Warby Parker raises $36.8M to expand fashion eyewear brand

Warby Parker, the hip online eyewear brand, has been one of the hottest stories in the New York startup scene and now it has a big
funding round to go with the acclaim. The company has raised $36.8 million in a Series B round according to a new SEC filing first
noticed by Fortune.
The filing notes that $3.2 million is still left to be sold so the entire round could end up being $40 million. General Catalyst
Partner’s Joel Cutter is apparently taking a lead role in the round and is joining Warby Parker’s board as a director. The
company previously raised a $12 million Series A from Tiger Global and Menlo Ventures’ Talent Fund along with existing investors
First Round Capital, Lerer Ventures and Thrive Capital, who also put in $1.5 million in Warby Parker’s seed round.
The company declined to comment on the money but a source close to the startup said the money will go toward building out Warby
Parker’s footprint as it sells more products, opens more retail locations and expands its marketing efforts. The company has about
100 employees since launching in 2010.
The new funding is a testament to the success Warby Parker has had in in building up a fashion brand. That’s pretty unprecedented
for a company that began online and sells primarily through the mail. Warby Parker excelled with its mix of hip styles, low $95
price point with shipping and its mission to help distribute glasses to needy people for every pair of glasses purchased. The
company has also flourished with its focus on customer service, which includes the ability to try on glasses virtually online or
the ability to get five frames to try out at home with free shipping. That has helped Warby Parker overcome one of the biggest
hurdles for online fashion brands, getting people to feel comfortable about their online purchase.
The company hasn’t put out hard sales figures but it said that in 2011, it gave away more than 100,000 pairs of glasses through
its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program.