Which eyewear startup was co-founded by Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, David Gilboa, and Jeffrey Raider? Warby Parker.
Warby Parker was founded in Philadelphia in 2010 by Blumenthal, Hunt, Gilboa, and Raider while all four were MBA students at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. The founders aimed to make fashionable prescription eyewear more affordable by designing frames themselves and selling directly to customers, initially through an online-only model.
The company launched in February 2010 after receiving a $2,500 seed investment through Wharton's Venture Initiation Program. Its early direct-to-consumer approach challenged the traditional eyewear retail model, and its home try-on program helped shoppers choose frames without visiting a store. Warby Parker later expanded into physical shops, eye exams, sunglasses, and contact lenses.
A common mix-up is treating Warby Parker as simply another eyewear manufacturer. It is a consumer brand and retailer whose model combines in-house design, direct sales, and stores. Roka, GlassesUSA, and Zenni Optical are distinct eyewear businesses, not alternate names for the four-founder company described here.