Podcast appearances and mentions of dave gilboa

A single company, EssilorLuxottica, owns so much of the eyewear industry that it's hard to escape their gravitational pull — or their “obscene” markups. Should regulators do something? Can Warby Parker steal market share? And how did Ray-Bans become a luxury brand? (Part one of a two-part series.) SOURCES:Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker.Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker.Jessica Glasscock, fashion historian and lecturer at the Parsons School of Design.Neil Handley, curator of the British Optical Association Museum at the College of Optometrists.Ryan McDevitt, professor of economics at Duke University.Cédric Rossi, equity research analyst at Bryan Garnier.Tim Wu, professor of law, science and technology at Columbia Law School. RESOURCES:"Leonardo Del Vecchio Dies at 87; Transformed Eyeglass Industry," by Jonathan Kandell (The New York Times, 2022).Making a Spectacle: A Fashionable History of Glasses, by Jessica Glasscock (2021)."Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal: ‍A Vision for Business," by Lucy Handley (CNBC, 2020)."The Roots of Big Tech Run Disturbingly Deep," by Tim Wu and Stuart A. Thompson (The New York Times, 2019)."The Spectacular Power of Big Lens," by Sam Knight (The Guardian, 2018).The Curse of Bigness: Antitrust in the New Gilded Age, by Tim Wu (2018)."Statement of the Federal Trade Commission Concerning the Proposed Acquisition of Luxottica Group S.p.A. by Essilor International (Compagnie Generale d'Optique) S.A.," FTC File No. 171-0060 (2018).Cult Eyewear: The World's Enduring Classics, by Neil Handley (2011).A Far-Sighted Man, by Luca Goldoni (1991). EXTRAS:"Direct-to-Consumer Mattresses," by The Economics of Everyday Things (2024)."Are Two C.E.O.s Better Than One?" by Freakonomics Radio (2023).“Are We in a Mattress-Store Bubble?” by Freakonomics Radio (2016).

In this episode, we take all the great wisdom from the last three months and highlight the most impactful takeaways for you. The Best Of Q2 features leadership insights from these incredible leaders: Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, co-CEOs of Warby Parker Jon Rahm, Professional golfer Kevin Hochman, CEO of Brinker International (Chili's and Maggiano's) Hal Rosenbluth, Chairman & CEO of New Ocean Health Solutions Bill Mudd, President & COO at Churchill Downs Val Ackerman, Commissioner of the Big East Conference Rory McIlroy, Professional golfer Steve Squeri, Chairman and CEO of AMEX David Novak, Cofounder and former CEO of Yum! Brands Steve Duncker, Former Chairman of NYRA Irina Novoselsky, CEO of Hootsuite and former CEO of CareerBuilder Eric Church, CMA Entertainer of the Year and a 10-time GRAMMY nominee ——— FEATURED RESOURCE The How Leaders Lead mobile app Download the app and scale up your leadership skills in under 2 minutes a day

Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa started Warby Parker as a business school project in 2010. The premise was simple: shake up the old-line optical business by selling frames online, and at a lower price than traditional retail. Today, Warby Parker is one of the biggest players in optical, a robust online business leveraging e-commerce but with a growing retail footprint of some 250 stores as well. On this episode of Leadership Next, Michal talks to Neil and Dave about Warby Parker's founding story, changing consumer behavior, and how to remain innovative as a company matures beyond startup mode. Leadership Next is powered by Deloitte. 

On this episode of 3 More Questions, you'll hear David Novak's answers to: How can leaders eliminate silos and bureaucracy so that the right information gets to each department in the company? What advice can you give leaders about how to price their products competitively? Where should leaders look when they're trying to innovate while also staying true to their core brand and product? ——— GO DEEPER Scale up your leadership skills in 2 minutes a day with the How Leaders Lead app — Download today in the App Store Get coaching from David by signing up to receive his Weekly Leadership Plan. It builds on each podcast episode by offering actionable steps you can take each week to incorporate the learnings from the episode into your leadership style. It only takes about 5 minutes and is a great way to start off your week! Subscribe to the How Leaders Lead podcast to ensure you never miss an episode!

When information doesn't get to the right people at the right time, it's a recipe for disaster.  People can't make smart decisions. It creates unnecessary conflict. And teams end up siloed and not aligned.  If you want to make sure information is moving fast in your organization, listen to this conversation with Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa, the co-CEOs of the incredibly successful eyeglass company Warby Parker. You'll also learn: One habit that every strong partnership needs Why a clearly defined brand identity is key for creativity What to do when disagreements arise How to be successful in retail today ——— FEATURED RESOURCE The How Leaders Lead mobile app Download the app and scale up your leadership skills in under 2 minutes a day

