Lenskart IPO: Eyewear Giant Prepares to List on Stock Market

India’s popular eyewear brand Lenskart has received SEBI’s approval for its IPO. This means the company will soon offer its shares to the public. IPO size: • Fresh issue: ₹2,150 crore (new money for the company) • Offer for Sale (OFS): 13.2 crore shares (existing investors selling their stake) Who is selling shares? • Promoter Peyush Bansal (2 crore shares) • Co-promoters Neha Bansal, Amit Chaudhary, Sumeet Kapahi (smaller stakes) • Big investors like SoftBank, Temasek, Premji Invest, Alpha Wave, Kedaara Capital will also sell part of their holdings. Where will the money go? The fresh issue will be used to expand stores, strengthen online presence, and grow internationally. About Lenskart: • Started in 2008, now has 2,000+ stores worldwide. • Works in online + offline (omnichannel) model. • Backed by global investors like SoftBank, Temasek, ADIA, KKR, TPG. • Strong financials: FY25 profit: ₹297.3 crore (vs loss of ₹10.2 crore in FY24) Revenue: ₹6,652.5 crore, up 23% YoY Gross margins: ~69% (improved due to efficiency & scale) Promoter shareholding: 19.96% with founders; 80% held by institutional investors. Positives: • Well-known brand with huge customer base. • Strong growth in revenue & profit after turning around from losses. • Mix of online + offline gives stability. • Backed by reputed global investors. • Expanding aggressively in India and abroad. Risks: • High competition from other eyewear brands and online platforms. • Heavy reliance on constant expansion – if growth slows, profits may shrink. • OFS means big investors and even promoters are partially exiting. • Startup valuations can be volatile after listing. Summary: Lenskart has grown fast, turned profitable, and is expanding globally. The IPO looks exciting, but since promoters and investors are selling a large stake, buyers should weigh both growth potential and risks.