Known from the first wooden eyeglass frames in Poland, Gepetto intends to change the way in which we examine eyesight and choose corrective glasses. The company has just obtained EUR 550k from investors. Its telemedicine solution is to reduce the cost of ophthalmic and optometric examinations several times, and thanks to their online performance, it will facilitate access to health care for people far from medical centers and people excluded by movement restrictions.
The Gepetto project is an application that removes the existing barriers related to the purchase of glasses online: based on anthropometric data, it will help to choose frames, and thanks to AR, it will enable them to be virtually tried on, it will also conduct visual acuity screening tests and select lenses. All you need is a phone or a tablet.
Medicine, technology and industrial design
One of the originators of the new Gepetto project is Mateusz Toporowicz, the creator of the success and main designer of Gepetto – the first Polish brand of glasses with frames made of wood. He co-creates the project together with Piotr Kruszyński, former CEO of PizzaPortal.pl at the time when the company merged with the giant Glovo. Piotr was an auditor at Deloitte and a manager of financial reporting in the global structures of EY.
The scientific aspects of the project are supervised by Dr. n.med Joanna Przeździecka – Dołyk, an ophthalmology specialist and optometrist, who gained her experience both in Poland and abroad (she was the first and the only one in Poland to obtain the title of Chirurgiae Master Clinical Ophthalmology).
Our lifestyle causes vision defects to occur more and more often, and the demand for diagnostics and ophthalmic services is growing. Improvements in the work of ophthalmologists and optometrists and facilitations for patients have become necessary.
Mateusz Toporowicz, Founder of Gepetto
We combine medicine, technology and industrial design in one project, and our goal is to increase the availability of services for patients, the frequency of eye checks and to reduce the cost of diagnostics.
Piotr Kruszyński, Co-Founder of Gepetto
The round
At the beginning of June Aligo VC and Next Road Ventures invested EUR 550k in Gepetto.
According to WHO, the are around two billion people with visual impairments in the world. This number is growing every year, as a result of which the demand for eye diagnostics is also growing. The Gepetto project is a response to the common problem of the shortage of specialists and limited access to diagnostic services.
Łukasz Mańkowski, Managing Partner at Aligo VC
Consumer habits change very quickly. As with almost every area of the economy, the eyewear industry is experiencing huge changes in the way customers want to get the advice they need and make a purchase. “Going digital” is the only way to address the real needs of the market.
Marcin Łączyński, Partner at Next Road Ventures.
Visit Gepetto website to know more about the company.