How Whatnot Built a Global Marketplace

2026-08-19 · 43 min · episode 1173 · 14 entities

episode page audio

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→ hosted by Andreessen Horowitz person

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→ founded Whatnot company

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co-founder of Whatnot
→ works at Whatnot company

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co-founder of Whatnot
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→ discusses Technology concept

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→ discusses Business concept

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→ discusses Entrepreneurship concept

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→ hosted by a16z company

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Feed author/publisher: a16z

Entities found in this episode

concepts 8

mentioned Science concept

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
mentioned Technology concept

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Feed category: Technology
mentioned Business concept

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Feed category: Business
mentioned Entrepreneurship concept

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Feed category: Entrepreneurship
discusses Science concept

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Science
discusses Technology concept

0.40

evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Technology
discusses Business concept

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evidence rules-v4
Feed category: Business
discusses Entrepreneurship concept

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Feed category: Entrepreneurship

companys 4

mentioned Whatnot company

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co-founder of Whatnot
founded Whatnot company

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co-founder of Whatnot
works at Whatnot company

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co-founder of Whatnot
hosted by a16z company

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Feed author/publisher: a16z

persons 2

mentioned Andreessen Horowitz person

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evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Andreessen Horowitz
hosted by Andreessen Horowitz person

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evidence rules-v4
Feed author/publisher: Andreessen Horowitz

Episode description as stored

a16z General Partner David George is joined by Grant LaFontaine, co-founder of Whatnot, to unpack how a marketplace that started with collectibles evolved into one of the world's leading live shopping platforms. Grant traces the company's origins from selling Pokémon cards online as a kid to discovering live commerce by watching Whatnot's earliest customers hack together sales on social media. They discuss why Whatnot thinks less like a traditional e-commerce marketplace and more like a digital shopping mall, where discovery, entertainment, community, and commerce all happen at once. Today, users spend roughly 95 minutes a day on the platform, and most aren't even buying something on a given day. They also explore how Whatnot is enabling small businesses to reach global audiences, expanding from collectibles into categories like fashion, food, and golf, and using AI to make sellers more efficient without replacing the human connection at the center of the experience. Resources: Follow Grant LaFontaine on X: https://x.com/GrantLaFontaine Follow David George on X: https://x.com/DavidGeorge83 Follow Whatnot on X: https://x.com/whatnot Stay Updated: Find a16z on YouTube: YouTube Find a16z on X Find a16z on LinkedIn Listen to the a16z Show on Spotify Listen to the a16z Show on Apple Podcasts Follow our host: https://twitter.com/eriktorenberg Please note that the content here is for informational purposes only; should NOT be taken as legal, business, tax, or investment advice or be used to evaluate any investment or security; and is not directed at any investors or potential investors in any a16z fund. a16z and its affiliates may maintain investments in the companies discussed. For more details please see a16z.com/disclosures. Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.