Mosi "Mosimo" Runako Jones (born September 1980) is an American inventor, entrepreneur, and author, best known as the founder of Pharoh, a premium lifestyle sportswear company, and as the inventor of the patent-protected Aker P1 running shoe. He publishes non-fiction and illustrated works under the name Mosimo Jones.
Jones founded Pharoh (registered as Pharaoh Athletics LLC) in May 2013 after patenting a midsole chassis device in 2012, developing the company over more than a decade largely outside public view before bringing its flagship product, the Aker P1, to presale in September 2026.[1] He is also a co-founder of Obscura, a private event-hosting application slated to launch in early 2027, and has published several works of non-fiction and illustrated books through Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing platform.
Early life and education
Jones was born in September 1980 in Bradenton, Florida.[2] As the son of a military family, he spent his childhood moving among several postings, including Columbus, Georgia; Fort Benning, Georgia; and Hanau, Germany, before returning to Bradenton at age 14.[3] He attended Southeast High School in Bradenton, a school noted for its football program and its record of producing NFL players.
At Southeast, Jones completed four years of Junior Reserve Officers' Training Corps (JROTC), ran the 400 meters on the track team during his sophomore and junior years, and participated in a school business club. He tried out for the junior varsity basketball team as a freshman; after being cut and later invited back, he chose not to return to the sport. Although he also showed ability in football, he did not pursue it competitively in high school. During his junior year, he became part of a rap group, Zulu Outlawz, an association that continued past graduation. Earlier, between the ages of 11 and 13, he played youth league football and basketball.
Jones attended three institutions of higher education: Florida Memorial University in Miami, Florida, where he studied business; State College of Florida in Bradenton, where he studied general studies and film; and Full Sail University in Orlando, Florida, where he studied film and mass communications.
Career
Retail background and the origin of an idea
Before founding his own company, Jones worked for six years as a sales associate at a Nike outlet store in Ellenton, Florida, an experience he has credited with developing his interest in footwear, aided by the employee discount on sneakers. In 2012, he left Nike for a position at Bose, continuing to work at the same Ellenton outlet mall. Without a car, he commuted on foot, a walk of roughly two miles each way. It was during this commute that he conceived the idea for a shoe engineered for faster, more efficient walking — an idea that became the basis of his first patent application later that year.
Patent and founding of Pharoh
Jones filed a patent in 2012 for a midsole chassis device, after research convinced him that no existing footwear on the market addressed the biomechanical problem he had identified. He named the resulting company Pharoh, drawing on a long-standing personal interest in ancient Egyptian culture — an interest also reflected in tattoos of the deities Horus and Isis, as well as a pharaoh. He has described the name as representing elite status, luxury, and the upper echelon of life. The company was formally established in May 2013, registered as Pharaoh Athletics LLC.
Jones has said he deliberately kept the company's early operations low-profile, prioritizing product development and retaining full ownership of the business over seeking press coverage or outside investment.
Development and milestones
Despite limited public visibility in its early years, Pharoh reached a number of internal milestones over the following decade:
- 2012 – Jones files a patent for a midsole chassis device.
- 2017 – Producers of the television series Shark Tank contacted Jones about a potential appearance; the opportunity did not proceed because he did not yet have a working prototype.
- 2018 – Jones releases his first non-fungible token (NFT) on the Rarible marketplace.
- 2020 – A second NFT collection, the Pharoh Sneaker Club, launches on OpenSea; each of the collection's tokens is linked to one of a limited run of 323 pairs of what would become the Aker P1, intended to provide authenticity and future benefits to holders.
- 2022 – Jones launches two separate clothing lines, Pharoh Clothing (streetwear) and Pharoh Athletics (athletic apparel), to gauge market interest ahead of a planned merger.
- 2024 – Jones receives trademark registration for the name "Pharoh" and merges the two clothing lines into a single brand.
- 2026 – Jones files a second patent, covering the Aker P1 running shoe, and opens presale of the shoe in a limited run of 323 pairs. He also coins the term "hypershoe" to describe the Aker P1, positioning it in a category distinct from conventional running shoes, and outlines the concept in articles published on LinkedIn and on the Pharoh website.[6]
The Aker P1
The Aker P1 is a performance running shoe and the flagship product of Pharoh. Its development followed a conversation with footwear consultant Wade Motawi, whom Jones had approached about a football shoe concept; after Motawi expressed little interest in that direction, Jones redirected his research toward running footwear instead. Over the following years he studied footwear technology, biomechanics literature, and competing products independently, and later used artificial-intelligence design tools to help visualize the shoe's concept. That research, building on his original 2012 patent, led to a second patent covering the Aker P1.
The shoe entered presale on September 1, 2026, limited to 323 pairs and available until sold out.[4] As of the presale launch, the Aker P1 remains in the prototype and sample stage, and a domestic manufacturing partner has not yet been finalized.
