Whatnot, a Los Angeles, CA-based independent live shopping platform, raised $260 million in a Series D funding.
The round, which brings the company’s valuation to $3.7 billion, was co-led by DST Global and returning investor CapitalG, Alphabet’s independent growth fund, with participation from BOND and returning investors Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) and YC Continuity. In conjunction with the funding, Laela Sturdy, General Partner at CapitalG, joined the Whatnot board.
The company intends to use the funds for continued investment in the in-app live & social commerce marketplace and for the launch in additional categories for collectors and enthusiasts of all kinds.
Co-founded by Grant Lafontaine and Logan Head, Whatnot is the premier independent shopping destination for collectors and enthusiasts. The marketplace connects like-minded buyers and sellers and provides the opportunity for anyone to discover new hobbies and interests.
Whatnot provides live shopping experiences for popular collectibles categories such as sneakers, trading cards, sports cards and memorabilia, rare toys, and more.
The company plans to double down on collectible categories, expanding into diecast cars, stamps, and action figures, and will continue expanding into multiple new categories. To further build its community, Whatnot has launched activations and partnerships with artists such as Fat Joe, YouTuber and investor Logan Paul, and the exhibit company Fan Expo. The company also introduced its own comics publishing arm, Whatnot Publishing.
