Two optical experts who came together with the aim of disrupting the eyewear industry have successfully secured investment after appearing on Dragons’ Den.
Lina Tejoprayitno and Daniel Barnes founded Pop Specs in 2020 after coming together with a shared passion to not only offer affordable eyewear but also redefine the eyewear shopping experience – making it quick, fun, and accessible to all.
Pop Specs kiosks are appearing in shopping malls across the UK, providing a combination of stylish, funky and classical eyewear from just £75. The lenses are made for the customer while they wait in just 20 minutes.
Dragons Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies each agreed to invest £25,000 for a 4% stake in Pop Specs, which will help Lina and Daniel continue with their ambitious growth plans.
Lina Tejoprayitno said: “Buying glasses can be expensive and time consuming, with the average pair of glasses costing £150 and it can take up to two weeks for lenses to be developed. Today’s customers are looking for quality, affordability and speed which is what Pop Specs can provide.”
Lina and Daniel secured a £75,000 investment which will help them to establish an online arm of the business, widen Pop Specs’ UK presence and open kiosks in supermarkets as well as shopping malls.
Peter Jones described Lina and Daniel as ‘a breath of fresh air’ and said he had ‘been waiting to meet people like you for years’, while Sara Davies said she had ‘not heard a single reason not to make an offer to invest in this business’.
Daniel Barnes said: “I’d like to say it was easy to secure the investment, but it wasn’t – it’s brutal!
“We’re delighted to be leaving the Den with three Dragons on board which is just incredible, and we’re excited about what’s coming next for us.”