Warby Parker Co-Founder Talks About Wharton Days
Dave Gilboa, co-founder and co-CEO of the eyewear company Warby Parker, recently spoke with The Atlantic, wherein he gave insight into the process of starting a business. The interview was a part of The Atlantic’s “On the Shoulders of Giants,” series. The publication calls the series and exploration of, “The possibilities and pitfalls of mentorship.” Gliboa was a fitting choice for the series, since, according to the entrepreneur, a huge part of starting his business was reaching out to those with greater experience in business as well as those who had more knowledge of his particular industry.
“We spent a ton of time getting advice and or mentorship from people who had either started a business before, or who had expertise in a specific area—like optometry, fashion, design, or e-commerce,” Gilboa said.
The idea of starting an affordable online eyewear business came to Gilboa and his collaborators while they were pursuing their MBAs at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. One of the students, Neil Blumenthal, had already run VisionSpring, a nonprofit that empowers women in impoverished areas to provide eye care services. Though Blumenthal had some experience in the eyewear industry from VisionSpring, the team still had a lot to learn before they could successfully get such an unconventional idea off the ground.
Jordan Kassalow, the founder of VisionSpring, offered significant support to the budding Warby Parker team. Kassalow is an optometrist, and asked them critical questions based on his expertise while expressing genuine enthusiasm for their idea.
Gliboa said that one of the most important thing he learned from his mentor was, “That there are hundreds of millions of people around the globe that need corrective lenses and don’t have access to them, and that getting someone a pair of glasses is one of the most effective poverty-alleviation tools in the world.”
The mentorship relationship was mutually beneficial, as Warby Parker has partnered with Kassalow’s nonprofit, VisionSpring, and for every pair of glasses Warby Parker sells, a pair is donated to someone less fortunate.
