# Tibor Laczay

> Tibor Laczay (1947-2021) co-founded Zenni Optical with Julia Zhen in 2003 and EyeQue with John Serri in 2015. A hands-on entrepreneur who designed and coded Zenni’s first website, he pursued affordable eyewear through direct online sales and control of manufacturing. Colleagues remember his curiosity about physics and his influence as a mentor.

- **Role:** Entrepreneur and eyewear company co-founder
- **Organizations:** Zenni Optical, EyeQue Corporation
- **Known for:** Co-founded Zenni Optical, which reported 20 million pairs sold by April 2018., Designed and coded Zenni’s original website., Helped build Zenni without venture capital, using personal savings and financial planning.

## Career timeline

- **2003** — Co-founded Zenni Optical with Julia Zhen in a Northern California garage; designed and coded its first website.
- **2008** — The ZENNI trademark was registered in his name, according to WIPO’s 2010 decision.
- **2013** — As Zenni CEO, described a customer-feedback-driven website redesign and a preference for recommending lower-priced suitable products.
- **2015** — Co-founded and initially funded EyeQue with John Serri.
- **2018** — Zenni’s fifteenth-anniversary announcement reported 20 million pairs sold since founding.
- **2021** — Died on November 17, 2021.

## Achievements

- Co-founded Zenni Optical, which reported 20 million pairs sold by April 2018.
- Designed and coded Zenni’s original website.
- Helped build Zenni without venture capital, using personal savings and financial planning.
- Co-founded EyeQue with John Serri in 2015.

## Latest updates

- **2026-04** — Zenni’s twenty-third-anniversary blog revisited Laczay and his co-founder’s original business approach.
- **2024-08** — John Serri published a retrospective on founding EyeQue with Laczay.

## Links

- Website: https://tiborlaczay.com/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/tibor-laczay
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-12