Will Ahmed, Founder and CEO of WHOOP: On a Mission to Unlock Human Performance and Save Lives

Today’s guest is Will Ahmed, founder and CEO of WHOOP, a wearable technology/fitness company that fits smack in the middle of what I like to call ‘fashology’ – technology meets fashion. The device tracks and measures strain, recovery, and sleep. The brand is well received by pro athletes like LeBron James, Michael Phelps and over half of the PGA Tour; but can it help Howard? Those who have followed me for a while know I’m fascinated with sleep fitness and I have a WHOOP, but there are difficult customers, and then there’s me. We discuss what it would take to have Howie back on the WHOOP wagon. 

Will started the company in Boston right after graduating from Harvard – his first company, and his first full time job. Ten years later the brand continues to unlock human performance and save lives. Some of the smartest people I look up to on things like fitness, brains, and style are super bullish on WHOOP; to include Arizona Cardinal Kelvin Beachum, Jr., Brad Feld, and Ryan Spoon.

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You can also listen right here on the blog:

More details on the podcast are below…

Guest: Will Ahmed

Profile: Founder and CEO of WHOOP

Where to Find Him: LinkedIn, Twitter

What’s Will Panicked About?:  The Celtics potential of winning the NBA finals

Show Notes:

• Introduction (00:42)
• Welcome Will  (05:48)
• Starting WHOOP in Boston (06:32)
• Star athlete investors (07:05)
• Celebrity users (07:39)
• Physiology research at Harvard (08:45)
• Raising capital (09:23)
• 10 years 600 employees later (09:41)
• Big name venture investors (10:01)
• Bet the business transition (11:16)
• Differentiating WHOOP (12:53)
• Behavior change and improving health (13:43)
• Early star athlete adopters (14:30)
• Making health monitoring cool (15:40)
• Bringing Howard back into the fold (16:59)
• Becoming a source of accountability (18:30)
• A/B testing yourself (19:31)
• The next frontier for WHOOP (19:43)
• Apple Watch – the elephant in the room (20:54)
• Sensors in your boxers (23:13)
• Whoop on the PGA tour (25:27)
• What’s the magic with WHOOP? (27:38)
• Wearable’s – A uniquely difficult space (29:02)
• Being mentored as a founder (31:31)
• Improving live, saving lives (33:56)
• Two types of customers (35:03)
• Smart people bullish on WHOOP (36:18)
• The WHOOP Podcast (37:06)
• Free Climber Alex Honnold (39:18)
• Alex’s REM sleep advantage (41:06)
• Closing thoughts (45:54)
• Wrapping up  (48:02)

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