Whatnot bags Series F funding co-led by DST Global and CapitalG as its valuation hits $11.5 billion
Whatnot, a live shopping platform in the US, UK, and Europe, has secured $225 million in Series F funding, co-led by DST Global and CapitalG. New investors Sequoia Capital and Alkeon Capital joined the round, alongside returning backers Greycroft, Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), avra, and BOND.
The company has raised approximately $968 million since its founding in 2019.
The new financing values it at $11.5 billion, more than double its valuation at the start of 2025.
“The conversation around live shopping has changed. We’re no longer asking if it will catch on. Whatnot is proving that live shopping is retail’s new normal,” says Grant LaFontaine, Co-founder and CEO at Whatnot.
“This funding represents both investor conviction and consumer confidence in our vision for the future of live commerce. With this capital, we will create more opportunities to help sellers build profitable businesses from their passions to delight buyers around the globe.”
Whatnot will use the cash to make investments in its platform, rolling out new features and evolving its policies. It is also accelerating its international expansion, while scaling its engineering, talent acquisition, marketing, and sales functions. Along with the funding, it will facilitate a tender offer where select, current investors will buy up to $126 million worth of shares.
“Whatnot brought the live shopping wave to the US, the UK, and Europe and has turned it into one of the fastest growing marketplaces of all time. The brand’s explosive growth, loyal community, and relentless execution in service of its buyers and sellers make it one of the most exciting bets in commerce today,” says Laela Sturdy, Whatnot board member and Managing Partner at CapitalG, Alphabet’s independent growth fund.
"E-commerce adoption remains far from saturated globally, with vast markets still predominantly offline. Whatnot capitalises on this opportunity through live shopping and strategic curation of emerging categories,” says Alfred Lin, Partner at Sequoia Capital. “Grant and the Whatnot team have turned passion into a powerful business, and we are proud to be a part of their growing community.”
2025 RTIH INNOVATION AWARDS
Live shopping was a key focus area at the 2025 RTIH Innovation Awards.
We received a record number of entries and many fantastic examples of the continued resilience and dynamism of the retail space during hugely challenging times.
For a full rundown of all of the shortlisted entries, click here.
Our 2025 hall of fame entrants were revealed during a sold out event which took place at The HAC in Central London on 16th October and consisted of a drinks reception, three course meal, and awards ceremony presided over by award winning comedian, actress and writer Tiff Stevenson.
In his welcome speech, Scott Thompson, Founder and Editor, RTIH, said: “This is the awards’ fifth year as a physical event. We started off with just 30 people at the South Place Hotel not far from here, then moved to London Bridge Hotel, then The Barbican, and last year RIBA’s HQ in the West End.”
“But I’m conscious of the fact that, to quote the legend that is Taylor Swift, You’re only as hot as your last hit, baby. So, this year we’ve moved to our biggest venue yet, and also pulled in our largest number of entries to date and broken attendance records.”
He added: “This year’s submissions have without doubt been our best yet. To quote one of the judges: The examples of innovative developments across both traditional and digital retail spaces were truly remarkable.”
Congratulations to our winners, and a big thank you to our sponsors, judging panel, the legend that is Tiff Stevenson, and all those who attended our 2025 gathering.
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