Jones has stated that he originated the term "hypershoe" to describe the Aker P1, placing its technology in a category distinct from conventional running shoes — in the way a hypercar is distinguished from an ordinary automobile. He introduced the designation in an article titled "Aker P1: World's First Hypershoe," published on LinkedIn, along with a companion article on the Pharoh website.[6]
Other ventures
Publishing
Jones publishes non-fiction and illustrated works under the name Mosimo Jones and, for a separate line of coloring and illustration books, under the imprints MC BK (Mindful Coloring Book Kreations) and Colorful Kreations. His catalog includes Faster Stronger Higher, a book on footwear technology and athletic performance, along with the The Art Book series (KAWS Edition, Bearbrick Edition, and Hermes Edition), the Handbag Fashion Illustrations calendar series, Art Toy Icons, and adult coloring titles including Amazing Patterns Coloring Book and Mindful Patterns Coloring Book for Adults. He has also described plans for a forthcoming four-book series and a YouTube channel series covering the footwear and sportswear industry, both expected between late 2026 and early 2027.
His interest in kinetic chain training and biomechanics is self-directed, beginning with research into NIH-published studies in 2012 as he developed the side-to-side motion technology underlying his first patent, aimed at improving performance in grass- and turf-based sports such as football and soccer.
Obscura
Jones is a co-founder of Obscura, an event-hosting mobile application for individuals and businesses that host events on a private, discretion-focused basis. The app is scheduled to launch in early 2027.[5]
Design philosophy and public image
Jones has described Pharoh's positioning as modeled on the branding template of supercar and hypercar marques, presenting the company as a research-and-development operation built around proprietary footwear technology and presented to the public as a lifestyle sportswear brand. He has characterized Pharoh as the first company to occupy a "premium" tier within sportswear in the way that hypercar brands occupy a tier above mainstream automakers, distinguishing it from established competitors primarily through its patented technology.
Jones has attributed much of his creative drive to years spent navigating unfounded assumptions and criticism from people he has not personally met, describing it as a source of motivation that sharpened his focus on building and creating rather than responding publicly. He has said that while he is frequently perceived as serious, he considers himself, privately, to be something of a jokester.
Personal life
Jones is single, has no children, and has never been married. He has described his religious belief as faith in God, referred to by the Hebrew name Yahweh, and has said the central cause he holds is what he calls "the fate of humanity" — a conviction that people have the capacity either to improve or to damage the human experience going forward, and a stated personal commitment to the former. He describes himself as an avid athlete with a consistent focus on food and healthy living, and cites travel and exploring the food and customs of different cultures as a primary interest outside of his work.
Future plans
Jones has outlined a multi-year roadmap for Pharoh. Within the first year following the Aker P1 presale, he has stated a goal of formally launching the shoe and opening Pharoh's first retail location in the Miami Art District. Over a three-year horizon, he has described plans to expand the product line into additional sports categories, including basketball, football, and soccer footwear. Over five years, he has stated an ambition for Pharoh to reach a valuation in the billions of dollars, potentially through a partnership with a more established brand.
Longer term, Jones has described a vision for Pharoh centered on what he calls the lifestyle of an elite athlete, including plans for a company headquarters incorporating professional training and recreation facilities, an athlete-focused gym membership program, and a possible private club.
Bibliography
Selected works published by Jones, under the names Mosimo Jones, MC BK (Mindful Coloring Book Kreations), and Colorful Kreations:
- Faster Stronger Higher — Mosimo Jones (ASIN B08YQCQ5ZM)
- The Art Book Vol. 1: KAWS Edition — Mindful Coloring Book Kreations (ASIN B0F2YTHCPZ)
- The Art Book Volume Two: Bearbrick Edition — MC BK (ASIN B0FV3LB8NJ)
- The Art Book Volume Three: Hermes Edition — MC BK (ASIN B0FV3PWQQL)
- Handbag Fashion Illustrations: A Wall Calendar for Women 2027–28 — MC BK (ASIN B0H8WJQ7QW)
- Handbag Fashion Illustrations II — MC BK (ASIN B0H957Y2VX)
- Art Toy Icons 2027–28 Wall Calendar — MC BK (ASIN B0H93PPLMR)
- Amazing Patterns Coloring Book: Adult Coloring Book — Colorful Kreations (ASIN B0CX5K6LRS)
- Mindful Patterns Coloring Book for Adults — Mindful Coloring Book Kreations (ASIN B0DKXQ6KDP)
References
- Pharoh. "Aker P1 Presale." pharohathletics.com.
- Biographical details as provided by the subject.
- Biographical details as provided by the subject.
- Pharoh Sneaker Club (OpenSea). opensea.io/PharohSneakerClub; first NFT release: Rarible (2018).
- Obscura. obscuravipevents.com/beta.
- Jones, Mosi. "Aker P1: World's First Hypershoe." LinkedIn, 2026. linkedin.com/pulse/aker-p1-worlds-first-hypershoe; see also companion article, Pharoh website, lnkd.in/p/ema3zmGC.