Whatnot acquires Madrona-backed AI startup Shaped to boost live shopping recommendations

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 of the deal 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 across the marketplace. 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 — 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 engineering and AI. Last year, the company announced plans to significantly expand its Seattle engineering hub after leasing new downtown office space following a $225 million funding round that valued the company at $11.5 billion.

The company has said Seattle will serve as one of its key engineering centers as it continues to scale its platform. The Whatnot offices are led by head of engineering Daniel Bear, the former head of infrastructure at Snap.

For Madrona, the deal represents another exit for a portfolio company applying AI to solve core business problems, reinforcing the firm’s continued focus on infrastructure and enterprise AI startups.