Warby Parker co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa broke their scrappy startup into the eyewear industry in 2010—putting legacy manufacturers on notice by offering stylish glasses at much lower prices. But having since gone public and facing pressure from digital landlords and changing technology, Warby Parker now faces a new set of challenges and unknowns...This week on How I Built This Lab, Neil and Dave share insights on leading a public for-profit company with a social mission. Plus, why brick and mortar is essential to the business, despite starting as a direct-to-consumer brand, and how artificial intelligence will change eyecare as we know it.Also, check out Warby Parker's founding story told by Neil and Dave in December 2016.This episode was produced by Sam Paulson with music by Ramtin Arablouei.It was edited by John Isabella with research help from Kerry Thompson. Our audio engineer was Patrick Murray.You can follow HIBT on X & Instagram, and email us at hibt@id.wondery.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

As the Israel-Hamas war continues, many Americans are trying to return to the U.S. Jessica Nagar Zindani, a mother of three who lives in Israel, joins "CBS Mornings" from her bomb shelter to share her experience seeking U.S. help as she tries to safely leave Israel with her three children.Sen. Cory Booker told "CBS Mornings" on Friday that $6 billion in Iranian oil assets that were freed up as part of last month's U.S.-Iran prisoner swap are "frozen." Booker serves on the Foreign Relations Committee and was in Jerusalem when Hamas launched its large-scale attack on Israel.Earpods are so great, yet so tiny and easy to misplace. This is a story of how persistence and tenacity pays off for a CBS News producer, and sparks a new friendship with a puppy and a winemaker.Since Warby Parker was founded in 2010, the company has distributed over 15 million pairs of glasses through its "Buy a Pair, Give a Pair" program. Company co-founders Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa join "CBS Mornings" to talk the new milestone and their vision for the company's future.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

This week, Liz sits down with Co-founder & Co-CEO of Warby Parker, Dave Gilboa to discuss how he and a small group of friends launched their hugely successful retail glasses company, despite fierce criticism. Dave reveals the inspiration behind his idea for the company, the process of establishing Warby Parker, and the stumbling blocks he and his team encountered getting off the ground. Later, he shares the company's dedication to giving back and how their social mission has shaped their achievements. Follow Liz on Twitter: @LizClaman Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Gilboa is the co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. An online retailer of glasses, sunglasses, and contact lenses which was founded in 2010. Today Warby Parker is a publicized traded company with a market cap of almost $2 billion and over 3,000 employees.  In today's discussion we look at the importance of values and vision in growing and running a business, how to turn an idea into a product or service, and how Dave sets personal and professional goals. Subscribers to Leading the Future of Work + will also get a bonus episode where Dave talks about how to create trust, the importance of vulnerability, and the one hack he uses to stimulate creative ideas. ------------------ Get ad-free listening, early access to new episodes and bonus episodes with the subscription version of the show The Future of Work Plus. To start it will only be available on Apple Podcasts and it will cost $4.99/month or $49.99/year, which is the equivalent to the cost of a cup of coffee.  ________________ Over the last 15 years, I've had the privilege of speaking and working with some of the world's top leaders. Here are 15 of the best leadership lessons that I learned from the CEOs of organizations like Netflix, Honeywell, Volvo, Best Buy, The Home Depot, and others. I hope they inspire you and give you things you can try in your work and life. Get the PDF here. --------------------- Get the latest insights on the Future of Work, Leadership and employee experience through my daily newsletter at futureofworknewsletter.com  Let's connect on social! Linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/jacobmorgan8 Instagram: https://instagram.com/jacobmorgan8 Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/jacobm Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FuturistJacob

Some aspects of your brand will be defined by what customers tell you; others, by what you tell them. In their stories of how they scaled Warby Parker from scrappy e-commerce site to comprehensive eyewear and eye care juggernaut, co-founder and co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa give a master class in how to articulate crystal-clear brand values while also building and iterating based on fast customer feedback. Their lesson? Branding isn't static. It's a conversation.Read a transcript of this episode: https://mastersofscale.comSubscribe to the Masters of Scale weekly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/dlirtXSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Lumost 54. bölümünde, DNVB dosyasının da 3. bölümüde konuğumuz, müşteri deneyimine, ürün kalitesine ve ürün tasarımına öncelik veren, gözlük gibi geleneksel bir endüstriyi erişilebilir kılmayı başaran, bizlere her anlamda iyi olduğunu hissettiren Warby Parker. Göz sağlığını ön planda tuttuğunu, çevresini, çalışanlarını ve müşterilerini gerçekten önemsediğini görebildiğimiz bir marka bu. Bölümün ilk kısmında Bonobos'a benzer şekilde bir MBA projesi olan Warby Parker'ın kuruluş hikayesini Dave Gilboa üzerinden konuşup, şirketin ilk yıllarında stratejisini belirleme sürecine bakıyoruz. İkinci kısımda Warby Parker'ın rakiplerinden nasıl ayrıştığını analiz ediyoruz. Sosyal sorumluluğu PR malzemesine dönüştüren şirketlerin aksine, özünde gerçekten iyi bir şirket olmasını hangi aksiyonlara borçlu olduğunu inceliyoruz. Son kısımda şirketin büyüme potansiyeline ve finansallarına bir bakarak bölümü tamamlıyoruz.Power Group ve Podfresh ortaklığında Türkiye'de ilk defa düzenlenecek olan “ Power Podcast Ödülleri 2021 “ kapsamında Lumost, “ En güçlü İş Dünyası ve Girişimcilik“ kategorisine aday Podcast'lerden biri. 14 Kasım pazar gününe kadar oylama devam ediyor. Oylamaya katılıp Lumost'a destek olmak isterseniz bu  linkten oy verebilirsiniz.

