Whoop's Egyptian-American founder credits upbringing as secret to company's success

Will Ahmed, the Egyptian-American founder of wearable fitness tracker Whoop, says the success of the company and its products can be linked to his upbringing.

Mr Ahmed told The National he credits his father's decision to roll the dice and make a go of it in the US with fuelling his entrepreneurial journey.

"There's some symmetry there in taking risks as a young man and chasing your dreams, I think, that's really in my DNA," he said, noting that he founded Whoop in 2012 when he was 22, the same age his father was when he came to the US.

Mr Ahmed, a Harvard University graduate, said he wanted to take "cumbersome and expensive" medical technology and scale it down into a much smaller form.

What emerged was a watch-like, screenless device that keeps track of heart health, steps and sleep that can go up to 14 days without a charge.

Whoop's wearable devices, unlike their competitor, don't have a screen, but the company's focus on fitness has gained it a loyal base of customers. Photo: Whoop

The first Whoop wearable was introduced in 2015, entering a very crowded market that included big names such as Apple, Samsung, Google, Garmin and others.

Mr Ahmed looks back on the company's entrance into the wearable sector with a mixture of humour and amazement.

"I think everyone was sceptical, especially in the early days," he said. "I wasn't an engineer, computer scientist or a doctor, but I was looking to build a company that was at the intersection of hardware, software, design and medicine."

Yet years later, Whoop – which began in the Harvard Innovation Labs – has continued to gain momentum.

It now counts Cristiano Ronaldo as one of its many investors, and the wearable fitness trackers are used by popular professional athletes in just about every sport category.

In 2022, Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, received Whoop founder and chief executive Will Ahmed, centre. @HamdanMohammed / X

Mr Ahmed says much of Whoop's success can be attributed to the company's focus on fitness tracking, health data and simplicity.

The wearables, which operate on a subscription model, do not have a screen like many of their competitors, but they synch with smartphones and mobile devices.

Mr Ahmed said relatively few customers are tempted to leave Whoop.

"We have a very loyal base that opens the app every day and they're getting feedback from Whoop data, checking sleep and recovery first thing in the morni