Company: Pair Eyewear, New York, NY
Nomination Submitted by: Wildflower Communications
Company Description: Pair Eyewear, the first direct-to-consumer customizable eyewear brand reimagining the consumer experience for individuals with glasses, allows adults and children to quickly and easily change the look of their glasses. Pair Eyewear was the first company to invent fashionable “switchable” top frames that attach to a base pair of glasses.
Nomination Category: Entrepreneur Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best Entrepreneur - Retail
 Nomination Title: Nathan Kondamuri, Co-Founder & Co-CEO
- Which will you submit for this nomination, an essay of up to 650 words about the achievements of the nominated entrepreneur since January 1 2023, OR a video of up to five (5) minutes about the same? CHOOSE ONE:
An essay of up to 650 words
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video:
- If you are providing an essay of up to 650 words, place it in this space:
Total 428 words used.
Pair Eyewear, the first direct-to-consumer customizable eyewear brand reimagining the consumer experience for individuals with glasses, allows adults and children alike to quickly and easily change the look of their glasses– anytime, anywhere.
Nathan Kondamuri met Sophia Edelstein while they were both undergraduate students at Stanford University in 2016. With his own experience of feeling embarrassed to wear eyeglasses growing up in mind, Nathan wondered why no one had redesigned glasses from a static medical device to something fun, dynamic, and personalized. An engineering student himself, Nathan teamed up with Sophia, who was studying Human Biology with a focus on healthcare economics and medical devices, to transform the eyewear industry.
Pair Eyewear provides the world’s first patented customizable glasses with an engaging digital experience for just $60 per pair, including prescription lenses. Pair Eyewear was the first company to invent fashionable “switchable” top frames that attach to a base pair of glasses and is recognized for its technology to bring affordable personalization and creativity to the market. Since inception, the brand has developed a family of patents around customizable technology, further pushing innovation in an outdated industry.
Since launching in 2018, the company has raised $145 million in venture capital funding (seed though Series C) and has seen revenue grow by 24x from 2020 to 2023. To support a sustainable model, the company employs a vertically integrated supply chain and automated manufacturing processes by producing all lenses at its facility in Irvine, California.
The brand's large and expanding selection of 1,000-plus customizable Top Frames includes limited edition monthly drops and licensed designs from brands such as DC, NHL, MLB, Marvel, Harry Potter, Sesame Street, The NBA, Van Gogh, Frida Kahlo, and more for optical glasses, sunglasses and blue light glasses, all available in both prescription and non-prescription models.
In the past two years, Pair has sold nearly 3 million top frames. TikTok alone drives over 25% of the brand’s total sales and millions in revenue, where the brand has garnered a cult-like following, obtaining hundreds of millions of views with its hashtag #WearPair. Today, the average Pair customer owns 5 tops and comes back 3 times a year for new products.
Pair Eyewear is also dedicated to giving back. Today, a pair of glasses could help correct the vision of over 200 million children worldwide. Pair partners with The Eyelliance to provide glasses and vision care to children in the developing world and for every Pair purchased, Pair provides glasses to a child in need! To date, the brand has donated glasses to over 5,000 children.
- In bullet-list form, briefly summarize up to ten (10) of the chief accomplishments of this nominated entrepreneur since the beginning of 2023.
Total 150 words used.
- In October 2023, Pair Eyewear, announced a $75 million Series C fundraise. To-date, the company has raised $145 million in funding.
- In June 2024, Pair Eyewear announced its global footprint expansion into the UK and Australia.
- Additionally, Pair Eyewear announced the opening of a second, fully operational manufacturing facility in Irvine, California. Owning their manufacturing processes end-to-end allows Pair Eyewear to manufacture in a far more efficient and cost-effective way, which translates to more affordability, access for the customer, higher quality of product and expedited shipping times.
- Pair is on a continual mission to bring joy to eyeglass wearers, In the last two years, the brand has unveiled collaborations with The Met Museum, Marvel, The Van Gogh Museum, Mickey & Friends, Star Wars, and more!
- In the past two years, Pair has sold nearly 3 million top frames. On average, the brand launches 47 new top frame collections per year.
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