At 34, Tony Cozendey directs the Instituto Visão Solidária and expands the project that has already helped 6 thousand children
Summary
At 15, Tony left the rural area of Rondônia. Today he runs the Instituto Visão Solidária, a network that earns 100 million reais and offers affordable glasses while expanding the social project that has already benefited more than 6,000 vulnerable children.
At 15 years old, Tony Cozendey He left the rural area of Rondônia to study and work. Today, at 34, he directs the Instituto Visão Solidária (IVS), a network present in 25 states, which plans to earn more than 100 million reais in 2025. The company combines affordable prices and direct social impact: more than 6,000 children have already benefited from the Criança de Visão project.
“In November, we will complete three years of franchising. The goal is to reach 250 units by the end of the year. Our growth is above average,” he says. He emphasizes that the plan has one goal: “We want to bring vision health to those who have never had access to it. The objective is donate 20,000 glasses and will impact more than 100,000 children in the years to come.
His journey began in difficult conditions. “My father had a clothing store, but the business went bankrupt and we moved to a rural area. It was a shock. There was no energy, no sanitation and illnesses were common. I caught malaria. When I realized that they had already taken away my right to study, I decided to ask my father to return to the city. I wanted a chance,” he recalls.
Entrepreneurial life and social vision
In Buritis (RO), he did odd jobs until he got a job as a office boy in one perspective. “That’s where my connection with the world of optics began. In my free time, I would take apart frames to try to understand. Three months later, I became a salesman. Optics gave me dignity and direction.”
At 17, he moved Rio Branco be a manager. Shortly after, he received an offer that would change everything. “The owner of an optician offered me to buy the business. I had no money, but I had the courage. I rented the store, I paid a commission and, six months later, I bought it. At 19, I opened my first CNPJ. I wanted to prove that I could grow without abandoning my origins.”
He created the Óticas Mais network, but understood that it needed better management. A partnership with the industrial company Clear Optical, in Riverpaved the way. “The logistics were difficult and I realized I needed to get closer to the industry. I moved to Rio in 2015. That’s where I discovered Vision Solidarity Institute. I wanted something bigger than a business. I wanted to give back what optics had given me.
Democratizing access to glasses for the periphery
Before physical stores, IVS was born itinerant. “I said to myself: if I can use my experience to offer quality glasses at a fair price, I can transform realities. And really transform.” The first action sold 400 glasses. By 2016, the project was operational in three states and selling 2,000 units per month.
The first physical store opened in 2018, in Mato Grosso. “We have created a counter-free, democratic environment where the customer has autonomy. Democratize It’s not just about lowering prices, it’s also about respecting people. »
In 2022launched the franchise; In 202344 units have already been sold; In 2024120; today, 214 in 2025. “The progress has been surprising. We ended last year with 50 million reais and we are going to double that figure again. But what touches me the most is not the income, it is knowing that we are reducing inequality.”
Franchisees are encouraged to donate glasses
Social is at the heart of the strategy. “One in three children who drop out of school experience difficulties vision-related learning. Sometimes the child is not disinterested, he just doesn’t see it. When we put glasses on a child’s face and they smile, it says it all.
The project Child of Vision provided thousands of consultations. “We carry social in our name and in our DNA. We encourage every franchisee to donate at least four drinks per month. It’s not an obligation, it’s a commitment to real Brazil. We know where it comes from and we know who we want to help.”
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