Peyush Bansal is a name that stands for new ideas and business success in India. His company, Lenskart, has changed the eyewear industry. Bansal’s journey from a middle-class upbringing in New Delhi to building a billion-dollar company as the co-founder and CEO of one of India’s top omnichannel eyewear brands shows his vision, determination, and unending quest for excellence. This article looks at the life, work, and accomplishments of Peyush Bansal. It talks about how he changed the eyewear industry in India and became a household name through his appearances on Shark Tank India.
Childhood and Schooling
Peyush Bansal was born on April 26, 1985, in New Delhi, India. He grew up in a middle-class family that put a lot of emphasis on education and ambition. His father, Kiran Bansal, was a chartered accountant, and his mother was a stay-at-home mom. They made sure he had a safe place to grow up and encouraged him to be curious and work hard. Peyush did very well in school when he was young, which helped him get into Don Bosco School in Delhi. He wanted to go to the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), but he didn’t pass the entrance exam. This setback didn’t stop him from wanting to succeed.
Peyush didn’t let that stop him from going to college abroad. He went to McGill University in Montreal, Canada, where he earned a Bachelor of Engineering (Honors) in Electrical Engineering, specializing in IT, Control, and Automation from 2002 to 2006. His time at McGill changed him in many ways, including how he thought about business. He worked as a part-time receptionist while he was in Canada, and he became interested in coding, which would later affect how he ran tech-based businesses. Peyush went to the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Bangalore from 2008 to 2009 to take the Management Programme for Entrepreneurs and Family Businesses (MPEFB) after he graduated. This helped him improve his business skills even more. This mix of technical and business education gave him a solid base for his future projects.
Starting out in business and early career
Peyush got a highly sought-after job at Microsoft in Redmond, Washington, as a Program Manager in 2007 after finishing his engineering degree. Working at Microsoft was a dream come true for Peyush, who admired Bill Gates, the company’s co-founder, as his role model. During his time there, he worked on making Microsoft Office better for users and came up with new ideas that made it easier for customers to interact with the software. Peyush, on the other hand, felt a stronger pull to make something of his own, even though his job was stable and prestigious. He worked at Microsoft for only a year before making the brave choice to leave his job and go back to India in 2007 to start his own business.
Peyush didn’t waste any time looking for business opportunities when he got back to India. His first business, SearchMyCampus.com, was an online classifieds site that helped college students find jobs, housing, internships, books, and transportation. It launched in December 2007. He started the platform in his parents’ basement in Greater Kailash, Delhi, with an initial investment of INR 25 lakh. It quickly gained popularity and grew to a team of 20 employees. This early success proved that Peyush had good business sense and gave him the courage to try new things.
Peyush started several other businesses between 2007 and 2010, such as BagsKart, JewelsKart, and WatchKart, which were all about selling bags, jewelry, and watches online. Peyush saw that these businesses had potential, but the fact that there were so many competitors in these markets made it hard for them to grow. He saw a big hole in the Indian eyewear market during this time. The industry was ready for change because there weren’t many organized players and there wasn’t much of an online presence.
The Beginning of Lenskart
Peyush Bansal started Lenskart in 2010 with Amit Chaudhary and Sumeet Kapahi. At first, the website was only for selling contact lenses. Peyush came up with the idea after noticing that many Indians couldn’t afford or get prescription glasses or contact lenses. His goal was to make high-quality, low-cost glasses available to everyone, using technology to make the buying process easier. Lenskart started as an online store, but it quickly grew to include sunglasses and eyeglasses. Later, it opened physical stores to make shopping easier for customers.
In the beginning, Lenskart had a lot of problems, like competition, changes in the market, and the need to teach people how to buy glasses online. Peyush’s dedication to innovation and putting customers first, on the other hand, made Lenskart stand out. The company added things like home eye exams, a wide range of stylish frames, and partnerships with well-known brands like Ray-Ban, Oakley, and Bausch + Lomb. Lenskart started its high-end eyewear brand, John Jacobs, in 2015. In 2019, it added Aqualens to its portfolio, making it even more diverse.
Lenskart took an omnichannel approach under Peyush’s leadership, which combined the ease of shopping online with the trustworthiness of real stores. Lenskart had more than 600 stores in 450 Indian cities and employed more than 5,000 people as of 2022. The company’s value skyrocketed, reaching unicorn status in 2019 with a value of $1.5 billion. By 2025, it was worth more than INR 37,500 crores. As of 2025, Peyush owned 10.28% of Lenskart, which shows how important he is to the company’s success.
Shark Tank India and Being Known by the Public
When Peyush Bansal joined the panel of judges, or “sharks,” on Shark Tank India, the Indian version of the American reality show Shark Tank, his fame shot up. The show started in December 2021 and featured Peyush and other well-known entrepreneurs. He helped new businesses get off the ground by investing in them and giving them advice. People loved him because he was empathetic, thoughtful, and knowledgeable. Peyush’s investments on the show, like Proxgy, which went from being worth INR 10 crore to INR 400 crore, showed that he could see potential and help people grow.
But there was some controversy surrounding his time on Shark Tank India. In one episode, Peyush joked about staying away from chartered accountants. This upset the CA community, and the hashtag #SayNoToLenskart became popular on social media. Soon after, Peyush apologized in public, saying that his comment had been taken out of context and that he still respects the profession, especially since his father was a chartered accountant. This event showed how humble he was and how willing he was to admit when he was wrong.
Achievements and Net Worth
A lot of people have praised Peyush Bansal for his work in the eyewear industry and the Indian startup ecosystem. Fortune India put him on its “40 Under 40” list in 2019 to honor his work as a young business owner. His leadership has also brought in money from well-known people like Ratan Tata and S Gopalakrishnan, which makes Lenskart even more credible.
As of 2025, Peyush Bansal’s net worth is thought to be around INR 600 crores (about $75 million). This is mostly because of his stake in Lenskart and his investments in other startups. His focus on “Tech for Good,” sustainability, and big solutions shows that he wants to make a difference in the world beyond just making glasses. Recent reports say that Lenskart is getting ready for an initial public offering (IPO) in the next 24 months. Peyush is actively increasing his stake to get a promoter tag, which shows his long-term commitment to the company.
Life and Values
Nidhi Mittal is Peyush Bansal’s wife, and they have a son named Evan. He values family and lives a grounded life, even though he is very busy. Peyush likes to travel, watch suspense and thriller shows, and play cricket in his free time. His respect for Bill Gates still shapes how he does business, putting an emphasis on new ideas, putting the customer first, and being socially responsible.
Peyush’s way of thinking is based on hard work and making things better. He thinks that having a clear vision and a lot of passion are very important for entrepreneurs to be successful. His journey shows that failures, like not getting into IIT, are just bumps in the road to bigger and better things. Peyush’s ability to change direction, come up with new ideas, and stay true to his mission has made Lenskart a household name and inspired many people who want to start their own businesses.
The Way Forward
Peyush Bansal wants to make Lenskart’s global presence bigger, improve customer experiences through technology, and make eyewear available to people who don’t have access to it. His work on Shark Tank India still inspires young businesspeople, and Lenskart’s upcoming IPO marks a new stage in its growth. Peyush’s story of going from working for Microsoft to becoming a successful entrepreneur is a powerful example of how one idea can change everything.
In the end, Peyush Bansal’s story is not just about starting a successful business; it’s also about changing an industry and giving millions of people power. He has made high-quality glasses affordable and easy to find through Lenskart. This shows that even the biggest dreams can come true if you work hard and think outside the box. Peyush Bansal is still an inspiration for anyone who wants to dream big as he continues to change the future of eyewear and business in India.
