Whatnot Expands Seattle Presence Following Major Funding Boost
Live-shopping sensation Whatnot is making a significant commitment to the Seattle tech ecosystem following a remarkable $225 million funding round announced this week. The Los Angeles-based startup, which has seen its valuation skyrocket to $11.5 billion—more than doubling from $5 billion just a year ago—plans to triple its Seattle workforce over the next six months. This expansion represents one of Whatnot’s largest talent investments to date and underscores Seattle’s continued importance as a technology hub. The company aims to add more than 75 employees to its downtown Seattle office, which opened earlier this year, with a particular focus on product development, engineering, and related technical roles. This growth comes as Whatnot experiences tremendous momentum in the rapidly evolving live commerce space, positioning itself at the intersection of entertainment and e-commerce.
Founded in 2019, Whatnot has reimagined shopping for the digital age by creating a platform that seamlessly blends e-commerce functionality with the engagement of live streaming entertainment—a concept The New York Times aptly described as “QVC for the TikTok era.” The platform enables sellers to host dynamic live video shows where they can auction or sell products in real-time, creating an interactive experience that traditional e-commerce often lacks. Buyers can watch these streams, participate in chat, and place bids directly during broadcasts, creating a sense of community and urgency that drives engagement and sales. This model has proven particularly effective at capturing the attention of younger, digitally-native consumers who spend an average of more than 80 minutes per day engaged with Whatnot’s live shows—a remarkable metric in today’s fragmented attention economy. While the company faces competition from major players like TikTok Shop and Amazon Live, Whatnot’s focused approach to live commerce has allowed it to carve out a significant niche in this emerging retail category.
The business model is straightforward yet effective: Whatnot serves as the technological and logistical backbone for these live commerce transactions, handling everything from payments processing to safety features while taking a commission—typically around 8%—on sales. This has created opportunities for a diverse range of sellers, from independent entrepreneurs looking to build their businesses to established retailers seeking new channels to connect with customers. The platform’s versatility is evident in its rapidly growing categories, which span traditional collectibles to more recent additions like beauty products, women’s fashion, handbags, electronics, antiques, coins, golf equipment, snacks, and even live plants. This expansion across categories has helped Whatnot more than double its live sales to an impressive $6 billion this year, though the company acknowledges it has yet to achieve profitability as it continues to prioritize growth and market expansion.
Seattle’s role in Whatnot’s growth strategy cannot be overstated, with the office focusing on critical technical areas including product development, engineering, machine learning, marketplace integrity, and trust and safety protocols. The local operation is led by tech veterans with deep roots in the Seattle ecosystem, including Dan Bear, vice president of engineering, and Kelda Murphy, vice president of talent acquisition. Bear brings valuable experience from previously establishing Seattle offices for other tech companies including Snap, Hulu, and CloudKitchens—expertise that will likely prove invaluable as Whatnot scales its local presence. This leadership team is now actively working to attract top-tier talent to join their growing operation, with 31 open positions currently listed on the company’s jobs page and a dedicated engineering and product networking event scheduled in Seattle on November 4th, indicating the urgency of their hiring ambitions.
The decision to significantly expand in Seattle reflects a broader trend of technology companies establishing substantial satellite offices in the region to tap into its rich pool of technical talent. Whatnot joins more than 130 other companies that have recognized the strategic advantage of maintaining a presence in this vibrant tech ecosystem. Seattle’s unique combination of established tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft alongside a thriving startup community creates a fertile environment for recruiting experienced professionals across various technical disciplines. For Whatnot, the Seattle expansion represents not just a staffing decision but a strategic investment in the company’s future capabilities as it navigates the competitive landscape of live commerce and continues to innovate in this rapidly evolving retail category.
As Whatnot continues its ambitious growth trajectory, the Seattle office is poised to play an increasingly central role in shaping the company’s technological capabilities and product evolution. With a current global workforce of approximately 900 employees, the planned Seattle expansion represents a significant percentage of the company’s overall human capital investments. The timing of this expansion, coming immediately after securing substantial new funding, signals investors’ confidence in both Whatnot’s business model and its leadership team’s strategic vision. For Seattle’s tech community, Whatnot’s commitment provides yet another validation of the region’s continued relevance as a destination for innovation and technical talent, even as the broader technology sector navigates economic uncertainties. As the company works to establish itself as the definitive platform for live commerce, its growing Seattle presence will likely serve as a crucial competitive advantage in attracting the technical talent needed to realize that ambitious vision.
