnering on youth engagement and intergenerational dialogue initiatives.
• University of Geneva - Swiss Center for Affective SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership for the Hope Method, developing models of hope based on affective science research for sustainability and policy applications.
• University of AmsterdamcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partner in the Hope Project, collaborating with Professor Disa Sauter on affective sciences applications.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group: A network of global cities addressing climate change through policy and action. Comparable as a multi-stakeholder convening entity focused on sustainability policy, with shared emphasis on systemic transformation and multi-level governance.
• Stockholm Resilience Centre: A research center on sustainability and resilience science with global influence on planetary boundaries and sustainable development frameworks. Operates at a larger academic scale than the Beyond Lab, but addresses overlapping themes of long-term sustainability and intergenerational thinking.
• Chatham House (Royal Institute of International Affairs): A leading international affairs think tank convening experts and policymakers on global challenges. Comparable in operating as a neutral convening platform for global policy dialogue, with similarly strong Chatham House Rule practices and intergenerational policy themes.
• Club of Rome: A long-established global think tank focused on limits to growth, systems change, and long-term futures. Already a partner of the Beyond Lab (hosts the Innovator-in-Residence), and comparable in framing sustainability as systems change requiring intergenerational responsibility.
• World Economic Forum: A larger international organization convening political, business, and civil society leaders on global issues including sustainability and the future of global cooperation. Comparable in convening power and thematic overlap (wellbeing, ESG, futures governance), though materially larger and more commercial in scope.

Direct peers

• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD): An independent policy research organization working on sustainable development, with comparable convening of Geneva-based SDG policy communities and co-publishing of policy commentaries. The Beyond Lab is a long-standing partner, and the two share a similar model of applied research and policy advocacy.
• Forum for the Future: An independent sustainability non-profit that convenes business, government, and civil society to accelerate systemic change on issues like climate, sustainability, and regenerative futures. Highly comparable as a mission-driven policy and innovation hub focused on long-term sustainability, with comparable convening power and thematic overlap.
• Presencing Institute: An action research and innovation hub focused on systems transformation, futures literacy, and the Theory U methodology developed at MIT. Comparable to the Beyond Lab in offering transdisciplinary frameworks (most notably the Hope Method's parallel to Presencing's awareness-based change work) used in policy and sustainability contexts.

Emerging players

• Earth Genome Project: An early-stage non-profit focused on environmental and sustainability data for decision-making. Comparable in spirit as a smaller, mission-driven entity contributing to better sustainability measurement, though with a more data-infrastructure orientation than the Beyond Lab's convening model.
• Sustainability Institute (Erin Brockovich-collaborative Volda): A smaller sustainability-focused institute working on transitions and futures literacy. Comparable as a small, mission-driven organization focused on sustainability, transitions, and futures thinking, with similar convening and educational program models.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-beyond-lab
• Instagraminstagram.com/thebeyondlab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Beyond Lab at UN Geneva