Eyewear start-up Warby Parker (WRBY) begins trading today via a direct listing, testing investors' appetite for a household direct-to-consumer retail name. Warby Parker co-founders and co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa discuss the company's outlook and a tech driven future. The Latino Donor Collaborative has released its 2021 U.S. Latino GDP report, revealing that growth has averaged 5.6% over the last two years, double the rate of the U.S. economy. Sol Trujillo, co-founder of the Latino Donor Collaborative and of L'Attitude, discusses the findings from the report from the L'Attitude Conference in San Diego. Federal Reserve Chair Jay Powell addressed inflation, the Fed's stock trading ethics on Capitol Hill, and Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) delivered impassioned remarks on the “danger” of Powell's renomination. Plus, it's National Coffee Day! In this episode: Neil Blumenthal, @NeilBlumenthalDave Gilboa, @WarbyParkerSol Trujillo, @LATTITUDEevent, @LDCLatinoJoe Kernen, @JoeSquawkBecky Quick, @BeckyQuickAndrew Ross Sorkin, @andrewrsorkin

Join Dr. Darryl Glover as he sits down with Mr. Dave Gilboa, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Warby Parker, as they talk about Warby Parker's role in the eyecare industry and the future demands and unmet needs of our patients. The post Optometry Podcast: Dr. Darryl Glover sits down with Mr. Dave Gilboa, Co-Founder, and Co-CEO of Warby Parker appeared first on Defocus Media.

Dave Gilboa – Co-Founder & Co-CEO – Warby Parker   When he was a student at Wharton Business School, Dave Gilboa and his friends commiserated over the steep price of eyeglasses. This trivial conversation sparked a revolutionary idea. In 2010 they launched one of the most sought-after brands in retail: Warby Parker. Today Dave is Co-CEO of Warby Parker. Warby Parker offers affordable glasses as well as a free try-on at home option. They have retail locations across the country and Canada. Beyond that, the company employs a social entrepreneurship program, distributing free eyeglasses to those in need. Dave's achievements have earned him a Henry Crown Fellowship, and the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award. Through his work at Warby Parker, Dave Gilboa is showing companies that they can profitable and be a force for good in the world. Today we speak about innovation, success and social responsibility.    Follow To Dine For: Official Website: ToDineForTV.com Facebook: Facebook.com/ToDineForTV Instagram: @ToDineForTV Twitter: @KateSullivanTV Email: ToDineForTV@gmail.com   Thank You to our Sponsors! American National Insurance Spiritless - Use promo code TODINEFOR for free shipping   Follow Our Guest: Official Site: WarbyParker.com Facebook: Facebook.com/DaveGilboaWP Instagram: @DaveGilboa Twitter: @DaveGilboa

The first company that I ever encountered that talked about their values in a way that left a lasting impression on me was Warby Parker. They defined them as a start-up and two years later, when they had grown faster than anyone predicted, they had the entire company re-evaluate them to see if their values were still guiding people’s behavior and decision making. They discovered that of their eight original values, seven were still relevant and the eighth needed to be adjusted slightly. Warby Parker is a twenty first century business. A case study in what purpose driven, values based, agile, innovative and disruptive looks like. At the beginning of 2010, the company didn’t exist. Mid-way through 2020, it was valued at $3 billion dollars. They have given away more than 8 million pairs of eyeglasses, offering the gift of sight and changing the lives of people around the world. Today’s guest is Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. Books have been written about the strategic steps they have taken to grow this business. But I wanted to understand the personal journey that led to him starting this company and how he, his co-founder Neil Blumenthal and their senior leadership team are adapting to the challenges of our new world. What guides them today?

15 minute edited highlight of our full conversation. The first company that I ever encountered that talked about their values in a way that left a lasting impression on me was Warby Parker. They defined them as a start-up and two years later, when they had grown faster than anyone predicted, they had the entire company re-evaluate them to see if their values were still guiding people’s behavior and decision making. They discovered that of their eight original values, seven were still relevant and the eighth needed to be adjusted slightly. Warby Parker is a twenty first century business. A case study in what purpose driven, values based, agile, innovative and disruptive looks like. At the beginning of 2010, the company didn’t exist. Mid-way through 2020, it was valued at $3 billion dollars. They have given away more than 8 million pairs of eyeglasses, offering the gift of sight and changing the lives of people around the world. Today’s guest is Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker. Books have been written about the strategic steps they have taken to grow this business. But I wanted to understand the personal journey that led to him starting this company and how he, his co-founder Neil Blumenthal and their senior leadership team are adapting to the challenges of our new world. What guides them today?

