Pair Eyewear is a direct-to-consumer eyewear company that lets customers swap over 1,000 ‘‘top frame’’ designs to change the look of a single pair of glasses. Glasses start at $60 per pair including prescription lenses, top frames start at $25, and the product is paired with a digital shopping experience. The company says it will have sold over 3 million top frames in the U.S. and Canada and that TikTok accounts for over 25% of its sales, generating millions in revenue. Pair grew revenue 24x between 2020 and 2023 and expects to double year‑over‑year revenue by the end of this year. It recently vertically integrated manufacturing with a 40,000‑square‑foot, highly automated lens lab in California and plans a second facility. Future plans include further investment in automation technology, expansion of the lens lab and product line, omnichannel retail distribution, and international expansion to become a global eyewear company. Pair Eyewear builds magnetic base frames and interchangeable Top Frames that allow wearers to swap styles for as little as $25. The company began with a children’s product and has expanded to a full adult collection after strong adult demand. Between 2020 and 2021 Pair grew revenue 10x and expanded headcount from four people in 2020 to 65 full-time employees, most added in 2021. Pair has secured licensing deals with brands including Marvel, Major League Baseball, Harry Potter, DC Comics and Sesame Street. Its business is described as a razor-blade model that drives recurring purchases as new Top Frames drop and users buy repeatedly. The company plans to use new capital to attract a broader customer base, grow the team and add more celebrity, art and sports brand partnerships. Pair Eyewear sells a two-piece eyewear system: a prescription base frame plus magnetically attaching top frames that can be swapped for different looks. The company releases three new limited-edition top-frame collections each month and has partnerships for branded tops with Marvel, Harry Potter and NBA teams. Pair charges $60 for a base frame and $25 for each additional top frame, accepts HSA/FSA payments, and customers can seek out-of-network vision insurance reimbursement; the product is priced well below the $300 industry average. The startup says it retains strong margins thanks to a unique manufacturing process and rejecting typical industry markups. Since appearing on Shark Tank in March of last year (where it received funding), Pair has seen roughly 30% month-over-month growth. Sixty percent of purchases are now for adults, and the company says the average customer owns five top frames (some own over 90); the new funding will be used to expand the product lineup, particularly more adult options. Pair Eyewear sells affordable, kid-focused eyewear consisting of hand-polished acetate base frames with anti-reflective, shatterproof polycarbonate lenses and interchangeable snap-on top frames. Base frames retail for $95 and top frames for $25, letting kids change color and style affordably. The company positions glasses as a fun accessory rather than a medical device and emphasizes designs "for kids and by kids." It runs a give-back program with EYElliance, donating a pair for every pair sold. Pair offers an at-home try-on using cardboard replicas so parents need not return real frames. Since launch in October 2017, 15% of customers have purchased additional top frames; the company says it will spend much of the new funding on national marketing. Pair Eyewear, founded by Sophia Edelstein and Nathan Kondamuri, launched today offering customizable children’s glasses built from hand‑polished acetate base frames and anti‑reflective, shatterproof polycarbonate lenses. The product is structured as five base frames and 10 top (clip‑on) frames per base at launch, yielding a total of 50 top frames; base frames cost $125 and include one top frame, with extra top frames available for $25. To replicate the at‑home try‑on model popularized by Warby Parker, Pair ships cardboard cutouts of frames and top frames that kids can keep so parents don’t need to return unwanted samples. The company positions itself against a market dominated by Luxottica and highlights high retail markups (around 3x–5x) that can push prices to roughly $400 for low‑end kids’ glasses. Pair also runs a buy‑one, give‑one program through EYElliance focused on vision care for young people. Thus far Pair has raised $125K in seed funding from Creative International Concept and angel investors, supporting its launch and early growth efforts.

Total raised

$148M

Funding rounds

5

Latest round

Series C

Latest activity

Oct 2023