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Nike

ApplicationBeaverton, Oregon, USAFounded 1964· One of 686 Application companies tracked by AMPulse

Develops and commercializes 3D-printed footwear using additive manufacturing, such as the Air Max 1000 with dual-color single-print technology, reducing manual assembly and production waste.

CEO / Founder
Elliott Hill
Team Size
10000+
Stage
Public
Total Funding
Publicly Traded

Technology & Products

Key Products

Nike's key products include athletic footwear, apparel, equipment, and accessories across various sports categories. They are known for innovations like Air Max, Flyknit, and Dri-FIT technologies, and are increasingly leveraging 3D printing for footwear.

Technological Advantage

Proprietary additive manufacturing processes integrated into footwear design, enabling rapid prototyping and production with reduced waste and enhanced customization.

Patent position

Nike filed 112 patent families across all years, compared with adidas's 74. AMPulse analysis

Filing momentum
7 families filed 2022–2024, 14 in 2019–2021
Filed in
US 32%WO 26%EP 21%CN 21%
Named competitors, AM patent families
adidas 74

112 AM patent families in total. Recent years are still being published, so read a filing change against the same-office figure.

Differentiation

Value Proposition

Enables seamless integration of multiple colors in a single 3D print, eliminating manual assembly steps, cutting production time, and reducing material waste for customizable, high-performance footwear.

How They Differentiate

Nike differentiates itself through continuous product innovation, strong athlete partnerships, design excellence, and a powerful brand image ("Just Do It"). They invest heavily in research and development to create advanced technologies for athletic performance.

Market & Competition

Target Customers

Athletes, sneaker enthusiasts, and general consumers

Industry Verticals

Footwear; Sportswear; Consumer Goods

Competitors

Adidas, Puma, Under Armour

Growth & Milestones

Growth Metrics

Footwear revenue $30.97B in fiscal 2025; North America revenue $19.57B in fiscal 2025; Asia Pacific and Latin America revenue $6.25B in fiscal 2025

Major Milestones

Launch of Air Max 1000 with dual-color 3D printing (2025); Expansion of 3D printed footwear program with Air Max 95000; Collaboration with Zellerfeld for additive manufacturing innovation

https://www.nike.com

Recent coverage of Nike

AM patents

AM-relevant patents linked to this company.

Patents
134
Granted
49
Families
112

Leading domains: process (134), equipment (55), material (8)

Filings by year: 2024: 4 · 2023: 3 · 2021: 9 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 11

  1. 3D printing of multi-layer shoe uppers117137230 · CN
  2. DIRECT PRINT EXTRUDER WITH A MULTI-FACETED ADJUSTABLE OUTPUT PRESSURE20240383202 · US
  3. Methods of manufacturing articles utilizing foam particles10946583 · US
  4. METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PRINTING THREE-DIMENSIONAL STRUCTURES WITH IMAGE INFORMATION4112273 · EP
  5. Custom Orthotics and Personalized Footwear20200238626 · US