DOT Glasses

More than 1B+ people in the world suffer from uncorrected visual impairment – with the vast majority living in the poorest countries. Poor vision hinders children’s ability to learn and negatively impacts adults’ productivity at work (or even the ability to work). The global economy loses more than US$250B/year due to lost productivity from poor vision. 

The DOT Glasses solution comprises the world's first ultra-cheap, adjustable, one-size-fits-all eyeglasses frames, a transformational lens concept and proprietary vision testing tools. DOT Glasses helps people that need glasses but can’t afford them, or simply have no access to them. We've removed the need of an optometrist, deliver glasses immediately on site, and sell to end customers for ~US$3/pair. Our full training takes only 60 minutes, enabling us to piggyback on channels that may not have any previous eyecare experience, and allows us to build networks of micro-entrepreneurs. This makes us scalable and sustainable.

Roughly 70% of people over the age of 55, and 8-12% of children need glasses, but in BoP communities, it's rare to see anyone wearing glasses. Why are glasses not affordable, or simply not available in these areas? There are 5 key issues that need to be overcome, and no one has done so to date (until DOT Glasses): 1) end-to-end cost to serve (not just unit cost of glasses), 2) distribution complexity (hard to serve remote areas), 3) training (testing vision requires extensive training and certification), 4) style (some eyeglasses solutions make people look like a science experiment), 5) robustness (glasses need to survive in rough environments). And once you have solved these 5 issues, it’s necessary to make the glasses affordable to someone that makes <$2/day (which means an end-price of $3-5), and the solution needs to be fully sustainable - not relying on government handouts, grants or subsidies. Any solution that requires donor money, means scaling the solution is not feasible to address the full scope of this global health problem.

DOT Glasses built a radical vision care business by combining 2 approaches rarely seen in healthcare: the 80/20 approach, and the MVP (Minimum Viable Product). The founder suffered from incredibly bad eyesight for decades until he had laser surgery, but after 10 years of perfect vision, he decided to get glasses again when his eyesight deteriorated to roughly -1 diopter (20/40 vision). But -1 diopter was still very livable, which became the basis of the solution: get everyone in the world to at least -1 diopter ("good enough" vision), to dramatically improve lives. 

The "good enough" concept created a massive change in required lens SKUs. Only 5 lenses were necessary to serve 80-90% of the population, instead of the typical 50-100 lenses. This has a profound impact on the supply chain, cost structures... and vision testing. If the choice is only between 5 lenses, then it's easy to find out which lens suits someone's needs. 

To further reduce supply chain complexity and concentrate production volumes (and benefit from efficiencies of scale), the world's first adjustable,one-size-fits-all frames were developed (designed by a subsidiary of Mercedes Benz). The 6-piece, injection molded frames are assembled in the field for immediate delivery. 

Solving the vision problem brings huge benefits to individuals, families and communities, and it provides a boost to local economies. The reason: glasses enable people to reach their full potential by ensuring everyone can learn, work and contribute to society based on their talent and ability – not on their visual acuity. And by developing micro-entrepreneurs to sell the glasses, we create networks of micro-businesses to further boost economies and reduce unemployment. 

Recent studies show that the impact of providing eyeglasses in developing countries can result in an increase of worker productivity (by 25-35%), monthly incomes tend to rise by up to 20%, and $1 invested into glasses leads to a positive $25 economic impact. It’s also been proven that glasses improve learning outcomes by 33-50% and keep more kids in school. 

Our business model is for profit (i.e. sustainable) and scales fast, as we use existing local distribution channels (including schools, health care clinics, NGOs, manufacturers, etc.) and empower networks of micro-entrepreneurs. And we usually develop an independent "Country Representative" who builds his own DOT Glasses franchise business, with our full support. This ensures job creation, while channeling the majority of profits to local communities.

The DOT Glasses focus on "maximum simplification" means we've shifted customized prescription eyeglasses from a restricted medical device to a ubiquitous (nearly) off-the-shelf product. And that changes everything. It means that distribution of a life-changing product can be done by lightly trained individuals that can develop profitable businesses (or generate additional incremental revenues for existing businesses) from the provision of better vision - an easy sell at the price point we've achieved. And most of the business happens "in-country": 70-80% of the total margin stays in the country, with our franchise distribution partners, their customers and the end-sellers (often micro-entrepreneurs).  

All other players in the space provide vision care based on tried and proven principles, i.e. get an accurate vision test, get lenses fitted that meet the exact needs of the individual. We've turned that on its head by focusing on providing "good enough" vision. The trade-off in accuracy, and the adjustable, one-size-fits-all frames are game-changers.

