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Nike Unknown Facts
Founded by a university track athlete Phil Knight and his coach Bill Bowerman in 1964, Nike Inc., an American multinational corporation, is the world’s largest supplier of athletic shoes and apparel. Here are some interesting and lesser known facts about Nike.
Unknown facts about Nike
1) Nike was started when founder Phil Knight was working on one of his college assignments. Knight worked on a business plan about creating better running shoes with cheap labor, probably from Japan. With the idea, Phil Knight, along with Bill Bowerman, started importing Japanese shoes to America and started selling them to high school students and athletes.
2) The Company was initially named Blue Ribbon Sports and was a distributor of Japanese shoemaker Onitsuka Tiger. After it ended its relationship with Onitsuka Tiger, it was renamed Nike, after the Greek Goddess of Victory. Before choosing the name Nike, the Company was almost named Dimension Six, before the founders changed their mind.
3) Nike’s famous slogan “Just Do It” was inspired by an unusual source. The advertising agency which created the slogan, credited the last words of a convicted murderer Gary Gilmore’s, “Let’s do it,” as the inspiration behind Nike’s world famous tagline.
4) Nike’s logo Swoosh was initially called Stripey. The logo was designed by a University of Portland student for just $ 35. After the Company became successful, the student was given stakes worth $ 640,000 in Nike.
5) In the 1987 advertisement for Nike’s Air Max shoes, the Company used The Beatles’ song Revolution for their campaign. This did not sit well with The Beatles and they sued Nike for $ 15 million.
6) Tinker Hatfield, Nike’s shoe designer and Vice President for Design and Special Projects, also designed the hoverboarding shoes worn by Michael J. Fox’s character Marty McFly in Back to the Future Part II.
7) Nike created and patented a shoe which has an embedded computing device capable of communicating with the wearer’s smartphone.
8) Known for its unique advertising campaigns, Nike has won two Emmy Awards for its commercials in 2000 and 2002 respectively.
Even after 55 years of its founding, Nike still remains one of the top brands in the world, with an annual revenue of $ 36.39 billion. Which of these facts about Nike surprised you the most? Comment below and let us know.
A decade ago, the success of a startup was measured largely by its ability to raise capital. Today, a different metric is gaining importance: the ability to generate meaningful exits for investors. Large stake sales by early backers are becoming increasingly common, not because growth opportunities have disappeared, but because India’s startup ecosystem is entering a more mature phase where capital is expected to complete its full cycle from investment to returns.
This evolution is particularly significant for consumer brands that have successfully blended technology, retail, and strong brand-building. Companies that were once viewed as high-risk startup bets are now attracting institutional investors capable of absorbing large transactions. Such developments indicate that these businesses are no longer being valued solely on future potential; they are increasingly being assessed on operational performance, market leadership, and long-term profitability. In many ways, investor exits are becoming a validation of a company’s ability to create lasting enterprise value.
The broader implication extends beyond a single company or investor. Successful exits encourage more global capital to enter India’s startup ecosystem because they demonstrate that liquidity opportunities exist at scale. As more venture-backed companies approach public listings, secondary transactions, or strategic investments, the focus of founders and investors alike may shift from chasing headline valuations to building durable businesses. The next chapter of India’s startup journey will likely be defined not just by the creation of unicorns, but by the creation of companies capable of delivering sustained returns to all stakeholders.
Apple has unveiled the new MacBook Air with M5 chip, starting at $999 for 13-inch and $1,299 for 15-inch models. The MacBook Air M5 boasts a 2nm M5 chip with 12-core CPU, 18-core GPU, and 50 TOPS Neural Engine for seamless AI tasks like real-time translation and 8K editing. Up to 22 hours of battery life, Thunderbolt 5, and Wi-Fi 7 make it the ultimate ultraportable, now 10% thinner at 0.44 inches with fanless cooling.
Key MacBook Air M5 features include Liquid Retina XDR display (500 nits, nano-texture option), 12MP Center Stage camera, and six-speaker Spatial Audio. Colors like new Sky Blue join Midnight and Starlight. Pre-orders are live today, with macOS Sequoia 15.4 enhancing Apple Intelligence and iPhone Continuity for students, pros, and remote workers.
Why buy MacBook Air M5 now? It outpaces Snapdragon X Elite rivals with ecosystem magic and future-proof performance, eyeing top 2026 laptop sales. CEO Tim Cook calls it “more capable than ever.” Visit apple.com for M5 MacBook deals and specs.
Delhi NCR-based gaming startup Zupee has acquired Mumbai-based microdrama platform Vertical TV in a deal valued under INR 40 Cr. This move strengthens Zupee Studio, its short-video arm launched in September 2025, by integrating Vertical TV’s expertise in bite-sized dramas like romance and thrillers.
Facing challenges from India’s 2025 real-money gaming ban, Zupee valued at $1 Bn after raising $120 Mn has pivoted to non-gaming content, including recent layoffs of 40% of its workforce. The acquisition builds on its November 2025 purchase of Australian AI firm Nucanon for interactive storytelling, targeting its 200 Mn+ users with engaging, mobile-first formats.
This deal underscores the rising microdrama trend in India, helping Zupee diversify amid regulatory pressures and compete in the short-video space dominated by quick, shareable content for on-the-go audiences.
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