Warby Parker's Remarkable Vision with Neil Blumenthal, co-CEO and Co-Founder (E)

May 27, 2025

Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, shares the brand's inspiring journey from a social entrepreneurship vision to a leading eyewear disruptor. He discusses Warby Parker's ambitious expansion plans, opening 900 stores, and the balance between digital and physical retail. The conversation covers innovative features like virtual try-ons that enhance customer experience. Neil also reflects on the evolution of leadership within the company and emphasizes the importance of direct customer relationships and social responsibility in their growth strategy.

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ANECDOTE

Early Eyewear Impact Work

Neil Blumenthal worked for a nonprofit to provide affordable glasses to low-income women in developing countries.
He saw the disparity between manufacturing costs and high retail prices of glasses, inspiring his future business.

INSIGHT

Physical Stores' Hidden Value

Many early digital disruptors underestimated physical retail's role and customer acquisition power.
Physical stores serve as billboards and touchpoints critical for brand visibility and customer engagement.

INSIGHT

Why Warby Parker's Genius is Being Both Online and Physical

Warby Parker's success comes from being a "nominational retailer," engaging customers both online and through physical stores. Neil Blumenthal explains that having direct relationships with customers, whether via stores, apps, or website, allows for better customer feedback and improved products.

They started online because it was less capital intensive, but quickly realized physical stores were crucial for customer experience and acquisition. Their store locations act as both accessibility points and marketing billboards.

The innovative "home try-on" program sparked early growth, but demand led them to open physical showrooms and permanent stores. Their model is channel-agnostic, aiming to deliver great value and customer experiences wherever customers choose to shop.

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Joining us for a fascinating interview is Neil Blumenthal, co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, one of the most successful and innovative "disruptor brands" to emerge in the past two decades. Neil shares the brand's origin story, what makes Warby Parker remarkable, why they've aggressively invested in brick-and-mortar locations, the critical interplay between digital and physical, and a whole lot more.

As usual for our encore episodes, we open with Steve giving us an update on the progress Warby Parker is making on their business.

About Neil

Neil Blumenthal is a co-founder and co-CEO of Warby Parker, a transformative lifestyle brand that offers 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 launching Warby Parker in 2010, Neil served as director of VisionSpring, a nonprofit social enterprise that trains low-income women to start their own businesses selling affordable eyeglasses to individuals living on less than $4 per day in developing countries.

He was named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and one of the 100 Most Creative People in Business by Fast Company. He serves on the board of RxArt and on the United Nations Foundation Global Entrepreneurs Council.

A native of New York City, Neil received his BA from Tufts University and his MBA from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Neil lives in Greenwich Village with his wife, Rachel, the founder and CEO of Rockets of Awesome, and their two children.

About Us

Steve Dennis is a strategic advisor and keynote speaker focused on growth and innovation, who has also been named one of the world's top retail influencers. He is the bestselling authro of two books: Leaders Leap: Transforming Your Company at the Speed of Disruption and Remarkable Retail: How To Win & Keep Customers in the Age of Disruption. Steve regularly shares his insights in his role as a Forbes senior retail contributor and on social media.

Michael LeBlanc is the president and founder of M.E. LeBlanc & Company Inc, a senior retail advisor, keynote speaker and now, media entrepreneur. He has been on the front lines of retail industry change for his entire career.

Michael has delivered keynotes, hosted fire-side discussions and participated worldwide in thought leadership panels, most recently on the main stage in Toronto at Retail Council of Canada’s Retail Marketing conference with leaders from Walmart & Google. He brings 25+ years of brand/retail/marketing & eCommerce leadership experience with Levi's, Black & Decker, Hudson's Bay, CanWest Media, Pandora Jewellery, The Shopping Channel and Retail Council of Canada to his advisory, speaking and media practice.

Michael produces and hosts a network of leading retail trade podcasts, including the award-winning No.1 independent retail industry podcast in America, Remarkable Retail with his partner, Dallas-based best-selling author Steve Dennis; Canada's top retail industry podcast The Voice of Retail and Canada's top food industry and one of the top Canadian-produced management independent podcasts in the country, The Food Professor with Dr. Sylvain Charlebois from Dalhousie University in Halifax.

Rethink Retail has recognized Michael as one of the top global retail experts for the fourth year in a row, Thinkers 360 has named him on of the Top 50 global thought leaders in retail, RTIH has named him a top 100 global though leader in retail technology and Coresight Research has named Michael a Retail AI Influencer. If you are a BBQ fan, you can tune into Michael’s cooking show, Last Request BBQ, on YouTube, Instagram, X and yes, TikTok.

Michael is available for keynote presentations helping retailers, brands and retail industry insiders explaining the current state and future of the retail industry in North America and around the world.