Eyewa

Eyewa is a Dubai and Riyadh headquartered direct-to-consumer eyewear company that operates the largest omnichannel eyewear retail platform in the Middle East, combining a robust e-commerce presence with more than 200 physical stores across Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Bahrain, and Oman. The company was founded in 2017 by Anass Boumediene, Mehdi Oudghiri, and Abdullah AlRugaib, all former Bain and Company consultants who had previously led Foodpanda's regional operations under Rocket Internet and Delivery Hero, and identified a gap in the regional eyewear market where demand was growing rapidly but supply remained dominated by expensive, in-store only, patient-facing traditional retailers. Eyewa initially launched as a digital marketplace for third-party brands including Ray-Ban, Gucci, Prada, and Johnson and Johnson, before using two years of customer behavior data to build and launch nine proprietary in-house brands that now account for approximately 96 percent of the company's revenue, enabling it to offer affordable, fashion-forward eyewear including prescription glasses, sunglasses, colored and corrective contact lenses, and blue light glasses tailored to the region's diverse demographics. The company differentiates itself from traditional optical retailers by treating eyeglasses as fashion accessories rather than medical devices, offering exhaustive eye tests in-store, free shipping, 30-day returns, and a virtual try-on feature online. Eyewa's November 2024 Series C round of 100 million dollars led by General Atlantic brought total funding to approximately 130 million dollars and is earmarked for expanding its retail footprint from 150 to 250 stores, opening a production facility in Riyadh, and deepening its presence across existing markets.