What TwoBillionEyes Foundation does

TwoBillionEyes Foundation (legal name: Stichting Twobillioneyes Foundation) is a Dutch-registered non-profit organization founded in 2015 and headquartered in Oegstgeest, the Netherlands. The organization addresses the global gap in access to eyeglasses, targeting an estimated 1 billion people worldwide — 90% of whom live in low-income countries — who suffer from remediable vision impairment. Its core product is an affordable eyeglass system consisting of stainless steel frames and plastic lenses that can be assembled anywhere in the world in under 10 minutes, paired with a Vision Toolbox kit that bundles examination instruments, assembly tooling, and 150 pairs of glasses for partner deployment.

The foundation's differentiated model is the Vision Collaborator training program (called Vision Vijana — 'youth' in Swahili — in East Africa), which trains local people in developing countries to perform simple eye examinations, assemble glasses independently, and deliver vision services sustainably as income-generating micro-entrepreneurs. A trained Vision Collaborator has stated capacity to deliver clear vision to 5,000 eyes per year. The foundation operates with a volunteer-led team of 1-10 supported by a supervisory board, an optician founder (Bijan Azami), a Chief Medical Officer, and a network of advisors. No patents, AI capabilities, or digital platform are evidenced; the moat is mechanical, logistical, and human-capital based.

Revenue is generated entirely through donations. The foundation holds Dutch ANBI (Algemeel Nut Beogende Instelling) public-benefit status and offers tiered donation levels ranging from €1 general contributions to €9,999 for a full Vision Toolbox, with intermediate tiers covering individual eyeglasses (€5), full delivery including shipping (€9), and training-plus-glasses bundles at €19, €95, €950, and €9,500. Distribution runs through direct donation pages, local NGO partnerships (Starfish International in The Gambia, Our Footprint Foundation in Zambia, Proportion International in Kenya), B2B arrangements with employers such as Maersk/APM Terminals, an Ambassador Program engaging Dutch opticians, and in-kind corporate supporters including Essilor, Marchon, and ENOT.

Name

TwoBillionEyes Foundation

Legal name

Stichting Twobillioneyes Foundation

Website

https://twobillioneyes.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TwoBillionEyes Foundation is a Dutch ANBI non-profit that provides affordable, locally assembled eyeglasses and trains Vision Collaborators in developing countries to perform eye exams and distribute glasses sustainably to low-income communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Nonprofit Vision Care Services

NAICS

Ophthalmic Goods Manufacturing (339115), Optical Goods Retailers (45613)

SIC

Ophthalmic Goods (3851)

akta.pro primary industry

Optical Dispensing & Eyewear Devices (Frames, Lenses, Lens Edging/Finishing Equipment) (HLAHAJAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Prescription Eyewear Frames (Optical) (CRAAAKAA)

Keywords

• Affordable eyeglasses
• Vision care programs
• Nonprofit eye health
• Vision training services
• Low-income vision aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Oegstgeest

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: The foundation operates as a registered Dutch ANBI (Algemeen Nut Beogende Instelling) nonprofit organization. Revenue comes primarily from donations from individuals, companies, and organizations. Donors can contribute at various levels ranging from €1 to €9,999 for specific programs including eyeglasses, training, and vision toolboxes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

TwoBillionEyes Foundation provides affordable eyeglasses and trains local people in developing countries to become Vision Collaborators who can perform simple eye examinations and assemble glasses independently. The glasses, made of stainless steel frames with plastic lenses, can be assembled anywhere in the world in under 10 minutes. The foundation distributes these glasses through field programs, local NGO partnerships, and its Ambassador Program engaging Dutch opticians.

Product overview

TwoBillionEyes Foundation operates as a single-product charitable organization focused on making clear vision accessible to the billions who lack it. The core offering is an affordable eyeglasses system comprising stainless steel frames with plastic lenses that can be assembled in under 10 minutes anywhere in the world. This is complemented by the Vision Toolbox kit containing eye examination instruments and assembly tooling for local deployment. The organization also runs a Vision Collaborators Training program that trains local people in developing countries to perform eye examinations and assemble glasses, and an Ambassador Program that engages opticians in the Netherlands as supporters. The products work together as an integrated solution: glasses are produced affordably and distributed with training that enables local communities to deliver vision correction sustainably.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Affordable Eyeglasses Attractive and affordable eyeglasses designed to be assembled anywhere in the world in under 10 minutes. The glasses feature stainless steel frames with plastic lenses and are produced to remedy vision impairment in low-income communities.
• Vision Toolbox A comprehensive toolkit containing eye examination instruments, tooling for assembly of eyeglasses, and 150 pairs of eyeglasses, plus shipping and insurance costs. Enables local deployment and self-sufficient vision care operations.
• Vision Collaborators Training Program Training program for local people in developing countries to become Vision Collaborators who can perform simple eye examinations and assemble glasses independently. Each trained Vision Collaborator has the capacity to deliver clear vision to 5,000 eyes per year.
• Ambassador Program Program for Dutch opticians to support the organization through donations and promotion, with Essilor supporting the program in the Netherlands.