How do leaders lead when none of us have ever been here before. Over the next few weeks I’m going to be talking to some memorable guests.  Dave Gilboa, the co-founder and CEO Of Warby Parker. Charlie Cole the CEO of FTD. The futurist, Faith Popocorn. Andy Nairn, the founder of Lucky Generals and Jenny Just, the co-founder of Peak 6 Investments and the founder of Poker Powher. This week, I’m going to do something a little different.  Some people have suggested that every few weeks they’d like me to put a broader context around what I’m learning about leadership, both from these conversations and from my own work. How do the leaders who are best at unlocking creativity and innovation in the people that work for them, do that? So, let’s start here. What is leadership? 

Dave Gilboa, Co-Founder & Co-CEO of Warby Parker, joins host and Vice Dean of the Wharton Social Impact Initiative Katherine Klein to discuss how the company prioritizes its values when making key strategy decisions. Like many businesses, Warby Parker had to make significant changes because of COVID. Gilboa discusses how the company’s pivots kept employees safe while creating a positive impact for the broader community. Gilboa also talks about the company’s data-driven strategy to achieve racial equity in representation, belonging, and career advancement. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Dave Gilboa is the co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a retailer of prescription glasses and sunglasses that he started with his 3 friends from college in 2010.Today, Warby Parker is valued at over $3 billion and they’ve truly changed the game when it comes to buying glasses - online and in-store.In this episode, we spoke with Dave about what it was like growing up in between Southern California and Sweden, his early career as a consultant and investment banker, his experience getting his MBA at Wharton and if he would recommend it to others who desire to be entrepreneurs, the story of how Warby Parker came to be and the opportunity he saw in the eyewear market, co-founder dynamics, his thoughts on the future of the company as well as the industry, and much more.SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER & STAY UPDATED > http://bit.ly/tfh-newsletterFOLLOW TFH ON INSTAGRAM > http://www.instagram.com/thefounderhourFOLLOW TFH ON TWITTER > http://www.twitter.com/thefounderhourINTERESTED IN BECOMING A SPONSOR? EMAIL US > partnerships@thefounderhour.com

Warby Parker first disrupted the optical industry by offering direct-to-consumer glasses at an affordable price, but now the company is also shaking things up in the social arena. In this episode I speak with the company’s Founder and co-CEO, Dave Gilboa, about how the company has embraced access to voting in 2020 and partnered with other businesses to spread their message far and wide. We also discuss what’s next for this ten-year-old brand, the possibility of going public and choosing purpose-driven investors in the next stage of growth. Dave Gilboa Dave Gilboa is the co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a transformative lifestyle brand offering designer eyewear at a revolutionary price while leading the way for socially conscious businesses. In 2015, Fast Company named Warby Parker the most innovative company in the world.   Prior to Warby Parker, Dave worked at merchant bank Allen & Company and Bain & Company. Dave has worked extensively with non-profit organizations, and serves as a founding member of the Entrepreneur Board of Venture for America, an organization dedicated to mobilizing graduates as entrepreneurs in low-cost cities. He is a member of the Aspen Institute’s 2014 Henry Crown Fellowship class and the Aspen Global Leadership Network, received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and was recognized as part of “The Next Establishment” by Vanity Fair. Born in Sweden and raised in San Diego, Dave graduated with a BS in Bioengineering with Honors from UC Berkeley and holds an MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.   This episode of Lead With We was produced and edited by Goal17 Media and is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.   Resources Connect with Dave on LinkedIn Learn more about Warby Parker’s social mission For case studies and other free resources about purposeful business, go to WeFirstBranding.com

Warby Parker was founded with a rebellious spirit and a lofty objective: to offer designer eyewear at a revolutionary price, while leading the way for socially conscious businesses. We’re lucky enough to have two of the founders with us in-studio as Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa join us on the latest show.  By circumventing traditional channels, designing glasses in-house, and engaging with customers directly, Warby Parker is able to provide higher-quality, better-looking prescription eyewear at a fraction of the going price. The team believes that buying glasses should be easy and fun. It should leave you happy and good-looking, with money in your pocket. They also believe that everyone has the right to see. Almost one billion people worldwide lack access to glasses, which means that 15% of the world’s population cannot effectively learn or work.  To help address this problem, Warby Parker partners with nonprofits like VisionSpring to ensure that for every pair of glasses sold, a pair is distributed to someone in need. Have a money question? Email me here. Please leave us a rating or review in Apple Podcasts. "Jill on Money" theme music is by Joel Goodman, www.joelgoodman.com.

