WHOOP (company)
Type | Private |
---|---|
Industry | Wearable technology |
Founder | Will Ahmed |
Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
Website | whoop.com |
WHOOP is an American wearable technology company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts.[1] Its principal product is a fitness tracker that measures strain, recovery, and sleep.[2][3] The device is best known for its use by athletes.[4][5]
The WHOOP band is popular among both consumers and professional athletes such as basketball player LeBron James[6] and swimmer Michael Phelps.[4]
Product[]
WHOOP 1.0 was released in 2015.[7] A second version arrived in 2016,[8] and a third in 2019.[9] WHOOP 4.0 debuted in 2021,[10] with battery technology developed by Sila Nanotechnologies that replaces graphite anodes with silicon, thus increasing battery capacity.[11][12]
The wearable device collects data on sleep, heart rate variability, resting heart rate, and respiratory rate to create a daily recovery score for users.[13] The recovery score ranges from 0% to 100% to let users know if their body is recovered or if it needs rest.[14]
The most notable difference between WHOOP and other wearables is physical: WHOOP has no screen or buttons; all information must be viewed on a user's smartphone.[15] The WHOOP app is available on Android and Apple devices.
Other notable differences include price (WHOOP charges a monthly subscription fee; the device stops tracking without a subscription[16]) and data (according to Time, the device accumulates more data than its peers; its five sensors collect 100 megabytes of data per user, per day[17]).
History[]
In 2012,[18] Will Ahmed, a Harvard University student athlete, founded WHOOP to help athletes gain greater visibility into their own fitness and rest.[19][20] Along with two fellow students at Harvard, John Capodilupo and Aurelian Nicolae,[21] Ahmed incubated a prototype at Harvard Innovation Labs.[22][23] The company raised $200 million from venture capital fund SoftBank in August 2021, at a valuation of $3.6 billion.[20]
As of October 2021, Ahmed is the company's chief executive officer,[24] Capodilupo is the chief technology officer,[24] and Nicolae is the director of mechanical engineering.[25]
Investors in the startup include institutions such as the SoftBank Group[26] and the National Football League Players Association,[27] as well as individuals such as basketball player Kevin Durant[28] and football players Patrick Mahomes and Eli Manning.[29]
The name "WHOOP" is a phrase Ahmed used before big games in college.[18]
Sports[]
WHOOP has been approved as a fitness wearable by various professional sports leagues and their labor unions. These include CrossFit,[30] the Ladies Professional Golf Association,[31] Major League Baseball,[32] the National Football League Players Association,[33] and the PGA Tour.[34]
The wearable is popular among celebrity athletes, including swimmer Michael Phelps,[35] basketball player LeBron James,[36] and golfers Rory McIlroy,[37] Nelly Korda,[38] and Tiger Woods.[39]
In 2017, NBA players DeAndre Jordan, Matthew Dellavedova, and others were reported to be hiding WHOOP devices under their wristbands during games, despite the NBA prohibiting wearables for in-game use.[40][41]
References[]
- ^ Heater, Brian (August 31, 2021). "Whoop raises another $200M for its athlete-focused fitness wearable". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Rovell, Darren (March 6, 2017). "MLB approves device to measure biometrics of players". ESPN. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Willgress, Lydia (April 14, 2021). "We put Whoop's fitness tracker strap and membership experience to the test". The Independent. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Newcomb, Tim (October 2, 2015). "Tech Talk: A wearable for elite athletes like LeBron James and Michael Phelps". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Martinelli, Michelle (July 29, 2016). "Wearable apps help Olympic athletes train at their best". USA Today. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Brownlee, John (April 26, 2016). "How To Design A Wearable For LeBron James". Fast Company. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Comstock, Jonah (August 31, 2021). "Whoop, a wearable for athletes, raises $12 million". MobiHealthNews. Retrieved September 22, 2015.
