On was first established as a sporting goods company in 2010. The company was founded by Swiss duathlon champion Olivier Bernhard , in collaboration with David Allemann and Caspar Coppetti. In 2012, On launched the Cloudracer, a shoe that quickly gained popularity after being worn by Olympic medalist Nicola Spirig at the 2012 London Olympic Games . The company claims to sell shoes with unique cushioning on the market, and to have better sales outlets than its competitors; the design was patented as "Cloudtec".