Quantifiable outcome

• A trained Vision Collaborator can deliver clear vision to 5,000 eyes per year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• Our Footprint FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Organization active in Zambia. Received support from Twobillioneyes in 2023 and 2024 for their work in Zambia. Ongoing discussions for further structural cooperation.
• MarchonmajorOthers · 1 May 2019Marchon provided generous support with more than 10,000 spectacles donation.
• ENOTmajorOthers · 1 May 2019ENOT supported tremendously with ophthalmic lenses, fully finished and ready to assemble on the spot.
• KarmoieminorOthers · 1 February 2019Karmoie (based in Norway with beautiful eyewear brand) supports Twobillioneyes generously.
• Starfish InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Developing collaboration with Starfish International in Gambia. Trained 6 and later 9 mentors in basic training, and 12 persons in sales of sunglasses and reading glasses. Working with business model for income generation to make the organization independent and self-sustaining.
• Essilor NetherlandsmajorOthers · 1 December 2018Tremendous support by Essilor Netherlands in the year 2018 with donations.
• Proportion International (formerly Vijana Reloaded)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Partner in Kenya that developed business model for Vision Vijana trained youth. Focus on B2B model for truck drivers and later B2C models. 6 local people completed refreshment training and measured 140 truck drivers independently.
• Maersk / APM TerminalsmajorOthers · 1 January 2018Major pilot project in Mombasa, Kenya in collaboration with Maersk and APM Terminals. 8 local youth trained as Vision Vijana and performed 590 vision tests delivering 217 glasses.
• EssilormajorOthers · 1 April 2017Essilor is supporting the Ambassador Program in the Netherlands financially. Essilor International is the world leader in ophthalmic optic products, represented in more than 100 countries with approximately 55,000 employees worldwide and production of more than 430 million lenses per year.
• EYElliancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 October 2016TwoBillionEyes Foundation is a proud member of EYElliance, a coalition of multi-sector public, private, and NGO partners working together to find solutions to the world's unmet need for eyeglasses.
• Odette LunettesminorOthers · 1 October 2016Odette Lunettes from Belgium brought out iPhone covers for sale at €12.99 with all proceeds donated to Twobillioneyes.
• Silmo Optical FairminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2016Silmo (major international optics and eyewear fair in Paris) donated exhibition space to Twobillioneyes. 50 opticians expressed strong interest to donate time and money to support TBE.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• New Eyes for the Needy: New Eyes for the Needy is a US-based nonprofit that purchases new prescription eyeglasses for low-income individuals in the United States and abroad. Comparable in mission (affordable prescription eyewear to underserved populations) and channel model (donor-funded distribution), but primarily US-focused.

Direct peers

• VisionSpring: VisionSpring is a social enterprise that provides affordable eyeglasses to people living on less than $4/day in low-income communities, combining direct distribution with a local entrepreneur (sales agent) model. Highly comparable to TwoBillionEyes in target market, product category (affordable reading and prescription glasses), and last-mile distribution thesis.
• RestoringVision: RestoringVision is a global nonprofit that provides new reading glasses and sunglasses to people in need through partnerships with NGOs, governments, and corporations. Directly comparable in mission, channel model (partner-led distribution), and product category (mass-distributed affordable eyewear).
• OneSight: OneSight is a leading global nonprofit that provides free vision care and eyewear to underserved communities worldwide, running both charity clinics and sustainable programs. Directly comparable to TwoBillionEyes in mission (addressing the 1B-person unmet vision need), operating model (donations + training), and product (affordable eyewear). Backed by EssilorLuxottica.
• Clearly (formerly Vision for a Nation): Clearly is a nonprofit that supports universal access to vision care through advocacy, partnerships, and innovative service delivery. Previously delivered vision screening and affordable eyeglasses in Rwanda via local primary healthcare workers. Directly comparable in mission, target market (developing countries), and last-mile training-led model.

Broad incumbents

• EssilorLuxottica: EssilorLuxottica is the world's largest eyewear and ophthalmic optics company, producing 430M+ lenses/year and operating in 100+ countries. Direct sponsor of TwoBillionEyes' Ambassador Program and the single most important industry partner; comparable as the dominant supply-side incumbent in the same eyeglass value chain the foundation serves.
• Sightsavers: Sightsavers is a large international NGO working in over 30 countries to prevent avoidable blindness, support disability rights, and advocate for eye health. Overlaps with TwoBillionEyes in the global vision care and avoidable blindness mission but operates at much larger scale and broader scope (surgery, disease prevention, advocacy in addition to refractive correction).
• Warby Parker Foundation: Warby Parker operates a 'Buy a Pair, Give a Pair' program through the Warby Parker Impact Foundation, distributing glasses to people in need across more than 50 countries. Comparable in mission and donor-funded distribution model, though anchored to a much larger for-profit eyewear retailer.

Emerging players

• Peek Vision: Peek Vision provides smartphone-based vision screening technology and a data platform that enables non-specialists to conduct eye tests and refer patients for treatment. Comparable to TwoBillionEyes on the vision-screening-by-non-professionals side of the solution and on target markets (low-income countries), but overlapping primarily in screening rather than dispensing.

Others

• Optichange: Optichange is a Dutch social enterprise listed as a direct production/distribution partner of TwoBillionEyes Foundation. Compares as an adjacent ecosystem partner in the affordable eyewear supply chain in the Netherlands.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/two-billion-eyes

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 TwoBillionEyes Foundation