- ^ Gintzler, Ariella (May 16, 2018). "Whoop Offers Subscription to Its Fitness Watch". Outside. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ So, Adrienne (May 16, 2021). "Review: Whoop Strap 3.0". Wired. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ O'Kane, Sean (September 8, 2021). "Whoop's new fitness tracker is better thanks to a battery breakthrough". The Verge. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Metz, Cade (2021-09-08). "Your Batteries Are Due for Disruption". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ Moreno, Johan. "WHOOP CEO On Digital Fitness Competition: 'Just Because A Big Company Enters The Space Doesn't Mean They'll Be Successful'". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ Goode, Lauren (September 8, 2021). "Whoop's New Wearable Can Go on Your Wrist—or in Your Clothes". Wired.
- ^ Gaskin, Corey (September 8, 2021). "The Whoop Strap 4.0 launches today, 2 years after its predecessor". Ars Technica. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
- ^ Gaskin, Corey (September 8, 2021). "The Whoop Strap 4.0 launches today, 2 years after its predecessor". Ars Technica. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Livingston, Mercey. "Whoop 3.0 review: The fitness tracker that requires a $30 monthly subscription". CNET. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ Pullen, John (April 18, 2017). "Why Professional Athletes Love This Fitness Band". Time. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ a b Krueger, Alyson (July 9, 2021). "A Fitness App Moonlights as a Men's Support Group". The New York Times. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Verma, Pranshu (September 8, 2021). "Inside the rise of Whoop, Boston's fitness-wearable tech giant". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Kruppa, Miles (2021-08-30). "Wearables company Whoop valued at $3.6bn after SoftBank investment". Financial Times. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ Lunden, Ingrid (November 12, 2019). "Whoop, the sports tech and analytics company that makes discreet wearables, raises $55M". TechCrunch. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ "WHOOP - Harvard Innovation Labs". Harvard Innovation Labs. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Shultz, Alex (April 12, 2017). "Why Is This Wearable-Tech Company Helping College Teams Track How Often Athletes Sleep, Drink, And Have Sex?". Deadspin. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ a b Verma, Pranshu (September 8, 2021). "Inside the rise of Whoop, Boston's fitness-wearable tech giant". The Boston Globe. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "How Whoop is working toward an invisible fitness tracker". Fast Company. September 22, 2021. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Sozzi, Brian (August 30, 2021). "Softbank Investment Lifts Whoop Valuation to over $3.6B". Yahoo! Finance. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Shieber, Jonathan (March 6, 2018). "WHOOP raises $25 million to tell everyone from athletes to execs about their health". TechCrunch. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Badenhausen, Kurt (August 30, 2021). "Kevin Durant Scores Again on $3.6 Billion WHOOP Valuation in Series F". Yahoo!. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Tan, Gillian (October 28, 2020). "Whoop Valued at $1.2 Billion With IVP, SoftBank, Manning Backing". Bloomberg News. Retrieved November 4, 2021.
- ^ Marquez, Tommy (March 4, 2021). "Breaking: WHOOP, CrossFit Strike Multi-Year Partnership Deal". Morning Chalk Up.
- ^ Bleier, Rachel (July 16, 2020). "LPGA to partner with WHOOP, supply players, caddies and staff with straps". Golf Magazine. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Collins, Terry (March 6, 2017). "MLB adds wrist trackers to its starting lineup". CNET. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Taylor, Tom (June 27, 2017). "Football's Next Frontier: The Battle Over Big Data". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Dent, S. (January 7, 2021). "Golf fans can see PGA Tour players' heart rates thanks to new wearable partnership". Engadget. Retrieved October 14, 2021.
- ^ Newcomb, Tim (October 2, 2015). "Tech Talk: A wearable for elite athletes like LeBron James and Michael Phelps". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Brownlee, John (April 26, 2016). "How To Design A Wearable For LeBron James". Fast Company. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Golden, Jessica (June 24, 2020). "PGA Tour procures 1,000 smart bands to help detect coronavirus symptoms in golfers". CNBC. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Levins, Keely (August 10, 2021). "The moment Nelly Korda's heart rate was highest en route to her Olympic gold medal wasn't the moment you'd expect". Golf Digest. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ Sens, Josh (September 20, 2019). "That strap on Tiger Woods' wrist? It tracks his every move". Golf Magazine. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
- ^ "DeAndre Jordan hides a device under his wristband". ESPN.com. 2017-03-02. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- ^ "Should players be allowed to use wearable health-monitoring devices in NBA games?". FOX Sports. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
- Companies based in Boston