Grant LaFontaine (Whatnot) on Building a Unicorn, Scaling with a Cofounder, and the Future of Shopping

Grant LaFontaine says the future of shopping is here— and it’s
live. Literally.  Grant is the cofounder and CEO of Whatnot—a
$5 billion live shopping brand that’s shaking up the traditional
retail playbook and betting big on the future of social commerce.
Sammi sits down with Grant to unpack what it takes to build a
unicorn; from the lesson Y Combinator taught him about working with
a cofounder, to the unique way he thinks about hiring, and why user
feedback is his North Star. He shares what he’s learned building in
tech, what AI can and can’t do, and why a little paranoia is good
for founders.  Follow Sammi on Instagram here Subscribe to the
Social Currency newsletter here Learn more about Whatnot here 00:00
Grant LaFontaine’s Social Currency 01:40 Understanding Whatnot and
the Live Shopping Opportunity 02:48 Who Is the Whatnot
Customer  04:38 Social Interactions as a Secret Weapon 11:33
The Value of Y Combinator  13:42 Finding Product-Market Fit
with Funko Pop 17:29 Scaling Whatnot and Entering New Markets 19:13
The Importance of Hiring and Company Culture 26:13 Fixing Breaks
and Providing User Value 26:41 Why Paranoia is an Asset in Business
29:25 Using Mistakes as Data Points 31:32 User Feedback and Product
Evolution 33:39 Co-Founder Dynamics and Decision Making 37:06
Social Currency Corner 48:59 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
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