Parthiv Patel is the Founder of Netre, an Ahmedabad-based eyecare and eyewear brand built on the conviction that quality and trust should come first.
Before starting Netre, he built his career within one of the world’s largest eyewear companies, gaining first-hand expertise in the industry’s operations, customer expectations, and business dynamics. That experience gave him the foundation to create a brand with the guiding principle of building deliberately and sustainably, with uncompromising attention to quality.
At Netre, Parthiv is driven by a passion for making eyecare and eyewear more thoughtful, accessible, and customer-centric. Reflecting on their purpose, he reveals,
“Walk into most eyewear stores in India, and the eye test is a formality, something you sit through before you’re shown frames. We built Netré backwards from that. The exam isn’t the toll gate to a sale; it’s the reason the store exists. Most of the industry is still selling glasses. We’re trying to restore value in vision.”
The Foundation
Parthiv was inspired to build an eyecare brand that placed customer care ahead of personal gains. Working within one of the world’s largest eyewear companies gave him first-hand exposure to global systems, operational excellence, and a patient-first approach to eyecare. When he moved back to India, he realised there was an opportunity to create a brand that combined those international standards with a more consultative and value-driven experience. Looking back at their journey, he says,
“We started with one line and never moved off it. The mission has been to restore value in vision. Not value as in price, but as in what vision actually means to a person’s life. Clarity, confidence, care. Everyone in this category eventually has to choose a side. It’s either style or substance. We refused to choose. Every store we’ve opened is proof that you don’t have to.”
Coming from a business family, Parthiv had the option of joining the family enterprise but chose instead to build something of his own. With an academic background in pharmacy, he also recognised the responsibility that comes with working in healthcare. That perspective shaped the foundation of Netre, which was established with the belief that eyecare should be guided by clinical precision, trust, and long-term value.
Regarding their value proposition,
“Where most of the market competes on style and ‘free lens’ giveaways, Netre positions as a clinical-first and value-driven, with expert, R&D-backed lenses (Zeiss/Essilor) rather than commoditised freebies. Our ‘Value for Vision’ campaign captures this. Instead of “free lens upgrade,” we offer a free frame upgrade paired with investment in an expert lens, reframing the trade-off around vision quality, not price.”
Building Against the Grain
One of Parthiv’s biggest concerns was changing how customers perceived eyecare. In a market where purchasing decisions are often driven by discounts and fashion trends, introducing a consultation-first, healthcare-led approach required patience and persistence.
Positioning Netre as an eyecare brand focused on clinical expertise and personalised recommendations initially entailed slower customer acquisition compared to competitors that relied on aggressive promotions.
Rather than compromising on quality or jumping into the discount race, Parthiv remained committed to Netre’s founding philosophy. Every recommendation was based on the customer’s vision needs, lifestyle, and long-term eye health, without compromising on lens quality or clinical standards.
That consistency over time earned customer trust, allowing the brand to grow largely through word of mouth and little to no marketing.
Besides, their most strategic move has been, as Parthiv adds,
“We stopped trying to win customers who already knew they needed glasses, and started creating the awareness that turns someone who doesn’t think they have a vision problem into someone who walks through our door. There are millions of Indians walking around with vision they’ve never had properly checked. Every store we open is a bet that education, not competition, is what grows this category, and grows us with it.”
The Growth Story
In its first year alone, the company served more than 10,000 customers, expanded to 20+ stores across three states and seven cities, and built a team of over 60 professionals.
One of the company’s most impressive achievements was opening Gujarat’s first ZEISS Vision Center. At the time, Netre had just four stores and was only six months old, yet the 170-year-old global eyewear brand chose to partner with the company over several established legacy players in the region.
Parthiv also deems it a major milestone to have invested in a Mumbai-based Indian optical lens brand that specialises in ultra-thin lenses and complex prescriptions, bringing world-class precision and advanced lens technology to the Indian market.
What Comes Next
“Screens are manufacturing a generation of patients before they turn thirty. India is aging into a country that will need corrective care at a scale it’s never planned for. And the category itself is finishing a shift from medical necessity to fashion statement. The brands that win the next decade won’t pick a lane between smart technology, clinical rigor, and digital-first retail. They’ll have to build all three at once, or someone else will.”
For now, Parthiv’s objective is to build Netre into India’s first eyewear brand led by a truly clinical approach to eyecare.
Over the next few years, the company intends to expand to 100 stores by end of 2027 while targeting ₹300 crore in annual revenue within the next three years. Despite this rapid expansion, Parthiv is still committed to growing the brand without compromising its patient-first philosophy, consultation-led model, or commitment to clinical excellence.
Netre also has plans to strengthen the optometry ecosystem by launching India’s largest optometry conference, creating a platform where thousands of eye care professionals can collaborate, learn, and advance clinical practice. The company further hopes to introduce at least two internationally acclaimed eyewear brands to India through exclusive partnerships, combining world-class fashion with advanced vision care. Parthiv emphasises,
“It’s high time we stop treating vision like a transaction and start treating it like a family responsibility. Nobody stays loyal to a brand because of a product. They stay because of a relationship. We want India’s eye care ecosystem to protect an entire family’s vision over a lifetime, not just sell one person a pair of glasses once.”
He further adds,
“When it comes to the industry, the next big thing is preventive care, not corrective care. Right now people show up to an eyewear store only after something’s already wrong. The opportunity is flipping that using in-store AI to catch problems early and personalise the experience before the customer even asks: read the approximate age group for merchandising (no personal ID), match frames to face shape, recommend lenses based on lifestyle, and personalise the digital displays they see when they walk in. Innovation here isn’t the technology; it’s making people walk in before their vision fails, not after.”
A Founder’s Reflection
Over the ensuing years, Parthiv was inspired by Howard Schultz, the man who built Starbucks
“Schultz took a commodity, coffee, and turned it into an institution people felt loyal to, by obsessing over every store, every interaction, every detail most people wouldn’t think twice about. That’s the exact bet we’re making with eyewear. It’s a commodity to most of India. We’re building the trust and the experience that makes someone choose Netré over the shop next door, and we’re not stopping at the store. We’re building the LMS that will train India’s next generation of opticians and optometrists, and after that, the largest optometry conference this country has seen. The mission was never just to sell frames. It’s to put vision care back at the center of how India sees.”
Parthiv also shares his thoughts about the various lessons he learned throughout his entrepreneurial journey. One of which is that enduring businesses are built through patience, discipline, and an unwavering focus on value.
As he signs off, he leaves a note for aspiring entrepreneurs.
“Focus on where the value is, keep your direction straight and focused, and never devalue the brand through discounting. Keep it slow — but keep the fundamentals strong.”
