Whoop Sets Sights on Middle East Fitness Wearable Market
The Boston-based wearable tech brand has added C-Suite execs as it expands internationally, including in the burgeoning Gulf region
Whoop has strengthened its C-suite in preparation for continued global expansion while expanding its reach into new markets, including the Middle East and Southeast Asia.
The human performance brand and maker of fitness wearables, valued at $3.6 billion in 2o21, has identified the Gulf region as vital to its continued growth, citing a report from Medi-Tech Insights that projects double-digit growth in Saudi Arabia and the UAE’s digital health market by 2027. The region has become a target for fitness and health brands to make their mark — along with Whoop, Anytime Fitness has plans to build many gyms in the region.
“Whoop is experiencing remarkable growth and momentum, particularly in new markets around the world,” Will Ahmed, Whoop’s founder and CEO, said of the brand’s entry into Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, Hong Kong, Israel, Korea and Taiwan.”We’re excited to open these new markets and provide over 125 million people with access to Whoop.”
C-Suite Hires To Drive Growth
To lead its next “hyper-growth” phase, Whoop has formally announced Ed Baker as chief growth officer, former Fanatics and Nike executive Michener Chandlee as chief financial officer and John Sullivan, a long-time Whoop staffer, as chief marketing officer.
Whoop acquired Baker’s startup, AnyQuestion, at the close of 2023 for an undisclosed amount. Baker launched the AI-powered Q&A platform in 2021 and has served on Whoop’s board of directors for nearly five years. For its part, Whoop has been heavily invested in artificial intelligence, introducing Whoop Coach, an AI-powered coaching feature for on-demand and personalized health and fitness coaching.
The wearable tech market is undoubtedly crowded, but Whoop has looked to differentiate itself with a product that goes deeper than fitness and health tracking. Whoop bands are low-profile and screenless and meant to be worn 24/7. Once the device learns a user’s behavior and baselines, Whoop makes data-driven recommendations to unlock the best performance in categories such as sleep, recovery and strain.
Adding New Languages
The Whoop app also updated its language to serve Italian and Spanish speakers, adding to its existing English, French and German options. The human performance company says additional language rollouts are in the works.
“This market growth and the launch of Spanish and Italian in the Whoop app is just the start of our international expansion,” Ahmed said. “Our teams, including those led by three of our newest C-suite leaders, are working every day to unlock new markets and help introduce new members to the power of our Whoop membership.”
The human performance brand is offering a one-month free trial to interested users.
