And by June 2014, they had distributed more than 1 million eyeglasses to people in developing countries-the proudest moment for Blumenthal and Gilboa of recent memory. They’ve raised $115 million from top-tier investors. Andy Hunt, after two and a half years with Warby Parker, entered into venture capital as partner at Highland Capital (and whose first big portfolio company investment was Harry’s “everybody wanted to invest in Jeff,” Hunts says).ĭo not feel sorry for the two “left behind.” Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa have gone on to become co-CEOs, overseeing Warby Parker’s growth into a 400-employee company with 10 brick-and-mortar stores, not to mention its own custom-built e-commerce platform.
One, Jeff Raider, tried his hand at private equity before dashing in 2013 into another overnight startup success, men’s care brand Harry’s, which has gone so far as to acquire a $100 million German razor manufacturer. Two co-founders remain on for day-to-day leadership and operations two others remain involved on the board but otherwise have moved to other pursuits. What’s intended here, though, is less about what Warby Parker has done and more about what they’re doing-and how they will continue to change how business gets done in general. In four short years, it’s blown up in the best figurative sense. The goals: to disrupt the anachronistic eyewear industry, to develop a vertically integrated brand that consumers love and to do good in a world where millions go without. How four MBA students launched an e-commerce eyeglass brand from their Philly apartments. The Warby Parker story deserves to be told again, no matter how many times you may have heard it.
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