Chicago eye care company Opternative is rebranding itself and changing its name as it aims to better convey its business-to-business offerings to the optometry and eyewear industries.
The company, which now goes by Visibly, announced the change Tuesday, saying that the new name “fully embraces the solutions it offers the eye care industry and appropriately represents the broad scope of who it can serve.”
Visibly, originally founded in 2012, has become known for its at-home, digital vision test that can be accessed through a smartphone or computer screen. Visions tests start at $35 and the company’s services are available in 34 states, according to Shelby Eversole, the senior manager of public relations and communications at Visibly.
Though the test is designed for patients to take at home, the results are still reviewed remotely by third-party optometrists that work with Visibly. Additionally, glasses retailers work with Visibly as a way to more seamlessly sell eyewear to consumers whose prescriptions have been kickstarted by Visibly’s vision test. Visibly also offers eyewear companies the option to incorporate the startup’s vision test directly into their retail space.
Visibly said the name change is meant to represent that they are a partner to the optometry and eyewear industries, not an alternative.
“We understand that our previous company name, Opternative, carried a negative connotation in the eye care industry and positioned the brand as an existential threat to optometrists,” said the company’s founder and chief science officer Steven Lee in a statement. “This is why it was important for us to rebrand the company with a name that better represents the partnerships we’re building with eye care providers and eyewear retailers in the industry.”
Visibly, which currently employs more than 50 people at its West Loop headquarters, recently raised $9 million in a venture capital funding round led by Trust Ventures, a new, Austin-based VC firm, partnered with Koch Industries, that invests in and supports startups facing regulatory challenges, and Chicago's Pritzker Group Venture Capital. Now, Visibly has more than $18 million in funding.
Last year, Opternative sued competing online eye care company Warby Parker, alleging that it stole Opternative’s tech to launch its own at-home eye exam service. In August, a judge denied Warby Parker’s motion to dismiss Opternative’s claims for breach of non-disclosure agreements, but did allow them to dismiss Opternative’s other claims related to misappropriation of trade secrets. However, the legal fight continues.
