What is the mission of your company or project?

Vontélle Eyewear is luxury eyewear company providing bespoke textiles & prints from the African Diaspora on optical frames and sunglasses. We offer sizes that compliment diverse faces, fulfill prescriptions and customize lens color/tints including blue light blocker lenses.  Due to multiple requests, we are expanding and have partnered with Nickelodeon ViacomCBS to create a children's collection in eye catching colors, patterns and  cartoon characters.  

Describe the problem you are solving.

The concept for Vontélle was born out of a need of both founders Tracy Vontélle Green and Nancey Harris, who each lost their expensive eyewear within the same year. They wanted vibrant patterns, better fitting glasses and to purchase from a Black-owned brand.  When they did not find what they wanted, they created it.  The spectacular handcrafted designs are new to the eyewear industry and includes a wider bridge for the nose, a longer temples for a comfortable fit on your ears and wider lens to fit over high cheek bones.

What is the market size/opportunity?

Think about this: in 2020 the global eyewear market was valued at approximately $150 billion and estimated to be $259 billion by 2027. Yet there are less than a handful of Black owned and/or women operated eyewear manufacturers or designers. Considering 164 million American adults wear glasses and 218 million wear nonprescription sunglasses; people need glasses as it is a medical necessity.  According to the Vision Council of America: One billion people worldwide need eyeglasses;75% of U.S. adults require some type of vision correction; 64% of them wear eyeglasses (11 percent wear contact lenses); Americans spend $23.7 billion on eyewear every single year; the average cost of one pair of eyeglasses is $268; the average person will start wearing glasses at age 7 (seven).

What is your company/product about and how does it solve the problem? 

From our research, many cultures are wearing ill-fitting eyewear. Our designs include a wider bridge for the nose, a longer temple (arm) for a comfortable fit on your ears and wider lens to fit over high cheek bones. Vontélle target market are all ages from the following backgrounds; African-American Black (including Biracial), Latino & Latinx, Asian (i.e., Japanese, Chinese, Korean), East Indian Asian etc. Moreover, these ethnicities want to see more color and pattern in their eyewear selection.  Overall better fitting representation in their eyewear selections.

Why are you seeking funding and how will you spend the funding?

Vontélle is seeking funding to design, create, manufacture a children’s line in eye catching patterns, colors, and cartoon characters.  Vontélle is the 1st Black-Women-Owned eyewear company to successfully negotiate a licensing agreement with Nickelodeon Viacom CBS and will need funding to begin production, marketing, and scaling to meet demand.

Who is on your team?

Vontélle is an all women team from Co-Founders, web designer, attorney and social media director. We engage consultants from all ethnicities and genders to assist with marketing, photography, accounting and etc.  

• Ms. Tracy Green, Co-Founder & CEO at Vontélle is a former Chief Financial Officer at various NYC hospitals and at the NYC Department of Education. She has amassed a strong professional career which has developed her leadership skills, business, and financial acumen due to her oversight of many initiatives use by NYC residents to this day.

• Ms. Nancey Harris, Co-Founder & COO at Vontélle is a highly experienced senior executive who has worked at international companies such as Viacom, as a Sales Executive, and Black Enterprise as a Multi Media Sales Executive. With a strong history of revenue generation, sales management, and marketing she is an excellent communicator who drives strategic initiatives through to completion.

• Ms. Kelsey Lovelace, Web & Graphic Designer at Vontélle is a creative designer who has worked with several independent companies and created websites, designs, packaging seen around the world, in Target stores and in commercials.  

Mission & Vision                                                                                                                               

Vontélle is committed to celebratory cultural designs that represent global textiles, boldness and beauty. Additionally, Vontélle has partnered with WIN (Women In Need) a New York City organization with over 11 shelters to provide free eyewear to women and families in need.  As the company continues to grow, we want to support homeless shelters nationwide.  Thank you for your support, this funding will assist Vontélle to create a children's collection and continue to give the gift of vision to all.  Our goal is to change how you see and be seen.  Eyewear Culture Starts Here! www.vontelle.com