We’re building a million dreamers.
One kid at a time.

Get up to speed.

  1. Micah’s nephew asked if astronauts could be Black. He answered with Aku.

  2. Middle grade series. #6 New York Times bestseller. Award winning.

  3. A sculpture garden in Plainfield, Indiana. A permanent symbol.

  4. TIME Magazine. Christie’s. ComplexCon. Astro Boy. Aku can’t fit in a box.

  5. Thousands of global collectors. United by dreams.

  6. A creator on a mission to prove crazy dreams can be caught.

A child wearing the yellow Aku backpack

New year. New backpack. Unstoppable.

Back-to-school is Aku’s main stage. Every year we hand-deliver Aku yellow backpacks loaded with supplies to the kids who need someone to bet on them out loud. Athletes, foundations, and brands help us reach further.

5,000+ backpacks distributed to date
$250K+ raised for kids in need
$50 sponsors one dreamer

Past program partners

  • LeBron James Foundation
  • Boys & Girls Clubs
  • Tiffany Haddish
  • PitCCh In Foundation
  • Starbucks
  • Blessings in a Backpack
  • will.i.am Foundation
  • Chicago White Sox
  • Los Angeles Dodgers
  • Baby2Baby
  • CC Sabathia

“Build worlds around dreams, not dreams around the world.”

Micah Johnson
Kids holding the yellow Aku backpack

The Model

Buy one. Give one.

Every Aku backpack you buy puts a second yellow backpack on the back of a kid who needs to be told their dream isn’t too big to carry. Same yellow. Same Aku. Same swag.

It’s a model with a track record — built on shoes, built on socks. We’re building it on the one thing every kid carries every day, full of every dream the next chapter depends on.

Take a closer look.

  1. Aku_Yellow_2 backpack — full
  2. Aku_Yellow_2 backpack — front
  3. Aku_Yellow_2 backpack — interior lining
  4. Aku_Yellow_2 backpack — tag
  5. Aku_Yellow_2 backpack — logo detail

Proof

“Your imagination is powerful. Don’t let anyone tell you what you can or cannot be.”

Micah Johnson

Unzip the Zipper

to learn more about Aku