How Whatnot Built a Global Marketplace
The a16z Show
- Published
- August 19, 2026
- Duration
- 42:39
- Summary source
- description
- Last updated
- Sep 20, 2026
Discusses a16z General Partner David George is joined by Grant LaFontaine, co-founder of Whatnot, to unpack ho…
Summary
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 custome…
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Show notes
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