Whoop subscriber base surpasses 3 million as female membership doubles
Whoop said it surpassed 3 million subscribers in June, up from 2 million last November. The screenless fitness-tracking wristband maker, which provides its device as part of memberships starting at $199 a year, is preparing for an initial public offering after a $575 million Series G funding round in March at a $10.1 billion valuation.
Will Ahmed, who founded the company, said the hiring of van Hameren is part of a broader strategic shift.
“The business is now starting to accelerate, and part of that means we’re going from being almost entirely a U.S. business to a global business,” Ahmed said. “The challenges that come with marketing are broader, and the opportunity is bigger, and it all coincides with bringing on a world-class leader in DJ.”
Van Hameren, a former Olympic track cyclist, spent three decades at Nike, rising from a mailroom assistant in 1992 to become chief marketing officer in 2018. He left Nike in 2023, with the company announcing he was retiring in a press release. He continued working as an adviser before accepting the permanent role at Whoop.
The company faces competition from household names such as the Apple Watch, Google’s Fitbit and Oura Health, which has filed confidentially for an IPO. In May, Google introduced the screenless Fitbit Air, a product some tech bloggers called the “Whoop Killer.” Apple accounted for about 52% of new health-tracking units shipped in the first quarter, according to research firm IDC, while Google comprised 11.3% and Oura held 9.8%.
So far, Whoop has marketed itself as an aspirational brand worn by elite athletes. Its investors include LeBron James, Cristiano Ronaldo and Patrick Mahomes, who are frequently photographed wearing Whoop bands and appear in its advertising. The company recently began airing a commercial tracking Ronaldo’s journey to the World Cup. It also signed multiyear partnerships with Paris Saint-Germain and Ferrari’s Formula One team this year.
In recent months, Whoop has made a push for more female members, expanding its hormonal insights and menstrual cycle modeling. Ahmed said female membership has doubled in the past year, with a significant share of women over 40 joining, and members over 60 as well.
“The balance between men and women is becoming more of an equilibrium, so all that speaks to opportunity around storytelling for different audiences,” Ahmed said.
Van Hameren said he has no plans to alter Whoop’s aspirational marketing strategy but has the directive to expand its appeal beyond the athletic male American base that evangelized the tech early on.
Former Chief Marketing Officer John Sullivan, who joined Whoop in 2017, is no longer with the company, a spokesperson said.