Whatnot Expands Seattle Team After $225M Funding Boost

Live shopping startup Whatnot is accelerating its expansion in Seattle after securing $225 million in fresh funding, marking another major milestone for the fast-growing e-commerce platform.

The Los Angeles-based company announced this week that it plans to hire more than 75 employees in the Seattle area over the next six months. The recruitment drive will triple its current local workforce, with openings across product, engineering, and other technical roles.

Whatnot officially opened its downtown Seattle office earlier this year, and the company says the expansion represents one of its biggest investments in talent so far. The latest funding round has also pushed Whatnot’s valuation to $11.5 billion, more than doubling from $5 billion just a year ago.

Founded in 2019, Whatnot has built a platform that combines live streaming with online shopping, creating an interactive marketplace where sellers host real-time video broadcasts to showcase and sell products. Viewers can watch demonstrations, interact through live chat, and place bids or make purchases directly during the stream.

The growing popularity of live commerce has led many to compare the platform to modern television shopping networks.

The New York Times previously described the trend as “QVC for the TikTok era.” In the increasingly competitive live shopping market, Whatnot competes with platforms such as TikTok Shop and Seattle-based e-commerce giant Amazon Live.

Rather than selling products itself, Whatnot connects buyers and sellers while managing payments, shipping logistics, and marketplace safety features. The company generates revenue by charging sellers a commission, typically around 8% of completed sales.

Business growth has been rapid. According to the company, live sales on the platform have more than doubled this year to $6 billion. Buyers also spend more than 80 minutes each day watching live shopping events, highlighting strong customer engagement. Despite its impressive expansion, Whatnot has not yet reached profitability.

The marketplace has also expanded well beyond collectibles, with some of its fastest-growing categories now including beauty products, women’s fashion, handbags, consumer electronics, antiques, collectible coins, golf equipment, snacks, and live plants.

Seattle plays an important role in the company’s long-term strategy. The local office focuses on product development and engineering, including work related to machine learning, marketplace integrity, and trust and safety. Across all locations, Whatnot employs around 900 people.

The Seattle leadership team includes Vice President of Engineering Dan Bear and Vice President of Talent Acquisition Kelda Murphy, both of whom are based in the city. Before joining Whatnot, Bear helped establish Seattle engineering offices for Snap, Hulu, and CloudKitchens, bringing extensive experience in building technical teams.

Whatnot is also part of a growing group of companies choosing Seattle for satellite operations. More than 130 companies have established regional offices to tap into the area’s deep pool of engineering and technology talent.

The company currently lists 31 open positions on its careers page and plans to strengthen its local presence further by hosting an engineering and product networking event in Seattle on November 4.

With fresh funding, a rapidly rising valuation, and continued hiring plans, Whatnot is positioning Seattle as a key engineering hub while continuing its push to become one of the leading players in the rapidly growing live shopping industry.

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