Nike launches unified innovation engine to drive athlete-centred breakthroughs
Nike unites innovation, design and product development across Nike, Jordan and Converse to accelerate athlete-focused breakthroughs in sport.
- Oct 25, 2025,
- Updated Oct 25, 2025 9:44 AM IST
Nike has announced the creation of a new unified innovation engine that brings together the Innovation, Design and Product teams from Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse. The move is part of the company’s “Sport Offense” initiative and aims to strengthen collaboration, share insights, and accelerate the development of athlete-first innovations.
According to the company, this structure will enable its teams to combine technology, research and design methods to deliver products that help athletes perform at their best.
“Our north star is a homage to our co-founder, Bill Bowerman, and a challenge Kobe Bryant put to all of us: ‘Create epic s— and make athletes better,’” said Phil McCartney, Chief Innovation, Design and Product Officer, NIKE, Inc. “Everything begins and ends with the athlete’s voice — their goals, their struggles, their drive. By uniting our creation organization across Nike, Jordan and Converse, we’re accelerating progress and fully leveraging our strengths to deliver epic products that make athletes better. It’s a new day in Innovation, Design and Product at Nike.”
The announcement coincides with the debut of four new innovation platforms: Aero-FIT, Nike Mind, Project Amplify and Therma-FIT Air Milano. Each showcases Nike’s latest advances in technology designed to enhance performance and comfort for athletes across disciplines.
Aero-FIT introduces Nike’s most advanced cooling technology yet, capable of channelling more than twice the airflow of previous athletic apparel.
Nike Mind draws from over a decade of neuroscience research, debuting with the Mind 001 mule and Mind 002 sneaker, designed to support athletes’ mental readiness before and after competition.
Project Amplify becomes the world’s first powered footwear system for running and walking, aimed at helping users move faster and farther with less effort.
Therma-FIT Air Milano integrates Nike Air technology into performance outerwear, offering adjustable warmth levels that allow athletes to regulate body temperature without changing layers.
“These innovations represent the depth, breadth and impact of Nike’s commitment to athlete-centred innovation,” said McCartney. “Our curious, talented teammates who come together to serve athletes every day, combined with our advantaged resources like the Nike Sport Research Lab, will enable us to deliver future decades of disruptive products and performance breakthroughs.”
The newly unified structure builds upon Nike’s global innovation network, which includes nearly 1,000 designers and engineers based at world-class facilities such as the Serena Williams Building and the LeBron James Innovation Center on Nike’s Philip H. Knight Campus. The company’s Bowerman Footwear Lab and advanced manufacturing partners also play key roles in bringing new ideas to market.
“We are a team of dreamers, designers and creators with a responsibility to make athlete dreams real,” McCartney added. “We focus on the athlete’s unique relationship with their sport, creating solutions they never knew they needed and can’t live without. We imagine and innovate — always starting with athletes, staying grounded in sport, and pushing what’s possible in innovation, design and product.”
Nike has announced the creation of a new unified innovation engine that brings together the Innovation, Design and Product teams from Nike, Jordan Brand and Converse. The move is part of the company’s “Sport Offense” initiative and aims to strengthen collaboration, share insights, and accelerate the development of athlete-first innovations.
According to the company, this structure will enable its teams to combine technology, research and design methods to deliver products that help athletes perform at their best.
“Our north star is a homage to our co-founder, Bill Bowerman, and a challenge Kobe Bryant put to all of us: ‘Create epic s— and make athletes better,’” said Phil McCartney, Chief Innovation, Design and Product Officer, NIKE, Inc. “Everything begins and ends with the athlete’s voice — their goals, their struggles, their drive. By uniting our creation organization across Nike, Jordan and Converse, we’re accelerating progress and fully leveraging our strengths to deliver epic products that make athletes better. It’s a new day in Innovation, Design and Product at Nike.”
The announcement coincides with the debut of four new innovation platforms: Aero-FIT, Nike Mind, Project Amplify and Therma-FIT Air Milano. Each showcases Nike’s latest advances in technology designed to enhance performance and comfort for athletes across disciplines.
Aero-FIT introduces Nike’s most advanced cooling technology yet, capable of channelling more than twice the airflow of previous athletic apparel.
Nike Mind draws from over a decade of neuroscience research, debuting with the Mind 001 mule and Mind 002 sneaker, designed to support athletes’ mental readiness before and after competition.
Project Amplify becomes the world’s first powered footwear system for running and walking, aimed at helping users move faster and farther with less effort.
Therma-FIT Air Milano integrates Nike Air technology into performance outerwear, offering adjustable warmth levels that allow athletes to regulate body temperature without changing layers.
“These innovations represent the depth, breadth and impact of Nike’s commitment to athlete-centred innovation,” said McCartney. “Our curious, talented teammates who come together to serve athletes every day, combined with our advantaged resources like the Nike Sport Research Lab, will enable us to deliver future decades of disruptive products and performance breakthroughs.”
The newly unified structure builds upon Nike’s global innovation network, which includes nearly 1,000 designers and engineers based at world-class facilities such as the Serena Williams Building and the LeBron James Innovation Center on Nike’s Philip H. Knight Campus. The company’s Bowerman Footwear Lab and advanced manufacturing partners also play key roles in bringing new ideas to market.
“We are a team of dreamers, designers and creators with a responsibility to make athlete dreams real,” McCartney added. “We focus on the athlete’s unique relationship with their sport, creating solutions they never knew they needed and can’t live without. We imagine and innovate — always starting with athletes, staying grounded in sport, and pushing what’s possible in innovation, design and product.”