NEW YORK, August 12, 2020 – Inc. magazine revealed today that Jonas Paul Eyewear is No. 573 on its annual Inc. 5000 list, the most prestigious ranking of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies. The list represents a unique look at the most successful companies within the American economy’s most dynamic segment, its independent small businesses. Brands such as Intuit, Zappos, Under Armour, Microsoft, Patagonia, and many other well-known names gained their first national exposure as honorees on the Inc. 5000. This marks the second consecutive year the Jonas Paul Eyewear was named an Inc. 5000 honoree, and comes after a three-year revenue growth of 813%.
“When my wife, Laura, and I launched Jonas Paul Eyewear after the birth of our son, we had no idea that the business would grow to what it is today. We had hopes and dreams, of course, that our responding to a challenging situation with a mindset of helping others would make a significant impact in the world, but are truly encouraged and inspired that the company has grown to impact so many lives,” said Ben Harrison, CEO and co-founder of Jonas Paul Eyewear. “We cannot express how grateful we are to the families and customers who have supported this mission and walked alongside us in this journey.”
Ben and Laura Harrison founded Jonas Paul Eyewear in 2013 after their son, Jonas, was born with a rare eye condition that rendered him blind, self-funded the venture for two years before securing a seed round in 2015. One of the investors in this round was Cliff Bartow, former CEO of Lenscrafters. Shortly thereafter, the brand launched the first children’s home try-on kit for consumers and added a state-of-the-art lab to the Grand Rapids headquarters, where the company fulfills prescriptions in-house. In 2018, Jonas Paul added more industry executives to its list of investors in a Seed Plus investment round, where Kerry Bradley, former CEO of Luxottica Retail North America, and Dave Browne, former Co-CEO of Luxxottica Group, participated.
Today, the brand offers a full collection of kids and teen prescription glasses with over 100 different styles for ages 4-16, as well as a line of non-prescription sunglasses for kids. The kids glasses and teen glasses range from $79 to $89, including prescription lenses, with prescription sunglasses and blue light blocking lenses available. Conveniently, they also offer an at-home try-on program. With each purchase, Jonas Paul Eyewear helps provide sight to children and families in need through their Buy Sight, Give Sight program, which has helped 255,922+ people around the world to date in need of care for preventative blindness.
In addition to their online direct-to-consumer business, Jonas Paul Eyewear is also available in over 3,200 optical centers nationwide, including 2,800 Walmart Vision Centers, over 200 Eyemart Express locations, and will soon be available in all BJ’s Wholesale locations.
Not only have the companies on the 2020 Inc. 5000 been very competitive within their markets, but the list as a whole shows staggering growth compared with prior lists as well. The 2020 Inc. 5000 achieved an incredible three-year average growth of over 500 percent, and a median rate of 165 percent. The Inc. 5000’s aggregate revenue was $209 billion in 2019, accounting for over 1 million jobs over the past three years.
“The companies on this year’s Inc. 5000 come from nearly every realm of business,” says Inc. editor-in-chief Scott Omelianuk. “From health and software to media and hospitality, the 2020 list proves that no matter the sector, incredible growth is based on the foundations of tenacity and opportunism.”
Click here to view the complete listing of Jonas Paul Eyewear's profile on Inc.'s website.
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More about Inc. and the Inc. 5000
The 2020 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2016 and 2019. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2016. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independent—not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies—as of December 31, 2019. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2016 is $100,000; the minimum for 2019 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.’s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
About Inc. Media
The world’s most trusted business-media brand, Inc. offers entrepreneurs the knowledge, tools, connections, and community to build great companies. Its award-winning multi-platform content reaches more than 50 million people each month across a variety of channels including websites, newsletters, social media, podcasts, and print. Its prestigious Inc. 5000 list, produced every year since 1982, analyzes company data to recognize the fastest-growing privately held businesses in the United States. The global recognition that comes with inclusion in the 5000 gives the founders of the best businesses an opportunity to engage with an exclusive community of their peers, and the credibility that helps them drive sales and recruit talent. The associated Inc. 5000 Conference is part of a highly acclaimed portfolio of bespoke events produced by Inc. For more information, visit www.inc.com.