There are also some players with different "technologies" to address the vision problem - both from frame innovations as well as lens innovations (i.e. liquid-filled adjustable lenses, Alvarez lens solutions, bent-wire frames, etc.), but none of them are even close to being commercially viable. More technology is not the answer in this case, as it only serves to increase costs. Or in the case of the lens innovations (that were expensive in any case), users also very much disliked the style to the point that they wouldn't wear the glasses even when they received them at no cost. 

The design heavily influences the ability to serve the most challenging markets in the world.
1. Only 6 SKUs are needed, instead of the typical 50.
2. The "ease of training" means we can piggyback on existing distribution channels
3. The injection molded plastic frames (one-size-fits-all) enables ultra-cheap frames, robust enough to handle harsh environments.   

Our initial production run is now being used by 5,000 people (in 10 countries). Our "Version 2" of the frames (stronger, lighter, sexier) are in production now, and we have current orders for approximately 300,000.

Our largest markets include: India, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, South Africa, Ethiopia. 

Over 1 billion people need glasses but can't afford them or simply have no access. This costs the global economy over US$250m every year, not to mention the fact that individuals and families suffer needlessly on a much more personal level. The problem is both one of supply and demand, and DOT Glasses impacts both to maximize the impact in society (i.e. ability to learn, ability to earn, ability to stay safe). And our laser focus on BoP populations that have no other solutions available ensures we don't undermine existing local eyeglasses businesses (predominantly found in only the larger cities of the developing world).   

Note: Numbers shown are NOT cumulative and include ONLY direct users of our eyeglasses. Impact from using glasses is a multiple of this, as better vision improves lives of families and communities, and increases GDP. We have a secondary large impact from creating networks of sustainable micro-entrepreneurs that sell glasses. This creates additional economic and social impact. 

5,000 now (= first production run, distributed via partner pilots and sold in small scale sales efforts)

600,000 within 1 year (including currently confirmed orders of 300,000)

5,000,000 within 5 years 

Cumulative 5-year impact: 13m DOT Glasses being worn in poorest 20+ countries

We've set up our supply chain to handle the production of millions of our ultra-cheap eyeglasses. We've developed a business model that scales extremely easily, creating large impact in short time frames. This year we're focusing on closing large "initial" deals with governments, development agencies, and international NGOs which will then be replicated in new markets. 

The problem of poor vision is huge, and our approach focuses on maximizing the speed of scaling, so that we can make a tangible impact on the problem within a few years. Although we can be very profitable selling 1m eyeglasses/year, we'd be unhappy with that result as it doesn't truly make a dent in the scope of the global vision problem. Our ambition is to sell 10m/year within 7-8 years - something no one has even come close to doing - and we believe we can do it.  

We've proven our model in numerous markets and we have a lot of supporters for our radical approach, but we now need to find ways to leverage those successes into meaningful deals. We think this is only a matter of time - but we still have no real feeling about how a success with e.g. one development agency in Bangladesh will create momentum within the development agency in other countries. 

We also face regulatory hurdles in some countries. Prescription eyeglasses may be considered a medical device, which means that delivering glasses requires a highly trained optometrist to perform a "full" eye test, even though there are not nearly enough optometrists available in the market to fulfill this function. On average, there is 1 optometrist for 1m people in the developing world, whereas in the EU, there is roughly 1 per 6,000. But many people responsible for vision care in a country (in the ministries) are classically trained optometrists, and they're defending their profession. However, in these countries we try to find champions for our radical approach, who like the idea that "the perfect is the enemy of the good". This seems to be leading to longer term success. 

To truly change the game, we'll need to gain international acceptance for our "good enough" solution. We're already in discussions with organizations like the IAPB (International Agency for the Prevention of Blindness) to put us in their catalog of approved products, and we're working on agreeing to a study with with IPA.

1. We're mapping out the global organizations to find out which ones are decentralized (where we will focus on a country-by-country approach), vs. those that are HQ-driven (where we'll do HQ + local outreach). As our Director of Business Development is a former UNDPer, we already have a decent network into the largest development agencies - but it's something that we're focusing more effort on currently.  

2. We're creating networks of "champions" in government health ministries. They support the effort to get a government-sanctioned pilot, so we can prove the value of our solution on their BoP populations. In some cases, these "champions" are paid advisors, and in other cases, they are simply passionate supporters. 

3. We're joining and engaging with prominent global vision care organizations. We've just been accepted into EYElliance, we're moving forward with IAPB, and we're looking for ways to have a "voice" in the international discussions on vision care. And once the randomized clinical trials are done by IPA, we'll have excellent ammunition with which we can start redefining the global conversation on BoP vision care. 

Full-time staff: 6

Part-time staff: 2

In-country contractors: 8 

Our core team combines the best of all worlds: startups, corporates, consulting, NGOs, development aid and research. 

Our in-country distribution partners are all successful professionals with a desire to make an impact. Here is a snapshot of some of our key countries. 

