Whatnot acquires Shaped to power real-time live shopping recommendations
Livestream shopping platform Whatnot has acquired AI startup Shaped, a machine learning company focused on real-time recommendations and search. The deal will bolster Whatnot’s personalization and discovery features as it expands into new product categories.
Livestream shopping app Whatnot announced Wednesday that it has acquired Shaped , a machine learning company that specializes in real-time recommendation and search systems. The deal is meant to strengthen Whatnot’s discovery and personalization capabilities as the platform continues to expand across new product categories and millions of buyers.
According to the company, the acquisition helps Whatnot continue its investment in AI as it looks to solve one of live commerce’s biggest challenges: helping shoppers find the right products while inventory, auctions, and buyer demand change in real time.
Unlike traditional e-commerce platforms, where product catalogs remain relatively stable, Whatnot’s marketplace is constantly evolving, and live auctions can end within minutes or last for hours.
“By combining Shaped’s technology with Whatnot’s existing systems, we can make recommendations faster, more responsive, and more personalized,” Emmanuel Fuentes, VP of Data and AI at Whatnot, told TechCrunch. “That speed matters because live commerce is a uniquely hard recommendation problem. Inventory changes by the second, shows start and end continuously, and buyer intent shifts throughout a show.”
Fuentes said the company has spent the last six years improving the speed of its recommendation engine, reducing recommendation latency from roughly a day to just minutes. Integrating Shaped’s technology is expected to push those recommendations even closer to real time. The company says its systems process more than 500,000 hours of live video and millions of real-time interactions every week, using that data to continuously improve recommendations.
Founded to help businesses build AI-powered recommendation systems, Shaped developed technology that combines existing customer data with large language models and machine learning to deliver highly personalized search and discovery experiences. Its customer roster included companies such as Outdoorsy and QVC.
As part of the acquisition, Shaped founder and CEO Tullie Murrell, along with nearly a dozen engineers and AI researchers, will join Whatnot. Murrell will lead the company’s newly formed Applied AI Research group. (Notably, Murrell worked at Meta before launching Shaped.)
The acquisition comes as Whatnot experiences significant growth. Launched in 2019, the company recently revealed that sellers have surpassed 1 billion orders. Last year, Whatnot raised $225 million in Series F funding, giving the company a valuation of more than $11 billion after adding 20 million buyers over the past year.
Whatnot has also significantly broadened its marketplace, launching more than 35 new categories last year — including art, golf, and vinyl — and more than 45 additional categories during the first half of 2026, with new subcategories continuing to roll out each month.
Additionally, the move comes as resale giants race to integrate AI throughout their platforms, such as eBay and Poshmark .
This story has been updated to correct dates that incorrectly referred to the first half of 2025. The correct time period is the first half of 2026
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Key takeaways
- Whatnot's acquisition of Shaped highlights the importance of personalization in e-commerce platforms.
- The integration of real-time recommendation technologies may inspire innovations in Brazilian startups.
- Consumer behavior is changing, demanding more dynamic and personalized shopping experiences.
Editorial analysis
Whatnot's acquisition of Shaped is a strategic move that highlights the growing importance of personalization in e-commerce platforms, particularly in the context of live commerce. In Brazil, where e-commerce has seen exponential growth, the implementation of real-time recommendation technologies can be a significant competitive differentiator. Companies investing in AI to enhance user experience are positioning themselves to capture a larger market share, which is becoming increasingly demanding regarding the personalization and relevance of offerings.
Moreover, the integration of Shaped's technology may inspire Brazilian startups to develop similar solutions focused on artificial intelligence and machine learning. Brazil has a vibrant startup ecosystem, and the growing demand for smarter e-commerce solutions could stimulate local innovations. Whatnot's success could serve as a reference case for Brazilian companies looking to adopt similar practices in their operations.
Another point to watch is the evolution of consumer behavior. As shoppers become accustomed to more dynamic and personalized shopping experiences, the pressure on e-commerce platforms to adapt to these expectations will increase. The challenge will be not only to implement the technology but also to ensure that the user experience is intuitive and effective, something Whatnot seems to prioritize with this acquisition.
Finally, Whatnot's move may signal a broader trend in the e-commerce sector, where the fusion of technology and live commerce becomes increasingly prevalent. With the growth of live streaming and real-time interaction, companies that do not adapt to this new reality may fall behind. Therefore, it is crucial for Brazilian companies to observe these global trends and consider how they can incorporate them into their business strategies to remain competitive in the market.
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