Cambridge Spectacle Co is reaching for the big league

After working as an optometrist for 10 years, Ahmed Ejaz took the leap into running his own eyewear company, Cambridge Spectacle Co, with the aim to bring affordable British eyewear to the masses.

Ejaz said the turning point was after speaking to business associate Andy Street, former managing director of John Lewis and Partners, who encouraged him to make his eyewear company idea a reality. In 2021, he quit his job and started business planning with his brother, Hassan Ejaz, co-founder and Master of Business Administration graduate, leading with a three-pillar ethos of affordability, quality and expertise, and social responsibility, as well as a strong ‘Silicon Valley start-up’ mindset.

Ejaz admits: ‘It was a crazy thought to be like “we’re going to create a brand in this crowded marketplace”, and I still can’t believe I did. But we’re on a real trajectory and want to keep this momentum going.’

Two years down the line, through the pandemic and countless other challenges, Ejaz believes that Cambridge Spectacle Co is getting ready to play in the big leagues of the eyewear industry. With access to the NatWest Accelerator programme, support from angel investment and over £200,000 in CrowdCube funding, as well as a major superstore deal under its belt, and a track route to meet £1m annual revenue run rate within the next 12 months, the company’s growth trajectory does not look like it is slowing down.