Only on the "CBS This Morning" podcast, Warby Parker co-founders and co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa join CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger to discuss revolutionizing the way we shop for glasses, while building a billion-dollar company. They share how they founded the company in 2010 with two other classmates at the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania and why they all decided to risk their life savings to make it happen. They explain the literary characters that inspired the name Warby Parker, why they donate a pair of glasses for every pair sold, and why they aren't rushing to take the company public. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Only on the "CBS This Morning" podcast, Warby Parker co-founders and co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa join CBS News business analyst Jill Schlesinger to discuss revolutionizing the way we shop for glasses, while building a billion-dollar company. They share how they founded the company in 2010 with two other classmates at the Wharton Business School of the University of Pennsylvania and why they all decided to risk their life savings to make it happen. They explain the literary characters that inspired the name Warby Parker, why they donate a pair of glasses for every pair sold, and why they aren't rushing to take the company public.

Why are glasses so expensive? Dave Gilboa could not stop asking himself that question. After leaving his $700 pair of eyeglasses on an airplane while returning from Southeast Asia, he could not wrap his head around why a technology that was so archaic could cost him more than his iPhone. Within his first weeks as an MBA student at the Wharton School of Business, he repeatedly brought this question up among some of his new peers. Gilboa, along with fellow students Neil Blumenthal, Andrew Hunt, and Jeff Raider, had all shared in the pain of losing or breaking glasses and had all agreed: the high markup made no sense. Inspired by Gilboa’s pricey misfortune, the four of them founded Warby Parker. Now led by co-CEOs Gilboa and Blumenthal, the billion-dollar empire with 2,000 employees is revolutionizing the prescription glasses industry by selling stylish eyewear online at affordable prices. The New York City-based company is also on a mission to combat the global problem of impaired vision through its charitable Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. Since the company’s start, the program has distributed over 5 million pairs of glasses to those in need by donating a pair of glasses for every one sold. But long before they could build an ecommerce giant, the team would first have to learn how to even build a website. A Moment of Clarity Prior to going to Wharton, all four co-founders had already spent some considerable time in the workforce. This allowed for each of them to gain valuable real-world experience, and it helped guide them to understanding if they had an actual problem to solve and a business to move forward with. However, it was Blumenthal’s experience while running the nonprofit VisionSpring that would become crucial to the early concept of Warby Parker. During his time with the company, they trained low-income women in the developing world to start their own businesses. Participants were to take their new skillsets back to their rural communities and administer vision screenings and sell glasses. But it was something else Blumenthal had witnessed that would have a lasting impression on him. “I had been to the factories,” Blumenthal says. “Here I was producing glasses for people who were making less than four dollars a day, but 10 feet away were factories that were producing…the $700 pair of glasses Dave had. So we knew something was awry.” A light bulb went off and the classmates soon pulled together $120,000 and went to work on developing Warby Parker in 2008. The problem they wanted to solve: How can we make glasses we want, but at a low cost? Eager to launch, but more focused on preparation and planning, the founders began sketching out all the main aspects of the company. With limited funding, they knew they’d have to really refine and plan each facet of their business before revealing it to the public. Their first steps were to design glasses that they’d want to wear and then find a manufacturer who could produce them for less, starting with Blumenthal’s connections. The next step would be trying to figure out how to sell their glasses directly to the consumer. The answer was simple. “This magical thing called the internet,” Blumenthal says. The founders all knew that ecommerce was an innovation they wanted to take advantage of for their direct-to-consumer brand. Had they come up with this idea 10 years prior, the company may not have gone any further than an idea. With a brick-and-mortar store requiring a lease, utilities, and other costs, they knew it would be hard to make their new dream a reality with limited capital. “If we did , we would have one location that we might be able to attract some local customers, but with the power of the internet, we were able to all of a sudden, launch a store to the entire US,” Gilboa says. But there was a small problem. None of them knew how to build an online store, nor did they understand the many other details that came with creating an online shopping experience. “We started talking to friends on how you build a website,” Blumenthal says. “And then we started visiting a bunch of websites that we would normally already go to. But now with a critical eye, we were understanding, okay, what’s the shopping flow?” Over the next year and a half, the four of them kept chipping away at all the details of Warby Parker. Nothing got overlooked. They spent countless hours going over the vision and mission of the company, and worked on all the brand architecture of what they wanted their company to be. In addition, the group constantly sought out feedback from friends and professors. Could something like this work? One glaring concern that kept surfacing was whether or not a person would actually buy a pair of glasses online. With fit being so important, it would be hard for a person to gauge on a computer screen if a pair of glasses would fit their face and feel comfortable. This forced them to reconsider their business model, and ever the problem solvers, the home try-on program was born. Breaking new ground, Warby Parker would allow a customer to select five pairs of glasses from the website and then ship them free of charge, allowing five days to test out the frames. This was a major ecommerce innovation that would get them past the biggest challenge facing the business’s core premise. But there was one other challenge that would prove nearly impossible to overcome—agreeing on a name. Thank You, Jack Prior to Warby Parker’s launch, brands had already started to emerge that were selling glasses online. Customers were able to purchase glasses from sites such as 39DollarGlasses.com and FramesDirect.com, but they were sacrificing other elements, such as quality and customer service, for their lower prices. The founders wanted to take a different approach with their company. They wanted to launch a fashion brand that not only offered great quality, prices, and service, but also one that made the world a better place. The company vision was clear and ambitious. But they could not come up with a name. “We wanted kind of a proper name and didn’t think Gilboa-Blumenthal, our last names, really rolled off the tongue,” Gilboa says. They