Sleep apnea developer Airing makes crowdfunding goal

Burlington, Mass.-based startup Airing achieved its $100,000 crowdfunding goal for its cordless continuous positive airway pressure device for treating obstructive sleep apnea.

The IndieGoGo campaign reached its goal within 2 hours of opening, the Boston Business Journal reported. The campaign is now at more than $175,000, with 31 days left until it closes.

The device is designed to replace traditional CPAP machines, which require pumps, hoses and masks, the company said. The Airing device is disposable, and fits in a patient’s nostrils without cords or hoses.

“We are humbled and thrilled at the same time with the early success of the Airing Indiegogo campaign.  It’s exciting because the more money we raise, the more we can accelerate product development,” CEO Stephen Marsh told the newspaper via email.

The IndieGoGo campaign looked to raise the money to start proof-of-concept prototyping of the device, according to an earlier Boston Business Journal article.

Airing founder and device inventor Stephen Marsh said he hoped the crowdfunding campaign would engender support from sleep apnea patients.

“Seeing how [crowdfunding] is growing in popularity, it’s interesting to me and to people in the company who realized we had an opportunity to get funding from people who actually suffer from the condition,” Marsh told the newspaper.

The company said it hopes the device will help the estimated 22 million Americans with sleep apnea avoid non-compliance with standard CPAP devices, which use facemasks and pumps that many find uncomfortable.

“As a result of recent research, I realized that current pumps possess several deficiencies which severely limit their effectiveness and saw an opportunity to apply a new design to these pumps that could be used in a variety of ways, including treating breathing disorders. The result is a solution that we believe has the potential to address this area, and to help a large number of people live better, healthier lives,” Marsh said in a press release.

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