Nike

🔥 Nike – From a University Project to a $150 Billion Empire

📌 Founded: 1964
📌 Country: USA
📌 Founders: Phil Knight & Bill Bowerman
📌 Original Name: Blue Ribbon Sports
📌 Market Value (2024): Over $150 billion

🚀 Key Dates:

• 1964 – Founded as Blue Ribbon Sports (BRS), distributing Onitsuka Tiger shoes (now Asics).
• 1971 – Rebranded as Nike, named after the Greek goddess of victory.
• 1971 – The Swoosh logo, designed by student Carolyn Davidson for $35, is introduced.
• 1984 – Nike signs Michael Jordan, launching Air Jordan, revolutionizing sneaker culture.
• 1996 – Launch of Nike Golf, partnering with Tiger Woods.
• 2003 – Acquires Converse for $305 million.
• 2019 – Releases Adapt BB, self-lacing sneakers controlled via an app.

😲 Fun Facts:

✔ Nike’s first shoes were made using a waffle iron – Bill Bowerman experimented with rubber soles.
✔ Early Nike shoes were sold out of a car trunk at track meets.
✔ Nike faced major backlash in the 1990s for child labor issues, forcing a major reform in supply chain ethics.
✔ Nike’s revenue in 2022 surpassed $50 billion.