Live-shopping unicorn Whatnot is expanding its AI capabilities with the acquisition of Shaped, a startup that builds real-time recommendation and search technology. Financial terms were not disclosed.
Shaped founder and CEO Tullie Murrell will join Whatnot to lead a new applied AI research team focused on improving how buyers discover live streams, sellers, and products. Before co-founding Shaped in 2021, Murrell worked on machine learning and recommendation systems at Meta.
Backed by Seattle venture firm Madrona, Shaped developed AI technology designed to deliver highly personalized recommendations in real time. This is a key capability for Whatnot’s fast-moving live shopping platform, where inventory and buyer interest change by the second.
The acquisition comes as Whatnot continues to invest heavily in its Seattle engineering hub. The company raised a $225 million round last year at an $11.5 billion valuation and has said Seattle will serve as one of its key engineering centers as it scales its platform.
