When Patrick Mahomes first invested in Whoop over half a decade ago, the company had just reached unicorn status, the label for privately held startups valued above $1 billion. At the time, after raising $100 million in a Series E round, Whoop was valued at $1.2 billion. Fast forward to now, and that early bet looks significantly different.

Founder and CEO Will Ahmed announced that the company has raised $575 million, pushing its valuation to $10.1 billion. In a statement shared on X, Ahmed said:

“I am pleased to announce that we’ve raised $575M at a $10.1B valuation to accelerate our mission of unlocking human performance and healthspan globally.”

Not long after, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ quarterback shared the update on his Instagram story, pointing to a report from Bloomberg.

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According to Ahmed, the latest funding round was led by Collaborative Fund, with participation from 2PointZero Group, Qatar Investment Authority, Mubadala Investment Company, Abbott, Mayo Clinic, Macquarie Capital, Glade Brook, B-Flexion, IVP, Foundry, Accomplice, Affinity Partners, Promus Ventures, and Bullhound Capital. The investor list also includes high-profile athletes such as Cristiano Ronaldo, LeBron James, Rory McIlroy, Virgil van Dijk, and Mathieu van der Poel.

The foundation for all of this goes back over a decade. Ahmed started Whoop after graduating from Harvard, aiming to use technology to improve health and performance. He built the company alongside Aurelian Nicolae and John Capodilupo, combining engineering and data science into a single product vision.

Today, that vision has attracted a wide pool of elite athletes, including Cristiano Ronaldo and LeBron James, among others. Mahomes himself first invested in 2020, aligning with a product built around tracking strain, recovery, and sleep through its wearable device.

That connection has extended beyond investment. Last year, Mahomes and Brittany Mahomes featured together in a Whoop campaign, showcasing the device in a competitive workout setting. The message was simple and direct:

“Performance isn’t bought. It’s built.”

For Mahomes, the product is also practical. He wears the tracker during games, built into his uniform sleeve, to monitor cardiovascular exertion in real time.

At the moment, though, his focus is on recovery. After suffering a torn ACL and LCL late in the 2025 season, he is working his way back with the expectation of returning for Week 1 in 2026. Alongside that rehab, this latest valuation jump marks a significant off-field win tied to one of his earliest business bets.

However, his injury concern can influence the NFL’s decision regarding the 2026 season opener.

Clark Hunt addresses how Patrick Mahomes can influence the NFL’s decision

It’s been a couple of months since Patrick Mahomes went down with a torn ACL and LCL against the Chargers. While he’s targeting a Week 1 return, that timeline still feels uncertain. All of this is unfolding as the annual league meeting continues in Phoenix.

In the meantime, the NFL has already confirmed that the reigning Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks, will open the 2026 season. As for their opponent, the Chiefs have been floated as a possibility. But owner Clark Hunt isn’t fully on board with that idea, largely because of Mahomes’ situation.

“I don’t think that’s on the table anymore,” Hunt said at the NFL owners meeting when asked if the Chiefs would start the season opener against the Seahawks, per Nate Taylor. “I think from a league standpoint, there would be some concern whether our quarterback will be ready to go. My guess is the league won’t want to take that risk.”

It’s not exactly a new situation either. The league has handled similar scenarios before. In 2009, the New England Patriots opened the season with Tom Brady returning from a torn ACL. That context matters here, even if nothing has been finalized yet.

As of now, the 2026 season is set to kick off on Wednesday, September 9, instead of the usual Thursday. That shift comes with the Los Angeles Rams scheduled to face the San Francisco 49ers the following day in Australia. The full schedule will be released on May 14. And until then, whether the Chiefs end up facing the Seahawks in the opener remains up in the air.