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HAVA: Advanced, Low-Cost Air-Filtration Scarf

Helping the world's most vulnerable people breathe healthier.

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HAVA: Advanced, Low-Cost Air-Filtration Scarf

HAVA: Advanced, Low-Cost Air-Filtration Scarf

HAVA: Advanced, Low-Cost Air-Filtration Scarf

HAVA: Advanced, Low-Cost Air-Filtration Scarf

HAVA: Advanced, Low-Cost Air-Filtration Scarf

Helping the world's most vulnerable people breathe healthier.

Helping the world's most vulnerable people breathe healthier.

Helping the world's most vulnerable people breathe healthier.

Helping the world's most vulnerable people breathe healthier.

Hava
Hava
Hava
Hava
1 Campaign |
Charlottesville, United States
$12,625 USD 34 backers
31% of $40,000 Flexible Goal Flexible Goal
Concept
The project team has not yet produced a working demo for their concept. Their ability to successfully produce a prototype may be affected by product development or financial challenges.
Lightbulb Wrench Warehouse Truck
Concept Prototype Production Shipping
Overview
91% of the world’s population lives in polluted cities. 50% live on less than $10 a day. With your help and our cutting-edge technology we can improve the quality of life for those most in need. A University of Virginia Licensing & Ventures Group partnered project.

UPDATE:
Coverage from UVa: Startup Launches Crowd Funding Campaign
https://batten.virginia.edu/school/news/breathe...

We've created a patent pending process to produce fabric that can trap the most dangerous particulate matter at a cost and speed that was previously not possible.

Our technology relies on metal organic frameworks (MOFs), which are more effective and better for the environment than the polymer-based masks and scarves currently on the market.

To get our life-improving technology to the people of the world who need it the most as quickly as possible, our first product will be a scarf. Simple to design and manufacture, the HAVA scarf will set us on a path towards expanding into other wearable items, such as masks.

By creating an easy-to-wear, ergonomic product that can be used as a common clothing accessory we also hope to eliminate the stigma around  personal pollution filtration devices.
 

Our Partner

The Global Problem of Air Pollution

 

 

Outdoor air pollution is a major cause of death and disease globally. The health effects range from increased hospital admissions and emergency room visits, to increased risk of premature death.
 

Our Technology: Key Benefits

  •  MOF starting materials are inexpensive and degrade much faster than polymers, reducing the waste and additional plastic pollution accumulation.

  • By using MOFs in combination with natural fibers, such as cotton, hemp and bamboo, we are offering an alternative to the synthetic and sterile-looking products typically offered.

  • MOFs have the potential to capture harmful gas pollutants such as SOx and NOx that frequently accompany particulate matter emissions from combustion processes.


A Social Enterprise

Most air masks available for purchase are made from polymers, but these masks cannot be easily produced cheaply, hence the high ( > $ 1/mask) retail prices. Masks made from clothing fabrics are also available, but they don't effectively capture pollutants and gases.

Our scarf addresses both of those limitations, making it possible to serve vulnerable populations in the developing world. Initially we will partner with NGOs and humanitarian aide groups who can help us provide the world's poor with a truly effective way to protect themselves from toxic air. We are in talks with the United Nations and several other organizations to make this happen.

In the long term, we envision our's to be a double bottom line business. We'll have a social return on investment and a financial. In other words: do well by doing good.

 

The Team 

Prof. Gaurav Giri Co-founder + CTO

Gaurav graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Caltech, a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University and finished his postdoctoral work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has been a professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Virginia since 2016, where his research group is focused on studying the fundamental processes behind metal organic framework thin film crystallization, and applications of metal organic frameworks.

Prof. Bala Mulloth Co-founder + CEO

Bala is a globally oriented educator and entrepreneur who has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and North America. His focus areas are innovation and social entrepreneurship and he is currently an Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the University of Virginia's Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy.

Luke Huelsenbeck Co-founder + COO

Luke is currently working towards a PhD in Chemical Engineering. He brings several years of technology development experience from a diverse range of international start ups and R&D departments focused on a cleaner, brighter future. 

 

Way Forward 

Your donation will help us with the crucial next steps to bring HAVA scarves to the world.

  • January 2019: Move into wet lab space, purchase required equipment and confirm distribution partnerships.
  • February 2019: Tooling build-out, complete assembly testing and international quality control certifications.
  • March 2019: Part qualification and pre-production builds, pilot production and quality assurance.
  • April 2019:  Begin manufacturing of scarves.
  • May - June  2019: Begin order fulfillment and delivery.
                                            

More About How We Got Started

"When Gaurav Giri returned to his native country, Nepal, two summers ago to get married, he should have been walking on air. Instead, he was getting sick from it.

Had the air in Nepal always been this difficult to breathe, or had it gotten worse since he had last been home?

“You just couldn’t drive through the city with the windows down,” recalled Giri, an assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Virginia, who has lived in the United States since he was 14 and had last visited Nepal in 2011. “The air pollution was just too severe.”

That’s when Giri got the idea. Continue Reading..."

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Choose your Perk

Day w/ Founders + 100 Scarves
featured

Day w/ Founders + 100 Scarves

$1,000 USD
Spend a day with the founding team on the quaint campus of the University of Virginia. We'll take you into our wet lab, have a working lunch together, and discuss the science and social entrepreneurship aspects of our venture. Your generous contributes also includes donating 100 scarves. Please note that travel to VA is not included.
Included Items
  • Day w/ Founders + 100 Scarves
Estimated Shipping
March 2019
2 claimed
Donation of 2 Scarves

Donation of 2 Scarves

$25 USD
Give the gift of cleaner air to two people.
Included Items
  • Donation of 2 Scarves
Estimated Shipping
June 2019
6 claimed
Donation of 5 Scarves

Donation of 5 Scarves

$50 USD
Give the gift of cleaner air to five people.
Included Items
  • Donation of 5 Scarves
Estimated Shipping
June 2019
2 claimed
Donation of 10 Scarves

Donation of 10 Scarves

$100 USD
Give the gift of cleaner air to ten people.
Included Items
  • Donation of 10 Scarves
Estimated Shipping
June 2019
3 claimed
Tech Demo + 25 Scarves

Tech Demo + 25 Scarves

$250 USD
Go behind the scenes of how we create MOFs in the lab. This online demonstration will take you into the inner workings of HAVA. Your donation will also be used to produce and distribute 25 scarves.
Included Items
  • Tech Demo + 25 Scarves
Estimated Shipping
March 2019
2 claimed
Video Discussion + 50 Scarves

Video Discussion + 50 Scarves

$500 USD
Learn from our founders about turning science into a social venture. This MOF 101 and social entrepreneurship online discussion will introduce you to the concepts and realities of building a materials science company. 50 scarves will also be donated as part of this perk.
Included Items
  • Video Discussion + 50 Scarves
Estimated Shipping
March 2019
1 claimed
Day w/ Founders + 100 Scarves

Day w/ Founders + 100 Scarves

$1,000 USD
Spend a day with the founding team on the quaint campus of the University of Virginia. We'll take you into our wet lab, have a working lunch together, and discuss the science and social entrepreneurship aspects of our venture. Your generous contributes also includes donating 100 scarves. Please note that travel to VA is not included.
Included Items
  • Day w/ Founders + 100 Scarves
Estimated Shipping
June 2019
1 claimed

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