Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO of WHOOP, shared recently that the wearable fitness tracker company could go public within the next two years. Currently, WHOOP is a privately-owned company, but that could change by 2027.
Earlier this year, Ahmed said that he could see WHOOP going public but never shared a timeline. But earlier this month he gave a clearer picture on that timing.
“I would think about it over a horizon of two years,” shared Ahmed. He added, ““If you ask yourself, what public company today owns personal health, what comes to mind? I draw kind of a blank spot. It feels like it should be a big company in the world that is known for owning personal health.”
The potential move to being listed on a stock exchange comes as WHOOP has expanded its offerings to include proprietary technology to track Vo2 max measurement, a user’s physiological age along with a “medical grade” tracker that measures blood pressure, atrial fibrillation detection, irregular heart rhythm and features an electrocardiogram. On top of that, WHOOP now sells accessories and apparel to house its fitness tracker.
WHOOP was founded in 2012 and grew in popularity within the CrossFit space. In 2021, WHOOP became the “Official Wearable of CrossFit” as part of a multiyear partnership.
That partnership, however, seemed to sour as a year later WHOOP removed “CrossFit Training” from its activity list and the company was no longer mentioned on the CrossFit Games website as a sponsor.
While WHOOP was already making its way outside of the CrossFit sphere, that push has expanded in the recent years. WHOOP has attracted more athletes outside of CrossFit on top of appealing to more casual users. In 2024, WHOOP saw a 70% increase in members.
WHOOP’s growth and expansion into more types of tracking hasn’t come easy though. In July, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) asked WHOOP to remove its new blood pressure tracking feature. WHOOP refused and is currently in talks with the FDA to resolve the matter.
Ahmed spoke confidently that it would be resolved, “We’re continuing to work with them on a path forward.”
WHOOP does not charge an upfront fee for its wearable fitness tracker, but relies on membership plans, which start at $149/year and can run as high as $359/year (for the medical grade tracking features). WHOOP does offer a 1-month free trial for new users.
