Benoît Pagotto, co-founder of Nike-acquired virtual sneaker design company RTFKT, has passed away at the age of 41, according to public posts from associates.
The news was first reported by Philippe Rodriguez in a LinkedIn post, who called Pagotto a “client and friend” and noted that Pagotto’s death was “sudden.” Rodriguez is a founding partner at Avolta Partners, which advised RTFKT on its sale to Nike in December 2021. Nike shuttered RTFKT in January 2025, but Pagotto continued with the brand as senior director, brand and partnerships.
The news of his death was later confirmed by fellow RTFKT co-founder Steven Vasilev, who posted on X, “The vision, mission and inspiration [Pagotto] gave to the world will live on forever.”
In 2020, Pagotto formed RTFKT (pronounced “artifact”), which created digital products, including sneakers, and used blockchain technology to ensure authenticity, with Vasilev and Chris Le. The firm released artistic NFT sneakers, which quickly gained popularity, and led to brand collaborations with sneaker designer Jeff Staple, Japanese artist Takashi Murakami, and others.
In December 2021, Nike acquired RTFKT for an undisclosed sum (believed to be in the $1 billion range). John Donahoe, then Nike’s CEO, said at the time, “This acquisition is another step that accelerates Nike’s digital transformation and allows us to serve athletes and creators at the intersection of sport, creativity, gaming and culture.”
By December 2024, Nike announced it was winding down the operation in January 2025. In May 2025, Reuters reported that Nike was hit by a lawsuit filed by purchasers of Nike-themed NFTs and other cryptocurrency assets who said they suffered significant losses when the athletic wear company abruptly closed the business that created those assets.
