WRBY

Warby Parker Inc.

A maker of in-house designed eyeglasses and sunglasses, Warby Parker sells frames online and across its U.S. stores alongside eye exams, contacts, and telehealth vision care. Four Wharton students founded it in 2010 after co-founder Dave Gilboa lost his glasses backpacking and couldn't afford a replacement, sparking a plan to undercut a pricey eyewear industry. The quirky name comes from two characters—Warby Pepper and Zagg Parker—spotted in Jack Kerouac's journals at a library exhibit. Its Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program has handed out millions of glasses to people in need.