Standing Up the First DTC Contact Lens Supply Chain

The Challenge

In 2016, Hubble’s cofounders, Ben Cogan and Jesse Horwitz, had just raised their Seed round and were preparing to launch the world’s first DTC contact lens brand. They had the vision, the funding, and early traction—what they didn’t have was the operational bandwidth or experience to build a compliant, scalable supply chain.

The task ahead was steep: regulatory requirements, strict quality controls, specialized manufacturing, and a fulfillment model that had to support subscription growth from day one. Without a fully designed supply chain and customer service infrastructure, launch risked delays, stockouts, and customer dissatisfaction.

Our Approach

Izba stepped in to design the entire operational backbone before launch:

End-to-End Supply Chain Design

• Built forecasting models, order flows, and inventory frameworks to sustain rapid subscription growth.
• Established FDA-compliant handling, quality control, and operational processes.

Partner Sourcing & Stand-Up

• Identified and onboarded manufacturers, freight forwarders, fulfillment partners, packaging suppliers, and parcel carriers.
• Designed organizational structure and training modules for customer service and operations teams.

Scalable Systems & Infrastructure

• Implemented processes that enabled partners to scale quickly despite aggressive growth trajectories.

The Outcome

Hubble launched in November 2016 and exceeded expectations immediately:

• 18 months ahead of schedule in the first 4 months of sales
• Consistently maintained 30 days of inventory without stockouts
• Reached a $100M valuation just 4 months after launch
• Raised over $75M in venture funding and continues expanding globally

Izba built the operational foundation that allowed Hubble to scale at breakneck speed—without service delays, inventory gaps, or customer pain.

"Izba is a great partner to help launch and scale a brand. They bring a ton of relevant operational expertise that helps companies look around corners and allows investors and founders to focus on other things."

- Jesse Horwitz, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Hubble