sought out inspiration and ideas from historical authors and artists. People who represented the brand ideals that they were trying to carry out. One author that stood out to them was Jack Kerouac, the novelist and poet who was a pioneer of the beat generation. Coincidentally, the New York Public Library was holding an exhibit one afternoon with some of Kerouac’s private diaries and journals. Seeking inspiration, Gilboa made a visit to the exhibit and stumbled upon some of Kerouac’s unpublished works, finding some interesting character names. Two jumped off the page: Warby Pepper and Zagg Parker. “So I took those back and the four of us were discussing,” Gilboa says. “We all loved those names and were debating, do we pick one of those, and we decided to combine the two and make it our own. And the URL happened to be available for nine bucks.” After six months of debating and with over 2,000 names rejected, Warby Parker came to life. Getting Noticed The challenge for any new brand is figuring out how to gain exposure. With a small marketing budget, the co-founders had to be strategic about finding a cost-effective way to maximize their exposure in such a competitive industry. Realizing glasses are an accessory and that the fashion industry was an insider’s game, the team hired a fashion publicist to help set up meetings with editors and writers at major publications. In February of 2010, WarbyParker.com officially went live. Within days of launching the website, they were featured in GQ, where they were dubbed “the Netflix of eyewear.” Soon after, another profile appeared in Vogue. From there, things went viral. “We ended up hitting our first year’s sales targets in three weeks,” Blumenthal says. “Sold out of our top 15 styles in four weeks and it was just complete mayhem.” Soon, they found themselves sold out of all their inventory with a waitlist of over 20,000 new customers. Warby Parker was an overnight success, a year and a half in the making. Onward & Upward Today, Warby Parker is valued at over $1 billion and has cemented its place among the top glasses retailers in the world. Even after they made it to the big time, however, the team kept innovating. In 2013, Gilboa and Blumenthal began to expand their brand with more storefronts, having now opened close to 100 stores in the US and Canada. And within some of those stores, they’ve begun to employ their own optometrists where states allow it. On the technology side, they’ve found new ways to cater to the customer. Within the Warby Parker app, any customer with an iPhone X can now virtually try on any one of their frames. In addition, they’ve made a move into telemedicine by allowing eligible customers to take eye exams from their phones, allowing a licensed doctor to write them a prescription remotely. But no matter how large the company becomes, the team’s underlying values remain the same: they do whatever it takes to make customers happy. 3 Tips for Standing Out From the Crowd When Neil Blumenthal, Dave Gilboa, Andrew Hunt, and Jeff Raider founded Warby Parker in 2010, they knew it wouldn’t be easy. But with the right planning, execution, and maybe some good luck, they felt they could make the world a little better, one pair of glasses at a time. The founding team knew that in order to get any attention in the noisy fashion industry, they had to be different and they had to stand out. Here are Blumenthal and Gilboa’s tips for helping your new startup gain exposure. Be Novel From the beginning, the founders knew that it would be hard to get any immediate attention in the fashion industry without the help of insiders. They knew their service and product would be different from any other retailer before them, but if no one knew who they were, it wouldn’t matter. So the team hired a fashion publicist to get them meetings with top fashion publications. By being able to tell their story directly to their target audience, and through a medium that their audience trusted, it was a giant step in the right direction. And since Warby Parker was so different from its competitors, once it got on the insider crowd’s radar, it wasn’t hard for them to draw media attention. “There was a bunch of things that we were doing that were novel,” Blumenthal says. “Selling glasses online, in 2010, was pretty novel. Having this home try-on program was really novel. Providing a pair of glasses for every pair we sell, was really novel. Charging $95 instead of $500 was really novel. So they really wanted to write about us.” In today’s startup world, it’s never been more crowded and harder to stand out. Be different with your concept and separate yourself from the fray. Don’t Get Distracted  Although WarbyParker.com went live in February of 2010, the four co-founders spent over a year and a half focusing on their company’s mission, product, and business model. And after they found success, staying focused became an even more important priority. “We got some advice early on that if you’re walking down a path towards a giant pot of gold, you shouldn’t stop to get distracted by any shiny little coin that you see along the way,” Gilboa says. It would have been easy for Warby Parker to launch dozens of different products or to expand into new markets for monetary gain. However, that would’ve brought about great distractions that could have pulled them from their main goal, which is to solve their customers’ problems by offering them quality products and experiences. “We’ve just seen so many businesses that have failed due to lack of focus,” Gilboa says. “But it’s rare that you’ll see a business that fails for being too focused.” Remember the problems your business is trying to solve and stay focused on it. By always learning and iterating, you’re working towards providing the best service possible for your customers. Above All Else, Make the Customer Happy From the very beginning, the Warby Parker team knew they had to keep their customers happy. They understood that they had to not only provide a great product, but also provide superb customer service. In the beginning, all four co-founders were directly in touch with their customers. They each replied to customer emails and even set up an 800 number that would be sent to their personal cell phones until someone picked up. They were willing to do anything to make sure the customer was always satisfied. “Do whatever it takes to make customers happy and make them feel good,” Blumenthal says. “Smile, personal notes, whatever it takes.” Interview by Nathan Chan, feature article reprinted from Foundr Magazine, by Nick Allen Key Takeaways How losing a pair of $700 glasses led Blumenthal and Gilboa, along with fellow MBA students Andrew Hunt and Jeff Raider, to identify a major business problem How Blumenthal’s experience of running a nonprofit informed the early stages of Warby Parker A look into the 1.5 year process of bringing the co-founders’ business idea to life Why the team decided to merge eyewear and ecommerce The process of familiarizing themselves with the world of online shopping and websites How the name Warby Parker came to be, and why it took brainstorming over 2,000 names to get there The team’s cost-effective approach to marketing and launching the website How powerful press placement led to a sold-out inventory and a waitlist of over 20,000 new customers within weeks What’s in store (literally) for the future of Warby Parker The single piece of advice Gilboa and Blumenthal received that helped them be successful, and how other entrepreneurs can apply it to their own business

