RTFKT (pronounced 'artifact') was a digital-native creative studio founded in 2020 by Benoit Pagotto, Chris Le, and Steven Vasilev. The company combined sneaker culture, gaming, anime, and NFTs to produce virtual sneakers, collectibles, avatars (including the CloneX PFP project with artist Takashi Murakami), and metaverse-ready apparel. RTFKT raised $8 million in seed funding led by Andreessen Horowitz in May 2021 at a reported valuation of ~$33 million. Nike acquired the studio in December 2021 to expand into virtual product and Web3 commerce. After several years of NFT drops and physical/digital 'forging' experiments, Nike announced in December 2024 that RTFKT would wind down operations by the end of January 2025, transitioning the brand to an archived site. Nike subsequently sold the RTFKT brand to an undisclosed buyer on December 17, 2025.
RTFKT has been acquired
This company is no longer available on our private secondary market.
Company data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Founded
2020
Employees
20–30
Total Funding
$8.2M
1 rounds
Latest Valuation
$0.03B
2021
Total raised $8.2M across 1 rounds
Funding data and valuation marks are estimates and may be incomplete, stale, erroneous, or revised.
Last updated 06-25-2026
Latest Round
Type
Seed
Date
2021
Amount
$8.2M
Valuation
$0.03B
Lead Investors
Benoit Pagotto
Co-Founder
Chris Le
Co-Founder
Steven Vasilev
Co-Founder & CEO
Competitor list is illustrative and may be incomplete, stale, or erroneous.
Nifty Gateway
Curated NFT marketplace owned by Gemini focused on digital art and limited drops, overlapping RTFKT's collectible drop model.
Dapper Labs
Web3 studio behind NBA Top Shot and the Flow blockchain; competed in branded digital collectibles and IP-driven NFT experiences.
DressX
Digital-only fashion marketplace selling virtual garments and AR try-ons, directly competing in metaverse-native apparel.
The Fabricant
Digital fashion house creating virtual-only couture and NFT garments for brands and metaverse environments.
Yuga Labs
Creator of Bored Ape Yacht Club and CryptoPunks; competed with RTFKT/CloneX for premium PFP and Web3 brand mindshare.
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