Grant LaFontaine

Grant LaFontaine is the co-founder and CEO of Whatnot, a leading live shopping platform operating in North America, the United Kingdom, and Europe. LaFontaine holds a degree in economics from Cornell University and has a background in technology and product development.

Before launching Whatnot, LaFontaine held product marketing roles at Google and YouTube and served as a product manager in Facebook's AR/VR division. He also co-founded Kit, a startup later acquired by Patreon, and participated in Y Combinator. These experiences contributed to his approach to product development, hiring, and co-founder dynamics, and provided insight into building consumer technology platforms that engage passionate communities.

LaFontaine co-founded Whatnot with Logan Head, initially focusing on Funko Pop collectors before expanding to categories such as sports cards, sneakers, fashion, coins, and live plants. Under LaFontaine's leadership, Whatnot became one of the first U.S.-based companies to leverage the social commerce trend, introducing a live-auction format that combines entertainment, community, and real-time shopping. The platform attracts hundreds of thousands of new users each week, hosts millions of hours of livestreams, and facilitates the sale of thousands of products every minute.

Whatnot's growth has included surpassing billions of dollars in live sales and achieving multi-billion-dollar valuations through several funding rounds. The company has received backing from investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, DST Global, CapitalG, Lightspeed, and Y Combinator. Whatnot has been featured on the CNBC Disruptor 50 list and recognized as a top company in the Marketplace 100 ranking.

LaFontaine has appeared on podcasts including "Masters of Scale," "The Founders Project," and "Social Currency," where he discusses topics such as scaling marketplaces, niche-first growth strategies, and community-driven commerce. He emphasizes rapid iteration based on user feedback and a disciplined hiring process as key elements of Whatnot's success. With a significant share of the live commerce market in the United States and ongoing international expansion, LaFontaine is recognized for his influence in the e-commerce and retail technology sectors.