AI-Powered Eyewear for Athletes: Oakley Meta HSTN Arrives in India at ₹41,800

Oakley Meta HSTN AI glasses will be available in India starting December 1, introducing a new category of performance-focused AI eyewear created for athletes, sports enthusiasts, and everyday champions. The collection will be available for pre-sale on Sunglass Hut starting today and will be available to buy nationwide at Sunglass Hut and leading optical and eyewear retailers, with prices starting at INR 41,800.
AI Power Meets Athletic Performance

Oakley Meta HSTN, designed for athletes and sports enthusiasts, brings a bold new dimension to AI glasses. With a fully integrated camera for hands-free capture, open-ear speakers, and IPX4 water resistance, HSTN keeps up with high-intensity activity. The glasses also offer up to 8 hours of battery life, 19 hours on standby, fast charging, and a charging case delivering 48 hours of additional power. High-resolution 3K video lets users record epic moments on the go, while built-in Meta AI provides instant answers and performance insights, from surf conditions to golf wind analysis.

Smarter Everyday AI Built In

Oakley Meta HSTN integrates Meta AI directly into the glasses, transforming them into a performance-ready AI companion. Athletes can ask Meta AI for fast, real-time insights and hands-free assistance. Whether checking surf conditions, getting wind analysis before a golf swing, or recording a moment to share on Stories, users simply say, “Hey Meta” to activate their assistant.

Talk to Your AI Glasses in Hindi

Oakley Meta HSTN now supports full Hindi interaction with Meta AI. Users can enable Hindi through Device Settings in the Meta AI app. Powered by Sarvam’s language tools, this update allows users to ask questions, capture content, control media, make calls, and get information entirely in Hindi.
Celebrity AI Voice Arrives on Meta AI

Meta AI now includes Celebrity AI Voice, allowing users to hear responses in familiar, expressive voices. One of the first voices available in English is the AI voice of Deepika Padukone. She joined Meta AI’s global lineup of voices for the assistant, including many recognizable celebrity voices to choose from.

Testing UPI-Lite payments

Soon, you’ll be able to experience a new feature that allows you to make secure UPI QR-code payments directly from your Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses. Simply look at a QR code while wearing your glasses and say, “Hey Meta, scan and pay” to complete a UPI Lite payment – no need to reach for your phone. Payments will be processed through your WhatsApp-linked bank account, making everyday transactions quicker and more seamless than ever.

We look forward to athletes and creators across India experiencing the performance-driven innovation of Oakley Meta HSTN smart glasses.

Oakley Meta HSTNs will be available in six frame and lens color combinations, all Rx-ready, allowing wearers to choose the perfect pair:

• Oakley Meta HSTN Warm Grey with PRIZM™ Ruby Lenses
• Oakley Meta HSTN Black with PRIZM™ Polar Black Lenses
• Oakley Meta HSTN Brown Smoke with PRIZM™ Polar Deep-Water Lenses
• Oakley Meta HSTN Black with Transitions Amethyst Lenses
• Oakley Meta HSTN Clear with Transitions Grey Lenses
• Oakley Meta HSTN Black with Clear Lenses

Lenskart’s IPO Journey Begins: DRHP Filed for ₹2,150 Cr Fresh Issue to Fund Tech, Retail Expansion

Lenskart Solutions Limited, India’s leading omni-channel eyewear retailers offering a wide selection of affordable and fashionable prescription eyeglasses, sunglasses and contact lenses has filed its Draft Red Herring Prospectus (“DRHP”) with market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (“SEBI”).

The offer comprises a fresh issue of equity shares aggregating up to ₹21,500 million (the “fresh issue”) and an offer for sale of up to 132,288,941 equity shares by certain existing shareholders, including Peyush Bansal, Neha Bansal, Amit Chaudhary and Sumeet Kapahi, Promoter Selling Shareholders and SVF II Lightbulb (Cayman) Limited, Schroders Capital Private Equity Asia Mauritius Limited, PI Opportunities Fund – II, Macritchie Investments Pte. Ltd., Kedaara Capital Fund II LLP, and Alpha Wave Ventures LP, Investor Selling Shareholders.

It may consider a pre-ipo placement aggregating to Rs 430 crs prior to filing of the RHP. If undertaken, it will be reduced from the fresh issue size.

The company proposes to utilise the net proceeds from the IPO for various strategic initiatives, including capital expenditure for setting up new Company-operated Company-owned (CoCo) stores in India; payments related to lease, rent, and license agreements for these CoCo stores; investments in technology and cloud infrastructure; brand marketing and business promotion to enhance brand awareness; potential unidentified inorganic acquisitions; and general corporate purposes.

Founded in 2008, Lenskart commenced operations in India as an online business in 2010 and opened its first retail store in New Delhi in 2013. It believes that clear vision is fundamental to the personal development and well-being of an individual and their aim is to build a tech enabled supply and distribution that improves access to affordability and quality “Eyewear for All”.