Dave Gilboa, Co-CEO & Co-Founder of Warby Parker, delves into his story of identifying an issue within the glasses industry and then launching a business to solve the problem while studying at the Wharton School.

In this episode, Warby Parker co-Founders and co-CEOs Neil Blumenthal and Dave Gilboa discuss growing the eyewear brand with a focus on social impact and how they've combined technology and in-store interaction to create a distinct customer experience. The interview is moderated by Goldman Sachs' Rob Sweeney. February 26, 2019 This podcast should not be copied, distributed, published or reproduced, in whole or in part, or disclosed by any recipient to any other person. The information contained in this podcast does not constitute a recommendation from any Goldman Sachs entity to the recipient. Neither Goldman Sachs nor any of its affiliates makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy or completeness of the statements or any information contained in this podcast and any liability therefore (including in respect of direct, indirect or consequential loss or damage) is expressly disclaimed. The views expressed in this podcast are not necessarily those of Goldman Sachs, and Goldman Sachs is not providing any financial, economic, legal, accounting or tax advice or recommendations in this podcast. In addition, the receipt of this podcast by any recipient is not to be taken as constituting the giving of investment advice by Goldman Sachs to that recipient, nor to constitute such person a client of any Goldman Sachs entity. Copyright 2019 Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. All rights reserved.

In this episode, BoF's chief correspondent in New York, Lauren Sherman, speaks to Neil Blumenthal and  Dave Gilboa, the co-founders of the disruptive eyewear company Warby Parker, which closed a $75 million Series E funding round in March 2018, valuing the company at $1.75 billion. Market sources report the business now generates north of $250 million in sales annually. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

In this episode, BoF's chief correspondent in New York, Lauren Sherman, speaks to Neil Blumenthal and  Dave Gilboa, the co-founders of the disruptive eyewear company Warby Parker, which closed a $75 million Series E funding round in March 2018, valuing the company at $1.75 billion. Market sources report the business now generates north of $250 million in sales annually. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

In this episode, BoF's chief correspondent in New York, Lauren Sherman, speaks to Neil Blumenthal and  Dave Gilboa, the co-founders of the disruptive eyewear company Warby Parker, which closed a $75 million Series E funding round in March 2018, valuing the company at $1.75 billion. Market sources report the business now generates north of $250 million in sales annually. To sign up to the Daily Digest newsletter click the link here: http://bit.ly/BoFnews  For a limited time only we are offering our podcast listeners an exclusive 25% discount on an annual BoF Professional Member. To get 25% off your first year of an annual membership click the link here: http://bit.ly/2KoRRBH, select the annual package and then enter the invitation code PODCASTPRO at checkout.  To contact The Business of Fashion with comments, questions, or speaker ideas please e-mail podcast@businessoffashion.com. For all sponsorship enquiries, please e-mail advertising@businessoffashion.com. 

Dave Gilboa is the co-founder/CEO of Warby Parker (http://warbyparker.com/).Growing up in San Diego, the son of two doctors, Gilboa was sure he'd become a doctor, too. But, a random moment where he lost his glasses on a plane set in motion a series of awakenings that would change the course of his life.Starting with a simple idea that pretty much everyone said was impossible, Dave, his co-founder and team have now built a socially-conscious global brand valued at over $1-billion that offers designer eyewear at a human price, while giving millions of pairs of glasses to people and families in need.Dave has worked extensively with non-profit organizations and serves as a founding member of the Entrepreneur Board of Venture for America, an organization dedicated to mobilizing graduates as entrepreneurs in low-cost cities. He is a member of the Aspen Institute’s 2014 Henry Crown Fellowship class and the Aspen Global Leadership Network, has received the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, and was recognized as part of “The Next Establishment” by Vanity Fair. In 2015, Fast Company named Warby Parker the most innovative company in the world.Check out our offerings & partners: Camp Good Life Project – BIG ANNOUNCEMENT - This is the final year of Camp GLP. It will be a celebration like no other. Join us and some 400 amazing people from around the world for 3 ½ days of connection, discovery, rejuvenation and reinvention. Learn more and grab your spot today! (http://www.goodlifeproject.com/camp-glp/)The Great Courses PLUS: Get a full month of unlimited access for FREE, visit TheGreatCoursesPlus.com/goodlifeRitual: The reinvented multivitamin that works smarter to fill the gaps in your diet. Go to ritual.com/GOODLIFE.Article: Get $50 off your first order of $100 or more. Just go to article.com/goodlife.Simple Habit: For a free 7-day trial to the premium library, visit simplehabit.com/goodlife

