For years, Whoop positioned itself as a secret weapon for elite athletes. LeBron James was an early adopter, convinced of the device’s potential in the company’s first year. Michael Phelps soon followed, and the roster quickly grew to include Cristiano Ronaldo, Patrick Mahomes, and Rory McIlroy. The message was clear: if the world’s best performers rely on Whoop to track their bodies, so can you. That strategy worked, transforming the Boston-based startup, founded by Will Ahmed whereas still a student at Harvard, into a global player in the health and wellness space.
But Whoop’s ambitions are now expanding beyond peak performance. The company, which reported over 100% revenue growth last year and has reached cash-flow positive, is aiming to become a proactive health monitor, one that doesn’t just help athletes recover faster, but can potentially warn users of impending health crises, like a heart attack. This shift represents a significant challenge – and a potential leap forward – for the wearable technology industry.
Whoop’s hardware, a screenless band worn on the wrist, bicep, or torso, continuously measures sleep, recovery, heart rate variability, and a growing list of biomarkers. The subscription model, ranging from $200 to $360 annually, includes both the hardware and software access, a model that has proven remarkably effective, with 83% of monthly active users opening the app daily – a rate Ahmed claims is second only to WhatsApp. This high engagement is key to Whoop’s evolving strategy.
From Athlete’s Edge to Everyday Health
The core of Whoop’s new direction lies in its expanding suite of medically-focused features. The company has already received clearance for ECG monitoring and atrial fibrillation detection, capabilities designed to identify irregular heartbeats that can lead to stroke. Perhaps more ambitiously, Whoop introduced “blood pressure insights,” claiming to be the first wearable to offer such a feature. However, this claim drew scrutiny from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
In a warning letter last summer, the FDA argued that Whoop’s blood pressure feature constituted a medical diagnosis, falling outside the scope of wellness monitoring. Whoop publicly disputed the FDA’s assessment, asserting the agency was “overstepping its authority,” but continued development. The company has since partnered with Quest Diagnostics, a network with over 2,000 U.S. Locations, allowing members to take blood tests and upload biomarkers directly into the Whoop app for review by a clinician. This integration, coupled with the “Health Span” feature – which calculates biological age – has become the company’s most popular offering since its launch in May 2023, according to Ahmed.
A Different Approach to Wearable Tech
Whoop’s design philosophy is deliberately minimalist. Unlike smartwatches, the band has no screen, no notifications, and doesn’t even count steps. “If you have a screen, then you’re a watch,” Ahmed explained in a recent interview. “And if you’re a watch, then you’re competing with a lot of other watches, because people will never wear two watches.” This intentional choice allows Whoop to be worn discreetly alongside other devices, or even tucked away entirely within clothing – a key differentiator for athletes during competition.
The company has also expanded into apparel, launching a line in 2021 that saw a 70% growth last year, suggesting a growing interest in integrating the sensor seamlessly into daily life. However, Whoop isn’t alone in this pursuit. Oura, the Finnish company behind the smart ring, has emerged as its most direct competitor, attracting a loyal following among professionals focused on optimizing their health, and performance.
The Competition Heats Up
Oura’s business model differs significantly. Customers purchase the ring outright for around $350 and then pay roughly $70 annually for platform access. Dorothy Kilroy, Oura’s chief product officer, told TechCrunch last fall that the company boasts a remarkable 12-month retention rate in the high 80s. Both Whoop and Oura are experiencing growth in their female user base, and both announced blood-testing partnerships within a day of each other last fall, a coincidence neither company has publicly addressed.
While Oura’s model focuses on direct ownership, Whoop continues to rely on its subscription service. Ahmed notes that Whoop currently skews more male than female, but the business is now roughly evenly split between the U.S. And international markets, with formal shipping to 60 countries. The company’s appeal to elite athletes remains a powerful marketing tool. At the Australian Open earlier this year, tournament officials asked players, including Carlos Alcaraz, to remove their Whoop bands, despite prior approval from the International Tennis Federation. Players resisted, demonstrating a strong organic endorsement of the product.
Looking Ahead: IPOs and the Future of Health Monitoring
Whoop’s strategy of avoiding equity deals with athletes – preferring organic adoption based on product value – underscores its focus on building a sustainable brand. The company has established formal partnerships with Ferrari, the PGA Tour, and UCI mountain biking to broaden its reach. Oura, meanwhile, is widely reported to be exploring an initial public offering (IPO), which would establish key financial benchmarks for the industry, including revenue multiples and growth rates, against which Whoop will be measured. Whoop currently employs around 750 people and is actively hiring an additional 600.
Ahmed remains circumspect about a potential IPO, stating that the company’s priority is to “build great technology and grow our business.” He emphasizes the importance of solving a meaningful problem, recalling his own experience with overtraining as the initial impetus for creating Whoop. He describes starting a company as “without question, the most extraordinary thing you can do in your career,” but also acknowledges the “painful experience” and the need for a “reasonably high pain threshold.”
As Whoop continues to push the boundaries of wearable technology, its success will depend on navigating the complex regulatory landscape, maintaining user trust, and demonstrating the tangible benefits of its proactive health monitoring capabilities. The company is currently focused on expanding its blood testing services and refining its algorithms to provide increasingly personalized insights. The next major milestone will be the release of updated FDA guidance on wearable medical devices, expected in early 2026, which will likely shape the future of the industry.
What are your thoughts on the evolving role of wearables in healthcare? Share your comments below and let us know how you’re using technology to monitor your health.
