There is a company with more than 200 patents.
Not on a chip. Not on a drug. On the back of a shoe.
Nike licenses their technology. Skechers got sued over it in federal court. A top ten global footwear brand has reportedly been in talks for a license.
All of it is about one small, unglamorous problem: bending over to put on your shoes.
The brand you see in stores is called Kizik. But Kizik is not really the business.
The business is the patent portfolio, and understanding why that distinction exists is the most interesting thing in footwear right now.