NEELY AIR FREESTYLE

Margo Neely (CEO, Neely & Daughters) is the creator-inventor of the Neely Air Freestyle: a digital “tap shoe” that allows the user, amateur or professional, to create digital beats, sounds, and rhythms with movement. The fully functional prototype was developed at the University of Massachusetts College of Engineering from 2019—2025— its most recent iteration an innovation in wearable technology. Work began in 2020 with the University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Engineering MIE capstone design project (Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering) to produce the first ever working prototype of the shoe; In 2024-25, under the guidance of Margo Neely, Professor Baird Soules, and Professor Jeremy Gummeson, the M5 ECE Team 9 (Om Tank, Malachi McKnight, Mandy Peng, Owen Fedele) brought the most advanced Neely Air Freestyle prototype into the world. The Neely Air Freestyle is a revolutionary engineering breakthrough—a wearable Human Interface Device that uses foot motion and pressure for control. It redefines intuitive, responsive interaction across music, gaming, VR, and interactive media.

Without a single dollar spent and no promotion or marketing, Margo Neely’s original Neely Air sneaker concept organically captured over 54 million fans worldwide, and has achieved 6.21 Billion in media reach through the organic (viral) publication of nearly 350 feature stories about the work in global media outlets (Gizmodo, DJ Mag, MSN, BBC, CNN, et al.) A major New York City Public Relations firm gave Margo Neely’s visibility and the reach of the Neely Air sneaker a reverse valuation of $19—32 MILLION Dollars, calling her work, “Kim Kardashian ‘Break the Internet’ Level Stuff.” The success and visibility of the Neely Air project made it a standout case study at the UMass Amherst Isenberg School of Management, where students—under the direction of Professor Thomas Woodside—collaborated with CEO Margo Neely to analyze the product’s impact and develop a data-driven market, opportunity, and competitive analysis. From engineering to business to performance and production, this groundbreaking interdisciplinary collaboration between Neely and UMass Amherst has produced a paradigm-shifting device that is redefining what wearable technology can do.