Steven Vasilev, also known as Zaptio, is the co-founder of RTFKT 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. He is passionate about bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds and creating innovative products combining the worlds of sneakers, gaming, and crypto.

Zaptio’s RTFKT is best known for its Metaverse-ready sneakers and highly coveted NFTs, which include collaborations with groundbreaking artists like Takashi Murakami. RTFKT invented the forging mechanic allowing collections to spawn physical items from their NFTs, and it ranks as the 7th largest NFT project in history.

Zaptio has made it his life’s mission to democratize the creative process and empower emerging digital artists. He has invested in several Web3 projects, such as WarpSound, and has given 18 up-and-coming artists the opportunity to design their own RTFKT x Nike Air Force 1 NFT sneakers.