Carrie Blackmore Smith

csmith@enquirer.com

A year ago, Miami University seniors Michael Markesbery and Rithvik Venna were preparing to graduate college.

They were also about to launch a Kickstarter campaign for a high-tech jacket, insulated with a material used in the space shuttle.

The zoology majors wouldn't be disappointed.

Backers pledged $319,000 in 30 days through the crowdfunding website and Lukla was born, producing its first line of jackets for skiers, snowboarders and others outdoor sports lovers.

Now, they're at it again.

At noon on Monday, they launched a new Kickstarter campaign with a new jacket, beanies, gloves and snow pants. By midday Thursday, they had raised just under $109,000.

You'll notice a name change: Oros Apparel. That's because they have expanded their business into workwear and are licensing their aerogel technology for other products.

"We could get a loan to produce this stuff or we can do what we do best, which is a Kickstarter," Markesbery, an Indian Hill native, said. "We decided to go back to our original consumers; guys who got us here in the first place."

Kickstarter allows people to offer financial support to individuals and startups, like Oros, that are attempting to launch a service or product into the market.

The company or individual sets a fundraising goal; in Oros' case: $310,000.

If the goal isn't reached, the pledges aren't cashed in and everyone moves on. During Lukla's first campaign the company met its $100,000 goal in less than 48 hours.

Depending on the level of support, backers can get rewards. Oros will give backers one of its new beanies for $35, for example.

Oros was one of the first companies selling jackets using aerogel as an insulator on the market. While Markesbery is proud of the product the company delivered last fall, he said the second jacket is improved.

For one, they are using a different type of aerogel that is far more flexible. Aerogel is the world's lightest solid, allowing the jackets to be thin and warm.

Oros is Greek for "mountain," so the name is fitting, Markesbery said.

"Whenever you engage in a task, you have to sacrifice blood, sweat, time and money," Markesbery said. "We thought the name was symbolic of the challenge that goes along with the task."

So what else is new about the second-generation jacket? It has a few small things, including a different type of Velcro and smaller hood. But its weight has also been reduced by 33 percent.

Markesbery is particularly excited about the gloves, which are self-heating, by using aerogel and a material called graphene; no battery required.

Markesbery, Venna and their third business partner, Massimiliano "Max" Squire, will continue pressing into the workwear market, a roughly $10 billion a year industry, Markesbery said.

The U.S. Army is already testing an Oros jacket that may one day be ordered in bulk for Navy Seals or Marines, Markesbery said.

"If you're not innovating," Markesbery said, "you're dying."