Swiss athletic footwear and apparel maker On Holding (NYSE: ONON) has grown a lot faster than American industry bellwether (NYSE: NKE) over the past few years. But here's an ironic twist: On probably wouldn't exist without Nike.

Olivier Bernhard, a former Swiss Ironman champion and Nike athlete, originally pitched his design for a proprietary "cloud" shoe cushioning technology to Nike. These cushions, which were developed by studying the flexibility of garden hoses, would relax when a runner's foot was in the air but tighten up for a firmer foundation when it hit the ground.

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Source Fool.com