tech
36-year-old's fitness company was 'a week away' from bankruptcy—now it's valued at $10.1 billion
Whoop was born from founder and CEO Will Ahmed's obsession with tracking his own fitness and recovery as a college athlete.
TL;DR
- Will Ahmed founded Whoop, a fitness wearables company, in 2012 after experiencing fatigue from over-training as a college athlete.
- The company, based in Boston, now has over 2.7 million users and achieved an $11 billion valuation in March.
- Whoop faced significant investor skepticism and was close to bankruptcy around its sixth year of operation.
- The business model shifted in 2018 to an annual membership, which boosted subscriber growth, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic.
- Despite competition from major players like Apple and Fitbit, Whoop plans to expand internationally and invest further in technology, including AI.