ASHEVILLE – Astral Buoyancy, a manufacturer of environmentally friendly outdoor gear, has raised $750,000 from seven investors, according to a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
The company is trying to raise $499,880 more, according to the filing.
Astral Buoyancy was founded in 2002, by Chief Executive Officer Philip Curry after he had become a full-time biodynamic farmer.
Curry was inspired to make more environmentally friendly outdoor clothing.
Curry then set to designing products for wilderness athletes with his team that were the least toxic for the environment.
The company has now almost eliminated toxic PVC foam from the PFD [personal flotation device] industry, has created breathable life jackets and has developed the stickiest rubber ever worn on wet rock. The company has also won awards for its novel footwear designs.
Before founding Astral Buoyancy, Curry was also the founder of Lotus Designs in 1994 and sold the company to Patagonia in 1999. He has a degree from Warren Wilson College in anthropology and agriculture.
This story is from the North Carolina Business News Wire, a service of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Media and Journalism