In 2008, it was nearly impossible to buy a fashionable, affordable pair of glasses online. That simple frustration inspired the idea behind Warby Parker – and disrupted the eyewear industry. PLUS for our postscript "How You Built That," an update on Bellyak, a kayak where you lie on your belly and paddle with your hands. (Original broadcast date: December 26, 2016)

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this episode of the Tony Robbins Podcast, we are bringing you back to Business Mastery, where Tony recently led a panel discussion with the business leaders behind some of today’s fastest growing companies. And this time, you’re going to hear from one of the founders of a company that changed the eyewear business forever. If you have ever worn eyeglasses, then you know that the traditional process is expensive and inconvenient. On average, a pair of glasses costs nearly $300. And the trips you have to make to the retailer to sift through the pairs, try them on, and order your final choice can really stack up. It’s a real pain point for a lot of people. But that is exactly why four friends at Wharton Business School decided to start a business that did something about it. Neil Blumenthal, Dave Gilboa, Andy Hunt and Jeff Raider launched Warby Parker in 2010. The premise was simple - offer customers high-quality eyewear at affordable prices, and establish a convenient, direct-to-consumer model so that customers could get eyeglasses anytime and anywhere. But what made this company so special was how focused they were on perfecting the customer experience and the massive amounts of research and experimentation they did to find that sweet spot.  In this episode, you are going to hear from Neil Blumenthal on the vision behind Warby Parker, why it was so critical for them to optimize every single dollar they put into the company and the tools and strategies that helped them build Warby Parker into a billion dollar business.

Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal met while getting their MBAs at Wharton. They cofounded a glasses retailer, Warby Parker, and couldn't decide who should become CEO, so they both took the job. The Co-CEOs sat down with Business Insider's US Editor in Chief Alyson Shontell to discuss how they built a billion-dollar brand, and how they scaled the company as first-time founders.

In 2008, it was nearly impossible to buy a fashionable, affordable pair of glasses online. That simple frustration inspired the idea behind Warby Parker – and disrupted the eyewear industry.

Rachel Blumenthal is the founder of Rockets of Awesome, which is this really smart company that I’ve actually engaged with. How it works is if you’re a parent or someone who wants to gift clothing to children, you can go on the website, sign up for a membership. They ask you a series of questions about your child; age, measurements, but also the taste of your kid. What kind of a kid do you have? Is he or she active? They gather all that information, all that intel and send you a personal box to your door with about 12 items for your child. It’s really functional, really affordable, and the clothing is very unique. I have to say, as someone who’s now been buying clothes for little people for the past two, three years. It gets very redundant. When you go on the playground, a lot of the kids are wearing the same things. It’s nice to find a resource, like Rockets of Awesome, that kind of does a lot of the work for you, brings the clothing to your house, catered to your family, and for very affordable price points. Prior to starting this company, she was the CEO of Cricket’s Circle, a trusted resource and editorial engine for everything baby and toddler. Her insights from Cricket’s Circle led her to the birth of Rockets of Awesome. Another fun fact about Rachel; she is the partner of Neil Blumenthal. Of course, if you watched Follow the Leader on CNBC, you remember Neil. He is the co-founder of Warby Parker along with Dave Gilboa. Of course, Warby Parker is, as they say in the tech world, in the entrepreneur world, a unicorn valued at over a billion dollars. They know how to run businesses and so does Rachel. For more information visit www.somoneypodcast.com.

In 2008, it was nearly impossible to buy a fashionable, affordable pair of glasses online. That simple frustration inspired the idea behind Warby Parker – and disrupted the eyewear industry.

Warby Parker co-founders and co-CEOs Dave Gilboa and Neil Blumenthal talk with Re/code's Senior Commerce Editor Jason Del Rey about how they challenged the incumbents of the eyewear business, which is dominated by one company, Luxottica. They explain why they expanded beyond their online sales business into old-fashioned retail stores and why, even in the digital age, a strong brand name is vitally important for fashion. Plus: Where did the name "Warby Parker" come from? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dave Gilboa, cofounder of the eyewear company Warby Parker, discusses his mission to change the way consumers buy glasses (5:20), the decision to open physical stores (18:56) and how the company uses Net Promoter to maintain a strong customer experience (32:11).