Entrepreneur Stories
How Lenskart Made Indians Comfortable Buying Glasses Online
In the past, purchasing eyewear in India was a highly regional activity. You entered a local optical store, selected a frame from a dusty wall, waited for someone to verify your power, and hoped the total cost wouldn’t be too exorbitant. There was little choice, little transparency, and little any justification for considering eyewear to be anything other than a medical necessity.That was altered by Lenskart.
Peyush Bansal, Amit Chaudhary, and Sumeet Kapahi founded Lenskart in 2010 in response to a question that many people disregarded: why was purchasing glasses still so difficult? Glasses are a personal item. People are concerned about the price, the quality of the lenses, and how the frames will seem on their faces. Because of this, selling eyewear online became challenging. In response, Lenskart did not make consumers pick between online and offline buying. It blended the two.
Before making a choice, customers may now browse frames online thanks to the company’s introduction of facilities like virtual try-on, home eye tests, and home trials. However, it also established physical locations where clients could obtain eye exams, try on frames, and get assistance from qualified personnel. This “online plus offline” strategy turned out to be one of its main advantages.
The more unexpected action took place in the background. Lenskart did not wish to rely just on local optical stores, importers, and overseas manufacturers. It started to have more control over the chain itself, including designing frames, manufacturing lenses, operating stores, and overseeing delivery. Lenskart benefited from what is known as vertical integration in three ways. First, by eliminating middlemen, it could maintain lower prices. Secondly, it might have closer control over quality. Third, as a frame style gained popularity, it could respond more quickly.In Bhiwadi, Rajasthan, Lenskart currently runs a sizable automated production facility capable of producing up to 50 million pairs of glasses a year. The company made 4 million lenses and 6.4 million frames internally in India in FY25.
In India, its expansion continued. Lenskart paid over $400 million to acquire the bulk of the Japanese eyewear company Owndays in 2022. Through the acquisition, Lenskart gained access to a number of Asian markets and gained knowledge from a more developed retail environment. Lenskart recorded operational revenue of ₹6,653 crore by FY25, a 22.6% increase over the previous year. However, Lenskart’s revenue isn’t what makes it intriguing. Glasses, a product that consumers often only purchase when they have a problem, were transformed into an inexpensive, technology-driven, design-driven shopping experience.
Due of its online frame sales, Lenskart lost. It prevailed because it eliminated the anxiety associated with purchasing eyewear online and then constructed stores for the times when clients still required human assistance.
The conclusion is straightforward: consumers don’t give a damn if a company operates online or offline. Convenience, assurance, and value are important to them. Businesses that integrate all three typically succeed.
A decade ago, the success of a startup was measured largely by its ability to raise capital. Today, a different metric is gaining importance: the ability to generate meaningful exits for investors. Large stake sales by early backers are becoming increasingly common, not because growth opportunities have disappeared, but because India’s startup ecosystem is entering a more mature phase where capital is expected to complete its full cycle from investment to returns.
This evolution is particularly significant for consumer brands that have successfully blended technology, retail, and strong brand-building. Companies that were once viewed as high-risk startup bets are now attracting institutional investors capable of absorbing large transactions. Such developments indicate that these businesses are no longer being valued solely on future potential; they are increasingly being assessed on operational performance, market leadership, and long-term profitability. In many ways, investor exits are becoming a validation of a company’s ability to create lasting enterprise value.
The broader implication extends beyond a single company or investor. Successful exits encourage more global capital to enter India’s startup ecosystem because they demonstrate that liquidity opportunities exist at scale. As more venture-backed companies approach public listings, secondary transactions, or strategic investments, the focus of founders and investors alike may shift from chasing headline valuations to building durable businesses. The next chapter of India’s startup journey will likely be defined not just by the creation of unicorns, but by the creation of companies capable of delivering sustained returns to all stakeholders.
Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Air with M5 chip, starting at $999 for 13-inch and $1,299 for 15-inch models. The MacBook Air M5 boasts a 2nm M5 chip with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 50 TOPS Neural Engine for seamless AI tasks like real-time translation and 8K editing. Up to 22 hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 5, and Wi-Fi 7 make it the ultimate ultraportable, now 10% thinner at 0.44 inches with fanless cooling.
Key MacBook Air M5 features include Liquid Retina XDR display (500 nits, nano-texture option), 12MP Center Stage camera, and six-speaker Spatial Audio. Colors like new Sky Blue join Midnight and Starlight. Pre-orders are live today, with macOS Sequoia 15.4 enhancing Apple Intelligence and iPhone Continuity for students, pros, and remote workers.
Why buy MacBook Air M5 now? It outpaces Snapdragon X Elite rivals with ecosystem magic and future-proof performance, eyeing top 2026 laptop sales. CEO Tim Cook calls it “more capable than ever.” Visit apple.com for M5 MacBook deals and specs.
Delhi NCR-based gaming startup Zupee has acquired Mumbai-based microdrama platform Vertical TV in a deal valued under INR 40 Cr. This move strengthens Zupee Studio, its short-video arm launched in September 2025, by integrating Vertical TV’s expertise in bite-sized dramas like romance and thrillers.
Facing challenges from India’s 2025 real-money gaming ban, Zupee valued at $1 Bn after raising $120 Mn has pivoted to non-gaming content, including recent layoffs of 40% of its workforce. The acquisition builds on its November 2025 purchase of Australian AI firm Nucanon for interactive storytelling, targeting its 200 Mn+ users with engaging, mobile-first formats.
This deal underscores the rising microdrama trend in India, helping Zupee diversify amid regulatory pressures and compete in the short-video space dominated by quick, shareable content for on-the-go audiences.
