Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Swarna Shiv. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Swarna, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?

It’s funny how the biggest ideas can start from the smallest moments. For me, it all began in an entrepreneurship classroom at Babson College. Like most students, I was searching for a meaningful project, but I had no idea this class assignment would completely change the trajectory of my life.

The real eye-opener came during the customer discovery phase. I started reaching out to people in different fields, expecting maybe a few polite responses. Instead, what I got was an overwhelming flood of frustration and stories. I spoke with military personnel who described how smudged glasses compromised their performance during critical training. Surgeons shared stories of having to pause during delicate procedures to deal with their smudged lenses. Construction workers talked about the daily struggle of keeping their vision clear while working with a constant smudged vision.

Each conversation hit me harder than the last. What started as a simple class project was revealing a serious problem that affected people’s ability to do their jobs safely and effectively. These weren’t just minor inconveniences – these were real issues impacting real people’s lives and work.

That’s when it clicked: this wasn’t just about me or a grade anymore. I’d stumbled upon a problem that was much bigger than myself, one that was crying out for a solution. The more people I talked to, the more I realized that this project couldn’t end with the semester. It needed to become something more.

Looking back, that entrepreneurship class at Babson wasn’t just about learning what entrepreneurship meant– it became the launchpad for a mission to solve a problem that affects countless professionals across some of our most critical industries. Sometimes the best business ideas don’t come from trying to create the next big thing, but from simply opening your eyes to the problems right in front of you and realizing that you might be the one to fix them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m Swarna Shiv, the founder and CEO of Unsmudgeable, and our mission is to revolutionize how people experience their eyewear. While my journey may not follow the traditional path you’d expect from someone in the optical coating industry – I’m not a formally trained polymer chemist – it’s precisely this outsider perspective that helped me spot a significant gap in the market.

At Unsmudgeable, we’re developing the first permanent, PFAS-free lens coating that actually makes fingerprints fade away from your lenses. This is fundamentally different from what’s currently available in the market. You see, all eyewear today has what’s called an oleophobic (oil-fearing) surface. When you touch your lens, oil clusters form on the surface, causing light to refract in a way that creates those annoying smudges. Our technology doesn’t just make lenses easier to clean – it makes fingerprints unnoticeable from all viewing angles.

What sets us apart is our innovative approach to a problem that’s been largely ignored by the industry giants. While major eyewear brands have focused on UV protection, anti-reflective coatings, and scratch resistance, no one has truly solved the smudging problem since 2011. Over the past year and a half, I’ve immersed myself in polymer chemistry, working alongside our team to conduct over 500 experiments. This hands-on experience, combined with insights from over 100 user interviews, has helped us develop a solution that could fundamentally change how people interact with their eyewear.

I’m particularly proud of the partnerships we’ve built along the way. We’re currently running pilots with Shamir Optical, a subsidiary of EssilorLuxottica and the lens supplier for LensCrafters, and Buhler Leybold Optics, a leading supplier of coating equipment to lens manufacturers. These relationships validate not just our technology, but also our potential to scale and make a real impact in the industry.

But what really drives me is knowing that we’re solving a problem that affects people’s ability to do their jobs safely and effectively. When a surgeon tells me they have to pause during a delicate procedure to deal with smudged lenses, or when a construction worker describes struggling with visibility in dusty conditions, it reinforces the importance of our mission.

We’ve received recognition and support from various organizations, including MassChallenge, Science Inc., and Babson College, and we’ve raised over $77,700 through a combination of competition prizes and investments. But we’re just getting started. Our vision extends beyond just eyewear – we see potential applications for our technology in smartphone screens, car windshields, and other optical surfaces.

At our core, we’re not just a coating technology company – we’re problem solvers dedicated to improving people’s daily experiences with their eyewear. Whether you’re performing surgery, working construction, serving in the military, or just going about your day, we believe you shouldn’t have to constantly worry about cleaning your lenses. That’s the future we’re working to create at Unsmudgeable.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

One of the most crucial lessons I had to unlearn in my entrepreneurial journey was the idea that I needed to follow every piece of advice I received about my startup. Early on, I felt almost obligated to implement suggestions from everyone who offered their insights – after all, many of these people were successful entrepreneurs, mentors, and industry veterans.

However, I quickly discovered that while all this advice came from a good place, trying to incorporate every suggestion was not only overwhelming but sometimes contradictory. Some people would tell me to focus solely on the military market, while others insisted we should target the consumer market immediately. Some advised rushing to market with our current formulation, while others suggested spending more time on R&D.

The turning point came when I realized that nobody knew my business, my customers, and our technology as intimately as I did. I was the one who had conducted hundreds of experiments in the lab, spoken directly with military personnel, surgeons, and construction workers about their challenges with smudged lenses, and understood the nuances of our coating technology.

This realization was liberating. It taught me that while it’s important to listen and learn from others’ experiences, the final decision should always align with your vision and understanding of your business. Sometimes, the best move is to graciously thank people for their advice while staying true to your own intuition and deep knowledge of your specific situation.

Now, I approach advice like a buffet – I take what serves our mission and leave what doesn’t. This has actually made me a better leader and decision-maker, as I’m now more confident in making choices based on our unique circumstances rather than trying to follow a universal playbook that might not fit our specific journey.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

I believe our reputation in the eyewear industry has been built on three key pillars: authentic problem-solving, rigorous scientific development, and meaningful partnerships.

First, we started by truly understanding the problem. Instead of making assumptions, we conducted over 100 interviews with people who deal with smudged lenses in high-stakes situations – military personnel, surgeons, and construction workers. This deep dive into real user experiences not only shaped our solution but showed the industry that we were serious about solving a significant problem that had been overlooked for years.

Our commitment to scientific excellence has also been crucial. Despite not being a formally trained polymer chemist, I’ve immersed myself in the lab Monday through Friday, working alongside our team to conduct over 500 experiments over the past year and a half. This dedication to getting the science right has earned us respect from major players in the industry. It’s one thing to have an idea; it’s another to put in the work to make it viable.

Perhaps most importantly, we’ve built credibility through our strategic partnerships. We’re currently running pilot programs with Shamir Optical and Buhler Leybold Optics, a leading supplier of coating equipment. These relationships didn’t happen by accident – they’re the result of proving that our technology isn’t just innovative, but also practically applicable at an industrial scale.

We’ve also gained recognition through prestigious programs like MassChallenge, which has opened doors to connections with companies like ISS National Lab, Henkel, and BASF. These relationships have helped validate our technology and approach in the broader industry.

But what I’m most proud of is that we’ve built our reputation by staying true to our mission of solving a real problem that affects people’s safety and productivity. We’re not just creating another coating – we’re developing a solution that could fundamentally change how people interact with their eyewear. I think this authentic commitment to improving people’s daily lives has resonated strongly within our market.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://unsmudgeable.com
• Instagram: @unsmudgeable
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/unsmudgeable/
• Twitter: @unsmudgeable1