About the speaker
When Tiktok Shop launched in Germany in the spring of 2025 with partners like About You, Cosnova, and Nivea, expectations were high. However, they were not entirely met, and some brands withdrew relatively quickly. So, is there simply no market for digital live shopping in this country? Grant LaFontaine is currently proving otherwise. With Whatnot, co-founded with Logan Head back in 2019, he created a live-streaming platform that is now considered the fastest-growing of its kind.
In Europe—particularly in the UK, France, and Germany—Whatnot’s blend of auctions and entertainment seems to be resonating, often within niche communities. After achieving a gross merchandise value of three billion US dollars, the company is targeting six billion US dollars for the current year. This growth has recently won over renowned investors such as DST Global, Sequoia Capital, and Andreessen Horowitz on multiple occasions. Across two funding rounds, Whatnot raised 490 million US dollars—and is now valued at 11.5 billion US dollars.
Grant LaFontaine at OMR
AI is reshaping commerce. But while the industry races to automate the shopping experience, a different model is quietly outpacing it — one built on real expertise, loyal communities, and sellers who know their products inside out. Hardly anyone has understood the potential of live shopping as well as Whatnot. This has made the US-based unicorn one of the fastest-growing marketplaces in history. At the OMR Festival, Whatnot co-founder and CEO Grant LaFontaine makes the case for why human connection is becoming the defining competitive advantage in retail, and what that means for the next era of commerce in Europe.
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