Today, the brands business spans across designing, manufacturing, branding and retailing and it operates the largest eyewear retail networks in India with a strong presence across metro, Tier 1 and Tier 2+ cities, as well as international operations in Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

It owns and operates frame and lens design and prescription eyeglasses manufacturing facilities at two locations in India in Bhiwadi, Rajasthan and Gurugram, Haryana, supplemented by regional facilities in Singapore and the United Arab Emirates.

The brand targets different customer categories through a portfolio of brands and sub-brands that include premium collections through John Jacobs and Owndays (acquired in 2022), and economy and affordable premium collections through Lenskart Air, Vincent Chase, hustlr, and Hooper Kids.

The company recently agreed to purchase the remaining 80% stake in Stellio Ventures S.L., which owns the “Meller” consumer eyewear brand, for ₹4,063.93 million. Its products are primarily sold online through its website to customers across multiple countries. Additionally, Stellio operates a retail store in Barcelona, Spain.

In FY 25, across its brands, it launched 105 new in-house designed and engineered collections globally, including in collaboration with popular brands and celebrities. Additionally, it sold 27.2 million eyewear units across 12.41 million customer accounts in India and Overseas

Interesting to note that customers contributing almost 45% of the revenues to the company in India engaged with the brand digitally through organic searches, social media or other online mediums 90 days before completing their purchase.

From its own facial analysis and frame recommendation tool to its AI enabled Computer Vision platform which analysis CCTV footage from its retail locations to optimise customer flow at stores and increase conversion rates and Geo-analytics to predict revenue potential and payback period, customised technology solutions have been used from engagement to supply chain, post order fulfilment, retail store operations - the brands 500+ tech team has been responsible to build, maintain and enhance its core technology infrastructure, including its websites, mobile applications, warehouse management system and AI-driven tools supporting its operations and customer experience.

During FY25, the brand conducted 38.59 million virtual try-ons and 37.87 million face/frame size measurements for our customers in India through our mobile applications.

While India continues to be its largest market in Asia it is amongst the two largest organised retailers of prescription eyeglasses in terms of the B2C eyeglasses sales volumes in FY25. It offers an extensive portfolio of eyewear products including prescription eyeglasses, computer glasses, zero-power glasses, and sunglasses, with customisation enabled across lenses and frames.

It recorded over 100 million cumulative app downloads and garnered more than 104.97 million annual visitors on its websites globally in FY25. The brand currently operates across 2,723 stores (comprising 2,067 stores in India and 656 stores internationally).

As per the DRHP, across India, Japan, Southeast Asia and Middle East where the company is present there are an estimated 1.3 billion individuals who are affected by refractive errors as of Financial Year 2025, representing 32% of global population. If one has to look at only India, the number of individuals affected by refractive errors in India has increased from approximately 43% (approximately 590 million) in the Financial Year 2020 to an estimated 53% (approximately 777 million) in the Financial Year 2025 and is projected to increase to approximately 62% (approximately 943 million) by the Financial Year 2030

Its proprietary platform, including mobile apps and website, supports seamless ordering, virtual try-ons and digital consultations. Lenskart’s customer journey is further supported by its in-house optometrists and cutting-edge optical labs, enabling precision-driven fulfilment and quicker turnaround.

Kotak Mahindra Capital Company Ltd, Morgan Stanley India Company Pvt Ltd, Avendus Capital Pvt Ltd, Citigroup Global Markets India Pvt Ltd, Axis Capital Ltd, Intensive Fiscal Services Pvt Ltd are the Book Running Lead Managers to the Issue.

DRHP Link : https://nsearchives.nseindia.com/corporate/Registration_29072025101510_DRHP.pdf

Online Eyewear Startup Glassic Goes Brick & Mortar, Opens First Retail Store in Bangalore

Bangalore-based eyewear startup brand Glassic, which designs and manufactures high quality, designer sunglasses, inaugurated its flagship store at Indiranagar, Bengaluru. The grand opening of 'Glassic's store' was marked by the presence of fashion guru Prasad Bidapa who had a tête-à-tête with fashion enthusiasts and other guests present at the event. In addition to being available online for close to 3 years, the retail store will now enable people to explore and try out the latest Glassic eyewear from more than 200 designs.

Owned and operated by Glassic Eyewear Pvt. Ltd, Glassic is a private label fashion eyewear brand that
designs and manufactures eyewear in-house. Glassic is funded by a group of angel networks which
includes The Chennai Angels, Lead Angels and LetsVenture.

[caption id="attachment_124931" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Glassics new flagship store at 12th Main, Indiranagar[/caption]

Co-founded by brothers Kailash and Devesh Nichani in 2015, Glassic makes high quality designer eyewear affordable to masses with superior emphasis on quality than competitors. Talking at the launch, Kailash Nichani said, " We are excited to launch our flagship store in the heart of Bengaluru. We identify latest trends and our impeccable attention to detail coupled with inhouse manufacturing, we strive to offer the best quality, great-looking eyewear at a reasonable price. Our first store will be an extension of our mission to delight customers with durable fashion and affordability in eyewear segment.” The founders claim they offer one-year warranty to Glassic products owing to the quality promise.

As per industry estimates, about 550 million people in the country need reading glasses, but only 170 million people wear them.

Going brick-and-mortar ensures the e-tailers do not lose their customers in any space -- either online or offline.

