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Will Ahmed

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Will Ahmed
EducationAB, Harvard University, 2012
TitleFounder & CEO of WHOOP

William Ahmed is an American entrepreneur best known as the CEO of health wearables company WHOOP, which he founded in 2012.[1]

Early life

Ahmed grew up in Long Island, New York. He is an only child. As a child, he played multiple sports including soccer, hockey, lacrosse, tennis, swimming, golf, and sailing.[2] He attended high school at St. Paul's School in Concord, NH.[3] He went on to graduate from Harvard College, where he studied government and was the captain of the squash team.[4]

Career

In 2012, while a student at Harvard, Ahmed began developing new wearable technology that would allow athletes to measure recovery and optimize performance.[5] According to Ahmed, he began creating the technology after reading dozens of medical papers. The company's first wearable device launched in 2015.[6] Ahmed pursued a strategy of selling the product to top sports teams and athletes before marketing to the broader consumer base in order to generate a "halo effect" for the brand.[7] Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and NBA star Lebron James were among the first users of the device.[2]

In 2021, the company was valued at $3.6 billion following SoftBank's investment of $200 million in the company.[8][9] Under Ahmed's leadership, WHOOP has recruited investors including IVP, Eli Manning, Patrick Mahomes, and Larry Fitzgerald.[10]

In 2022, Ahmed publicly claimed victory over Amazon in the wearable competition after Amazon discontinued its Halo wearable product. He alleged that Amazon's Halo band was a knockoff of the WHOOP device. Amazon publicly denied the allegations.[6]

WHOOP moved into its new headquarters in Kenmore Square neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts in July 2023. Ahmed was joined by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh for the ribbon cutting.[11][12]

In 2023, Ahmed was appointed to the Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows.[13]

In May 2024, Ahmed announced that Portuguese footballer Cristiano Ronaldo had invested in WHOOP.[14] Ahmed and Ronaldo made the announcement in an Instagram Live video at Ronaldo's home in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[15] The same month, Ahmed also announced that WHOOP would be available for sale in India, following reports that cricketers Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav and Shreyas Iyer all wore WHOOP during the ICC Cricket World Cup.[16]

Personal life

Ahmed is married to Leily Amirsardary, an Iranian fashion designer. They married in 2018 during a three-day wedding in Cannes.[17]

Ahmed is an avid golfer. He has previously played in the Waste Management Phoenix Open Pro-Am.[18]

Ahmed's father is Egyptian.[19] He immigrated to the United States and worked in the financial services industry.[7]

References

  1. ^ "Boston Tech Leaders: Will Ahmed, Whoop - The Boston Globe". bostontechleaders2023.bostonglobe.com. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  2. ^ a b Pasricha, Akash (May 3, 2024). "How Whoop Survived a Race Against the Apple Watch—And Made Its Wearables a Hit Among Athletes". The Information. Retrieved May 3, 2024.
  3. ^ "Welcoming Energy | St. Paul's School". www.sps.edu. 2024-04-25. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  4. ^ "Men's Squash Crushes Brown, 9-0 | Sports | The Harvard Crimson". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  5. ^ Nast, Condé (2021-09-02). "The Real-Life Diet of Whoop Founder Will Ahmed, Who Cut Out Caffeine After 2 P.M." GQ. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  6. ^ a b Palmer, Annie (2023-05-04). "CEO of fitness band maker Whoop mocks the demise of Amazon's Halo health device". CNBC. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  7. ^ a b Elliott, Bryan (May 16, 2023). "Behind the Brand: Whoop Fitness TrackerHow doing one thing really well paid off for founder Will Ahmed". Inc. Magazine. Retrieved April 28, 2024.
  8. ^ "Wearables company Whoop valued at $3.6bn after SoftBank investment". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  9. ^ Langley, Hugh. "Whoop's CEO on staying nimble as a company — and why the startup pays employees to sleep more". Business Insider. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  10. ^ "Whoop Valued at $1.2 Billion With IVP, SoftBank, Eli Manning Backing". Bloomberg.com. 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  11. ^ Soni, Aruni (July 14, 2023). "Whoop has a new HQ, just steps from Fenway. Here's a peek inside". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  12. ^ Green, Hannah (July 14, 2023). "See inside the Kenmore HQ of wearable tech unicorn Whoop". Boston Business Journal. Retrieved 2024-09-05.
  13. ^ Rehfeldt, Courtney (2023-04-04). "Whoop Founder Will Ahmed Named to Harvard Medical School Board of Fellows". Athletech News. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  14. ^ Cabral, Alvin R. (2024-05-13). "Cristiano Ronaldo invests in wearable tech start-up Whoop as it expands into Gulf". The National. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  15. ^ "Cristiano Ronaldo joins Whoop as investor, ambassador". www.sportsbusinessjournal.com. 2024-05-13. Retrieved 2024-05-18.
  16. ^ NDTV, NDTV Profit (2024-05-23). "Cristiano Ronaldo Backed Whoop Expands Its Services In India; Check Price And Other Details". NDTV Profit. Retrieved 2024-09-02.
  17. ^ Spellings, Sarah (2019-04-26). "A Spectacular 3-Day Wedding in Cannes". The Cut. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  18. ^ Williams, Blake (2022-02-11). "Dodgers News: Walker Buehler Participating In Annexus Pro-Am At WM Phoenix Open". Dodger Blue. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
  19. ^ Stewart, Ashleigh (2022-08-10). "This wearable tech will improve your fitness journey". WIRED Middle East. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
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