LONDON — When students met in January for the first day of their marketing class at Northeastern University London, assistant professor Fran Dench arrived with a surprise. Business majors the world over tackle case studies about growing companies but this class learned they would be offering advice to a real-world success story, British eyewear startup Pop Specs.

Pop Specs made their name on Dragons’ Den, the British equivalent of the TV series Shark Tank, where they took home £75,000 in funding from retail entrepreneurs Peter Jones, Touker Suleyman and Sara Davies. Their business model, offering prescription glasses made in 20 minutes, had been a hit in UK shopping malls and they were considering international expansion. 

By the time the 13 students presented to Pop Specs co-founders Daniel Barnes and Lina Tejoprayitno in March, they had not only grown to understand Pop Specs business but generated some original ideas that could influence the company’s potential move to the U.S.

“We really enjoyed being involved in the challenge and were genuinely impressed by the students,” co-founder Daniel Barnes told Northeastern Global News. Not content with simply showing they understood the challenges that growing startups face, the students “came up with some fresh ideas and, importantly, challenged us to think differently about where Pop Specs could go next,” he added.  

A group of students listens closely in a Pop Specs store, seen past a blurred pair of eyeglasses on a yellow display in the foreground. Students visit a branch of Pop Specs in London on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 to learn about the business and its ambitions to expand into the U.S. market. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University

A food truck for eyewear?

Dench, an assistant professor in marketing on Northeastern’s London campus, said the students were undaunted at the prospect of strategizing Pop Specs’ expansion, although some were understandably apprehensive about pitching their ideas to these seasoned entrepreneurs. 

“Presenting in front of your peers can be daunting enough, let alone presenting to the founders of a company whose business decisions you are being asked to influence,” said Dench, assistant professor in marketing at Northeastern University London.

In February, the class visited a London branch of Pop Specs and the founders took the time to talk to students in class, and offer insights into their business and its ambitions. 

Dench said she was proud of how the students took to the task, spending several weeks practicing presentations and refining their ideas. 

“Students who had initially been more reserved appeared more assured, not only in how they communicated but also in the confidence they placed in their own thinking and judgement,” she said. 

An optometrist’s trial frame, used to hold test lenses during eye exams, on display in a Pop Specs store.02/09/26 – London, UK – Students visit a branch of Pop Specs in London on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 to learn about the business and its ambitions to expand into the US market before working to develop strategic recommendations. The experience culminated in a Dragons’ Den-style pitch, where students presented their ideas directly to the PopSpecs CEOs and received live feedback. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University

A student takes notes in a spiral notebook, framed by blurred eyeglasses in the foreground.02/09/26 – London, UK – Students visit a branch of Pop Specs in London on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 to learn about the business and its ambitions to expand into the US market before working to develop strategic recommendations. The experience culminated in a Dragons’ Den-style pitch, where students presented their ideas directly to the PopSpecs CEOs and received live feedback. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University

Three people wearing eyeglass frames smile for a selfie inside the store.02/09/26 – London, UK – Students visit a branch of Pop Specs in London on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 to learn about the business and its ambitions to expand into the US market before working to develop strategic recommendations. The experience culminated in a Dragons’ Den-style pitch, where students presented their ideas directly to the PopSpecs CEOs and received live feedback. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University

Hands hold a clear lens with a white plastic fitting attached to its center beside a pair of tortoiseshell frames, with more frames on display behind them.02/09/26 – London, UK – Students visit a branch of Pop Specs in London on Monday, Feb. 9, 2026 to learn about the business and its ambitions to expand into the US market before working to develop strategic recommendations. The experience culminated in a Dragons’ Den-style pitch, where students presented their ideas directly to the PopSpecs CEOs and received live feedback. Photo by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University
Dench, an assistant professor in marketing on Northeastern’s London campus, said the students were undaunted at the prospect of strategizing Pop Specs’ expansion. Photos by Carmen Valino for Northeastern University

Marketing senior Isaac Pedersen said the opportunity to make a real impact on Pop Specs’ plans was a big motivator. “Because of that, it’s one of the best pieces of work I’ve ever put together,” he said.

Pedersen proposed that rather than pay expensive fees to set up concessions in U.S. department stores, Pop Specs could enter the American market using a mobile eyewear store modelled on a food truck. Standing beside a visual mock-up he created of how the vehicle might look, he proposed this would allow them to show off their speedy delivery process, while testing the demand in locations. 

In a day packed with exciting ideas, it was one that most stood out, said Barnes and Tejoprayitno. 

“We’ve been exploring more flexible and mobile ways of bringing Pop Specs to customers, so his thinking around the concept and visual presentation was very relevant and gave us some ideas we can genuinely take forward,” said Barnes.

Real-world challenge

Dench said the quality of the students’ work reflected how seriously all 13 took the chance to advise a real business. 

“Every student approached the brief with a remarkable level of professionalism, commitment and enthusiasm,” she said.

Alan Verreault, who had arrived in London in January on a study abroad placement, analyzed a number of possible entry cities, before arguing that Pop Specs should consider Miami. While New York or Los Angeles might be more obvious beachheads, Verreault argued that Florida’s most populous city, after Jacksonville, has an arts scene and flamboyant atmosphere that suited Pop Specs. 

“International expansion is something we’re considering for the future, and it was great to hear an outside perspective on where the Pop Specs’ model could potentially work,” Barnes said.

Verreault hopes to work in strategy consulting and believes that experience has already helped him during his Northeastern summer program in Sicily, where he worked with an animal feed company that planned to expand overseas. 

“So I had a whole leg up,” he said, as he implemented similar strategies. “The company ended up absolutely loving my strategy there too.”

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For Dench, the greatest transformation over the semester-long project was seeing students change how they view their own capabilities, from learners in the world of marketing to practitioners. 

“They realise that they can contribute to professional conversations and that their ideas deserve to be heard,” she said.