# Steven Vasilev > Steven Vasilev is the co-founder of RTFKT and Senior Director of Digital-Physical Product at Nike, an investor and creative curator at the forefront of tech, cu... - Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/steven-vasilev - Categories: People in crypto - Tags: Founder - Created: 2023-02-13T18:50:07.338Z - Last updated: 2023-02-13T18:50:07.338Z - Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki) --- **Steven Vasilev**, also known as Zaptio, is the co-founder of [RTFKT](https://iq.wiki/wiki/rtfkt-studios) and the Senior Director of Digital-Physical Product at Nike. A creative curator and investor, he has built visionary companies at the forefront of culture, tech, and Web3. With cofounders [Benoit Pagotto](https://iq.wiki/wiki/benoit-pagotto) and [Chris Le](https://iq.wiki/wiki/chris-le), Vasilev launched [RTFKT](https://iq.wiki/wiki/rtfkt-studios) (pronounced artifact) in 2020 to create digital clothing and sneakers for the metaverse. Vasilev previously crafted real-life custom kicks for celebs. "I saw how sneakers were becoming status symbols for Gen Z kids, how physical marketplaces worked, and I thought it could be more frictionless with digital assets." In May 2021, RTFKT raised $8 million from Andreessen Horowitz and others and was acquired by Nike that December for an undisclosed price.