An another prominent online eyewear retailer Lenskart is also in process of capturing offline market through its own brick-and-mortar stores. Backed by Unilazer Ventures and Premji Invest, Lenskart currently has over 200 stores across India.

In recent couple of years, it is seen that Indian e-commerce players, in a reverse trend, are now expanding their platforms to brick-and-mortar outlets aka physical stores in a bid to curb higher marketing costs and cater to diverse customer needs in a highly competitive market.

According to a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India's retail market is expected to nearly double to $1 trillion by 2020 from $600 billion in 2015, driven by income growth, urbanisation and attitudinal shifts.

[Reference - FirstPost]

Online Eyewear Startup Glassic Goes Brick & Mortar, Opens First Retail Store in Bangalore

Bangalore-based eyewear startup brand Glassic, which designs and manufactures high quality, designer sunglasses, inaugurated its flagship store at Indiranagar, Bengaluru. The grand opening of 'Glassic's store' was marked by the presence of fashion guru Prasad Bidapa who had a tête-à-tête with fashion enthusiasts and other guests present at the event. In addition to being available online for close to 3 years, the retail store will now enable people to explore and try out the latest Glassic eyewear from more than 200 designs.

Owned and operated by Glassic Eyewear Pvt. Ltd, Glassic is a private label fashion eyewear brand that
designs and manufactures eyewear in-house. Glassic is funded by a group of angel networks which
includes The Chennai Angels, Lead Angels and LetsVenture.

[caption id="attachment_124931" align="aligncenter" width="700"] Glassics new flagship store at 12th Main, Indiranagar[/caption]

Co-founded by brothers Kailash and Devesh Nichani in 2015, Glassic makes high quality designer eyewear affordable to masses with superior emphasis on quality than competitors. Talking at the launch, Kailash Nichani said, " We are excited to launch our flagship store in the heart of Bengaluru. We identify latest trends and our impeccable attention to detail coupled with inhouse manufacturing, we strive to offer the best quality, great-looking eyewear at a reasonable price. Our first store will be an extension of our mission to delight customers with durable fashion and affordability in eyewear segment.” The founders claim they offer one-year warranty to Glassic products owing to the quality promise.

As per industry estimates, about 550 million people in the country need reading glasses, but only 170 million people wear them.

Going brick-and-mortar ensures the e-tailers do not lose their customers in any space -- either online or offline.

An another prominent online eyewear retailer Lenskart is also in process of capturing offline market through its own brick-and-mortar stores. Backed by Unilazer Ventures and Premji Invest, Lenskart currently has over 200 stores across India.

In recent couple of years, it is seen that Indian e-commerce players, in a reverse trend, are now expanding their platforms to brick-and-mortar outlets aka physical stores in a bid to curb higher marketing costs and cater to diverse customer needs in a highly competitive market.

According to a report by the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), India's retail market is expected to nearly double to $1 trillion by 2020 from $600 billion in 2015, driven by income growth, urbanisation and attitudinal shifts.

[Reference - FirstPost]

Lenskart Picks Up Minority Stake In US-based 3D Face Modelling Startup Ditto; Invests $1 mn

India’s leading online shopping portal for eyewear, Lenskart, has pumped in a whopping $1 million in US-based eyewear e-commerce startup, Ditto.com to pick up a minority stake in the firm.

Lenskart, which is doing good business and has grown more than 200 per cent year on year, already makes use of Ditto's 3D try-on tech on its website and app. The tech allows customers to virtual try-on eyewear and make their choice based on what suits their face cut and requirement the best.

Lenskart claims to be a first of its kind online optical store in India that has made it possible to acquire a good quality pair of specs with prescription lenses for just Rs. 399, all this while you sit in the comfort of your home. With a 48-hour free home delivery guarantee and 365 days return policy, Lenskart.com has been able to establish a great reputation in the eyewear ecommerce business.

Lenskart.com also claims to have the biggest collection of discounted contact lenses consisting all top-notch brands (viz. Johnson & Johnson, Bausch & Lomb, Ciba Vision are to name a few). Since it believes in providing its customers with variety of options to choose from, they have disposable, toric, coloured or bi-focal contact lenses, basically all possible types available to choose from.

With its latest investment in Ditto, one could foresee a future where Lenskart further integrates Ditto’s tech on its platform to help better its online engagement with consumers, wherein users will be able to share different pictures of themselves trying out various eye glasses on social media platforms.

"Ditto provides us with the patented 3D virtual try-on technology... So far, the response to this service is commendable with over 10,000 trials everyday. We have been evaluating our relationship and now want to take it to the next level," said Lenskart.com Founder and CEO Peyush Bansal in a statement to PTI.

One thing that the Ditto investment tells us, is that, Lenskart is all set to increase its stake in the future and take its company to a whole other level. The Faridabad, Haryana-headquartered startup, which started its journey ten years back in 2010, has already garnered fundings from celebrated venture capitalists like IDG Ventures, Ronnie Screwvala-led Unilazer Ventures, IFC, Premji Invest, TPG Growth and TR Capita etc.

This development was first reported in Economic Times.