Livestream shopping platform Whatnot has announced its acquisition of Shaped, a machine learning company renowned for its expertise in real-time recommendation and search systems. The strategic move is set to significantly bolster Whatnot's personalisation and discovery features, particularly as the platform continues its rapid expansion into numerous new product categories.
This acquisition is central to Whatnot's ongoing investment in artificial intelligence, aiming to tackle a key challenge within the live commerce sector: effectively connecting shoppers with relevant products in an environment where inventory, auctions, and buyer demand are constantly in flux. Unlike traditional e-commerce, where product catalogues are relatively static, Whatnot's marketplace is dynamic, with live auctions concluding in minutes or extending for hours, necessitating immediate and precise recommendations.
Emmanuel Fuentes, VP, Data and AI at Whatnot, highlighted the critical role of speed in live commerce. He stated that combining Shaped's technology with Whatnot's existing systems will enable faster, more responsive, and highly personalised recommendations. Whatnot's systems currently process over 500,000 hours of live video and millions of real-time interactions weekly, using this vast data to continuously refine its recommendation engine. The integration of Shaped's technology is expected to push these capabilities even closer to true real-time responsiveness.
Shaped, founded with the mission to assist businesses in building AI-powered recommendation systems, developed technology that merges existing customer data with large language models and machine learning to deliver highly tailored search and discovery experiences. Its client roster included notable companies such as Outdoorsy and QVC. As part of the acquisition, Shaped founder and CEO Tullie Murrell, along with a team of engineers and AI researchers, will join Whatnot, with Murrell taking the helm of the newly established Applied AI Research group.
The acquisition comes at a time of substantial growth for Whatnot, which launched in 2019. The company recently revealed that its sellers have collectively surpassed one billion orders. Earlier in 2026, Whatnot successfully raised £177 million ($225 million) in Series F funding, propelling its valuation to over £8.6 billion ($11 billion), after adding 20 million buyers over the past year. This expansion has also seen Whatnot broaden its marketplace considerably, introducing over 35 new categories last year, including art, golf, and vinyl, followed by more than 45 additional categories during the first half of 2025, with new subcategories continuously rolling out.