Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry join Cristiano Ronaldo in $10billion company investment

Apr 2, 2026 - 11:15

What do Rory McIlroy, Shane Lowry and Niall Horan all have in common?

No, it’s not the fact they all have Irish – or, in the case of McIlroy, Northern Irish – roots.

Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy during the Ryder Cup — McIlroy and Lowry have pitched in to help Whoop raise over $500m in funding

Instead, the trio are among the latest big names to throw money behind American health wearables company Whoop.

The Boston-based company recently announced it had raised $575million (£435m) in its latest funding round, with McIlroy, Lowry and Horan pitching in for part of the nine-figure sum.

Which other sports stars have backed Whoop?

They aren’t the only celebrities to get involved.

Football stars Cristiano Ronaldo and Virgil van Dijk along with NBA icon LeBron James all invested in Whoop.

Another superstar athlete who stands to gain from Whoop’s latest funding round is basketball ace Kevin Durant, who first invested in the company in 2017.

The sizeable funding, which in turn valued Whoop at an eye-watering $10.1billion (£7.6b), is expected to go towards expanding the company’s headquarters in Ireland.

At present, Whoop has a base in Limerick with 150 employees on the books.

In a statement, Whoop founder and chief executive Will Ahmed expressed excitement over the continued growth of his company.

“Our raise brings together the world’s most sophisticated investors, leading health institutions, and iconic global athletes behind the mission to unlock human performance and healthspan,” Ahmed said.

“We are building the personal health platform that people use to improve their health and livelihood.”

Rory McIlroy smiles during an event — McIlroy put his money where his mouth is regarding Whoop

Ronaldo, who is a global ambassador for Whoop, added: “Whoop has become one of the most important tools I use to support my long-term health.”

What is Whoop?

According to Whoop’s website, it is a small, wearable device that helps ‘turn your data into clear, personalised coaching’.

The data is collected from the device, which is worn 24/7, and uploaded into an app.

From the data pulled, users can optimise their sleep, train smarter based on measurements of strain, improve recovery and manage stress.

Users range from everyday individuals wanting to improve their fitness to professional athletes, with some even wearing them in competitive situations.

Whoop’s tennis controversy

However, the company came under intense scrutiny at this year’s Australian Open.

Aryna Sabalenka reacts against Coco Gauff of the United States during the Women's Singles Final — Sabalenka is often seen sporting a Whoop device on her right wrist

The likes of Carlos Alcaraz, Aryna Sabalenka and Jannik Sinner were all told to remove their Whoop device from their wrists during matchplay.

In a post-match press conference, Sabalenka, who reached the final of this year’s tournament, was left baffled as to why she was not permitted to wear the device at a grand slam event when players had already been given approval from the International Tennis Federation (ITF).

“It’s just for tracking my health,” Sabalenka said.

“I don’t understand why the grand slams are not allowing us to wear it and I really hope that they will reconsider the decision and let their players track their health monitor.”