Whatnot, a live streaming shopping platform for collectors to buy and sell things like rare Pokémon cards and Funko Pops, has closed a $150M Series C — its third round of fundraising in 2021 alone. This round pins Whatnot’s valuation at $1.5B, earning it a spot on the ever-growing list of unicorns.
So what’s a Whatnot? The app captures a trend that had been growing popular on platforms like Instagram in the US (and was already hugely popular in China): live shopping. Verified sellers can go on the air at any time, hosting on-the-fly video auctions for their goods. Sometimes …
