WHOOP (company)

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 recovery score ranges from 0% to 100% to let users know if their body is recovered or if it needs rest.

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]).

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]

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]