{
  "id": 103615,
  "title": "Whoop CEO says company will open another UAE office in 'critical' move for growth",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/03/whoop-ceo-says-company-will-open-another-uae-office-in-critical-move",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-08-03T20:43:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The National UAE",
    "slug": "the-national-uae",
    "url": "https://www.thenationalnews.com/future/technology/2026/08/03/whoop-ceo-says-company-will-open-uae-office-in-critical-move-for-growth/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Will Ahmed, CEO of wearable fitness-tracker company Whoop, announced plans to expand the company's footprint in the UAE during a podcast interview with Mubadala, a UAE sovereign wealth fund. The executive stated that opening another office in the UAE would be a \"critical footprint for growth\" both in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and in emerging markets such as Africa, Asia, and beyond. Ahmed emphasized the unique ambition of the UAE, noting that the local culture encourages entrepreneurs to seize opportunities despite initial rejections. The CEO, who founded Whoop at the age of 22, highlighted the company's innovative product—a screenless watch-like device tracking heart health, steps, and sleep—which has garnered a loyal user base despite competition from tech giants like Apple, Google, and Garmin. Whoop recently secured $575 million in funding from international investors, including Abu Dhabi and Qatari sovereign funds, valuing the company at $10.1 billion. The UAE has been a significant market for Whoop, with partnerships at Expo 2020 Dubai and plans to expand Arabic language support for the entire Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Arabic-speaking regions.",
  "summary": "Whoop chief executive Will Ahmed said the wearable fitness-tracker company would be opening another office in the UAE, calling the move \"critical for growth\". Mr Ahmed was speaking with The Exchange, a podcast produced by Mubadala, a UAE sovereign wealth fund, during the Mubadala DC Open tennis tournament in Washington. \"We view it as a critical footprint for growth both in the GCC and also…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}