WHOOP CEO Will Ahmed opens up on journey and partnering with Ronaldo

WHOOP's global stature in the health technology industry is continuing to grow at an astronomical rate. 

The man behind this innovative wellness brand is American entrepreneur Will Ahmed, who conceived the idea for the wearable fitness strap back in 2012 while studying at Harvard.

Designed to help users 'unlock their potential' WHOOP's sleek and stylish wrist straps provide accurate and comprehensive insights into a range of metrics, that can help individuals take better control over their health. 

Some of those metrics include measuring a person's heart rate, sleeping habits and how their body recovers from training, illness or a lack of sleep.

'I was someone who, as an athlete, has always been to sports and exercise,' Will tells Mail Sport, speaking on how he came about founding the technology.

'But I felt like I didn't know what I was doing to my body while I was training. I was someone who used to over-train. Other athletes might under-train or misinterpret fitness peaks or get injured. 

'So I thought there was a real problem around performance and that people didn't know what they were doing to their bodies.

'So I did a lot of physiology research while I was a student and I wrote a business plan.'

Many university students will relate to pulling all-nighters in the library to finish a paper or complete their revision before their final exams.

But for Will, the experience was a little different. Alongside his studies, he was building a business that would eventually see him go on to work with some of the greatest athletes in the world, including LeBron James, Patrick Mahomes and Rory McIlroy.

Sharing light on the fledgling years of the brand's journey, Will recently published a photograph on his Instagram showing a raft of papers strewn all over his desk at University after a long night of work.

'The photo you mentioned was the aftermath of finalizing all the business plan and finalizing the business plan,' he tells me.

'And it was, you know, pretty rigorous and a long process.

'That was sort of the final hurrah, if you will, where I was like: "I got to get this done." And I ended up finishing it in an all-nighter.'

Since then the company has gone global, with Will telling Mail Sport that 70 per cent of the brand's business now comes from markets around the world, not just in the United States. Telling of the brand's growth, Will says WHOOP has now opened 25 new markets in 2024 alone, including Mexico, Japan and India.

 Many top athletes have also started using the product, including five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo.

The Portuguese footballing sensation went viral during Euro 2024 after statistics emerged online showcasing how his heart rate was tracked during his side's victory against Slovenia. The data was measured by a WHOOP 4.0 strap, with the device reportedly showing that the 39-year-old lowered his heart rate during his side's penalty shootout.

Ronaldo is a model athlete for how much he cares for his body, deploying an obsessive fitness regime and high-protein diet.

The former Manchester United and Real Madrid star's commitment to maximising his fitness also led to Ronaldo investing in WHOOP.

'I believe it is his largest personal investment in a company,' Will said.

But what is it like partnering with perhaps the most idolised footballer on the planet?

'Cristiano started wearing woop two years before we ever met. Our teams started talking. I went out to Riyadh and met him at his home before we had any relationship together.

'We spent a couple of hours talking and getting to know one another, and I found he was really thoughtful about his body in a way that I didn't actually think had been told before.

'You know, you see Cristiano as this unbelievable talent - a goal-scoring machine.

'Obviously, he looks great in a bathing suit, so you can tell he's fit. But what is he doing behind the scenes to have this kind of longevity as an athlete, what does he measure about his body? How does he think about nutrition?

'These were questions that I realized hadn't really been answered. And for the most followed and popular athlete in the world, it felt like there was a story to tell and and so, you know. He authentically loves WHOOP and for us, it's just telling that story.'

Their partnership has been a 'healthy one' Will says, with the CEO revealing that WHOOP uses feedback from Ronaldo and other athletes on the products to improve the technology.

While the majority of users on the platform are not professional athletes, Will reveals that most of the pros, looking to unlock that next level in performance, 'gravitate towards the sleep and recovery' metrics that the technology delivers.

'You know, at the end of the day, being a great professional athlete requires consistency, and so day in, day out, how are you recovering? How are you managing travel? How are you managing the workload of training?'

'These are things that WHOOP helps these athletes understand. And then there's a highly personal element where every pro athlete has their own little recipe that I think whoop helps them identify.'

He adds: 'But in the case of these professional athletes, they're just trying to get one per cent better, and all of a sudden, that's the difference between not making the Olympics and a gold medal, right?

'I mean, it's really that narrow of a margin. And the powerful thing about whoop is for the person who's motivated to unlock that next level, just a few tweaks in that recipe can be all it can take to all of a sudden, have enormous success.'

But WHOOP is not just for professional athletes. As Will states, the majority of those using a WHOOP band are people looking to make improvements in their day-to-day health.

'Well, it's certainly true that most of the people on WHOOP today are not professional athletes,' Will states.

'I think the common trait amongst group members is that they're aspirational in life and that could manifest in wanting to improve their fitness.

'But it may also be people wanting to understand their health, people who are motivated in their job and want to manage stress. You know, new fathers and mothers who want to understand how to keep up with a newborn, people training for a marathon, people who want to lose weight. People want to understand sleep.

'I mean, people are aspirational on whoop and they're going to use the technology to help them achieve that next level in life.'