We're currently partnering with the national Education Ministries of 2 large countries (1 in Africa, 1 in Central Asia), development agencies (including USAID), vision care organizations (including India Vision Institute), and manufacturing partners (including one of the largest textile manufacturers in Bangladesh).

We start with partner pilots (organized by our partner, but at our costs). These are typically in the form of a vision camp, where we test e.g. 200 people and deliver 100 glasses on site. This is done using a commercial model (i.e. selling the glasses) or a donor model (free glasses) - although we push for the commercial model in order to highlight that the solution can be fully sustainable. In this process, we train a partner team, that can then serve to execute the ongoing vision program using the DOT Glasses solution.  

We want to be a "smart wholesaler", where we actively support our distribution partners around the world to sell our solution to their partner customers. At this early stage, there are some exceptions to this objective, as we play a more active role to generate traction. 

We sell our vision kits essentially "at cost", but make a margin on the refills (frames and lenses). The kit is the "enabler" to sell our eyeglasses, so reducing the price barrier of the kit will drive future sales. Our margin on the eyeglasses is relatively small, but we're targeting large volume sales which makes our business case interesting for our investors (not to mention the fact that it makes us fully sustainable). And because we'll be able to stay in a "wholesaler" mode, our overhead costs will remain extremely low. 

We sell our glasses at the same "wholesale price" (FOB from our port in Ningbo, China) without volume discounts, as we believe even small organizations should get the best price, as they are having the same impact on communities as the larger players. We don't control "end consumer pricing", leaving that for our partners to define, but we do have a "mission-defined ceiling price" of US$5/eyeglasses (frames + lenses + vision test). Typically, the end user price is between US$3-4. 

Every stage of the value chain is profitable, which ensures scalability and sustainability. 

We've raised nearly EUR 1m of investment and grant money to date, which is helping us in the early stages of gaining traction. The sales cycle is quite long for our deals - especially for government deals. However, once a deal is closed, it is profitable by definition. 

Our current burn rate is roughly EUR 16k/month (largely due to having a small HQ team, low seed salaries in our target countries, and a low HQ cost base, as we're based in the Czech Republic). Break-even will be achieved with a relatively small number of deals, and most likely within 18 months even with our fairly aggressive growth plans.  

We are considering to raise a larger Series A investment round (EUR 4-5m) in the next 12-18 months, which would be used to massively increase the scope of our rollout (i.e. target more countries quickly). The money would be purely growth capital.

We are keen to gain more global visibility, as creating a network of potential partners, future investors, changemakers, connectors, etc. is critical to our growth plans. 

Being recognized by Solve would also provide us with an excellent springboard to communicate our message to key vision care stakeholders. Having the Solve / MIT brand supporting DOT Glasses would make a meaningful impact when talking to our potential partners around the world. 

Finally, although not currently fundraising, we'll be starting the exercise in the next 6-9 months. Connecting with investors now will be a huge leg up when we launch the next funding round. 

DOT Glasses is all about distribution, and in our case, this is mostly about the existing networks that we can tap in to. So gaining access to existing networks (NGOs, government ministries, manufacturers, entrepreneurial networks, etc.) is the single most important aspect to our success at this stage. That's why Advisors and "exposure" are so important too - to gain access to influencers and to networks.  

Aside from needing contacts in our core markets (government ministries, NGOs, manufacturers, entrepreneurial networks, etc.), we also look at connecting with international organizations. Here is a snapshot of our ideal international partners:

Refugees have the same vision problems as the BoP, with even less means to get glasses as often they have no income with which to buy a product. But without glasses, they can't learn, they can't earn, and they can't stay safe. 

Our solution has been tested with refugees in Greece - and it worked perfectly. The vision testing and glasses are so cheap, that even a small donor program can have a major impact. And we're able to utilize refugees as micro-entrepreneurs, creating a small business to serve the vision needs of their communities. 

60% of uncorrected refractive error are found in women and girls. Our solution provides a tool to create more equality when it comes to learning and earning. 

DOT Glasses addresses this from 3 sides: 

1) We help people directly by enabling them to earn income according to their true capability, not according to their visual acuity. It's shown that income levels rise by ~20% when poor vision is corrected, and productivity can increase by ~30% on average. 

2) Our vision kits and easy training programs are an incredibly effective way to create sustainable micro-businesses. A micro-entrepreneur can earn $0.70-$1.00/glasses in profit, and according to our market tests, selling 3-5 pairs per day is a reasonable target. In many cases, an entrepreneur may also be selling other goods already, and DOT Glasses can be a nice additional revenue stream - making the overall business more sustainable. 

3) Glasses ensure all students can learn based on their abilities, and glasses also reduce the dropout rate. Both will have an impact on future jobs of those that have vision problems.  

80% of adults over the age of 60 need glasses (and roughly 50% over the age of 45). Without glasses, there can be no adult literacy.