Shares of Kits, where serial entrepreneur Hardy serves as CEO, started trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange this morning in an initial public offering that netted the company gross proceeds of $55 million. (The Logic)

Talking point: The Vancouver-based digital eye-care platform issued nearly 6.5 million common shares at $8.50 each to trade on the TSX under the symbol KITS. Hardy previously founded Coastal Contacts, where he served as CEO. The company was listed on the TSX and the Nasdaq before being acquired in 2014. He also helmed Shoes.com, a Vancouver-based online retailer that shuttered in January 2017. Shares in Kits rose more than 10 per cent in early morning trading, and the company was said to have a $263-million valuation.Hardy said the company was “pleased to see” both metrics. “Both are indicators that the market understands Kits’ strategy and the opportunity to disrupt a $35 billion North American industry moving towards convenience and value at an accelerated rate,” he said in a statement to The Logic. “That’s why Kits went public, we’re built to service the customer of today in [a] category that remains fragmented and underserved.”