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.
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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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54:13
The Business of Labubu and the Power of Manufactured Obsession
People are lining up at 4 AM, crashing websites, and dropping thousands on a fuzzy vinyl creature with nine teeth and a cult following. Meet Labubu: part toy, part fashion statement, part emotional coping mechanism. Born from a Nordic mythology-inspired art project and catapulted to fame by Pop Mart, Labubu has become a collector’s dream and a status symbol—thanks to limited drops, blind box buying, and celebrity fans like BLACKPINK’s Lisa.
Today, Sammi unpacks how scarcity, nostalgia, and the chaos of modern life created the perfect storm for Labubu’s rise—and what that says about the future of fandom, consumption, and identity.
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Here’s what Sammi covers today:
00:00 Labubu’s Bizarre Social Currency
01:08 Where Labubu Came From
02:55 Scarcity as a Business Plan
04:10 The Lisa of It All
05:27 What Labubu Tells Us About the State of the World (Really)
06:31 The Future of Fandom
07:22 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
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10:18
Loren Castle (Sweet Loren’s) on Turning a Diagnosis Into a Mission, Scaling a Food Brand and Supply Chain Lessons
Meet Loren Castle, the powerhouse behind Sweet Loren’s—the #1 natural cookie dough brand in the U.S. Today, Sammi chats with Lauren about how a shocking medical diagnosis pushed her to turn her kitchen experiments into a multimillion-dollar business.
They get into the wild ride of breaking into the food world—from the first big break with Whole Foods to juggling supply chain chaos and sticking to Loren’s mission of allergen-free, feel-good ingredients.
Lauren also shares how she built Sweet Loren’s without taking a dime of venture capital, the secret to good packaging, and what’s next for the brand.
If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or just a cookie lover with big dreams, you’ll want to tune in.
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Follow Sweet Lorens here
Here’s what Sammi covers today with Loren:
00:00 Loren Castle’s Social Currency
01:37 How a Health Crisis Sparked a Cookie Empire
03:22 The Taste Tests Process and the State of Clean Ingredients
05:58 The Whole Foods Deal That Changed Everything
10:56 Lessons in Scaling and Finding Processing Partners
17:54 How to Find White Space
22:47 Profits Without VCs—How She Did It
26:58 COVID, Cookies, and Supply Chain Curveballs
29:27 Branding That Sticks (and Sells)
32:00 Trendy Collabs and What’s Coming Next
37:15 Social Currency Corner: Tips for Food Entrepreneurs
43:25 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
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47:22
Why Saks Is In Trouble — and How PE Is To Blame
Today Sammi digs into the retail scandal that ties together private equity, power plays, broken promises, and a $2.65 billion luxury merger that's now unraveling in public. Also known as: the story of Saks.
Sammi follows the money trail to the center of Saks’ downfall: the mastermind behind the merger that would lead to the financial and reputational mess the brand is in now. This isn't a story about just one department store. It's a case study in how private equity can gut a brand, how debt can disguise dysfunction, and how small businesses are often the ones that are left holding the bag.
Today Sammi Covers:
00:00 How Saks Got Here
00:33 Richard Baker: the Mastermind
01:30 The Saks and Neiman Marcus Merger
02:00 Richard Baker's Wild Real Estate Strategy
04:31 Saks' Financial Decline
08:01 Vendor Fallout
10:13 What’s Next For Saks
12:50 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
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15:05
John Hu (Stan) on the Path to $1 Billion, the Creator Economy and Building in Public
Think it's too late to become a creator if you don't have a social media following? Think again. According to John Hu, cofounder of Stan—a platform that helps creators turn their platform into income—the creator economy is just getting started.
Today, John shares how he’s building Stan with unicorn status in mind, what MrBeast’s business empire can teach us about the business of content, and why he is “guarded” when it comes to fundraising.
This is a deep dive into the business of influence—and what it takes to turn followers into a foundation for long-term growth.
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Follow John on YouTube here
Here’s what Sammi covers today with John:
00:00 John Hu’s Social Currency
00:35 Why Investment Banking Wasn’t It
04:43 How Stan Came From a Personal Pain Point
05:50 John’s Takes on the Creator Economy and Building a Business
11:23 Stan’s First Major Win
14:53 Stan’s Seed Round and Why John Is “Guarded” About Fundraising
18:36 John’s Tips on Finding a Business Opportunity
23:46 Stan's Unique Monetization Model
27:19 Behind Stan’s Customer Engagement and Content Strategy
27:38 Why Stan Personally Delivered One of Their Creators a Cake
29:23 John Answers Whether It’s Harder to Build a Personal Brand or a Company Brand
35:29 Secrets and Challenges to Building in Public
45:27 Social Currency Corner and Mr Beast
53:16 How to Show Social Currency Some Love
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On Social Currency, Sammi Cohen unpacks the stories that are shaping business, culture and the intersection of the two. From boardrooms to Instagram trends, Sammi speaks with business leaders to connect the dots between brand, consumer and influence, so you don’t just keep up—you get ahead.
New episodes drop every Tuesday and Friday. Follow now to stay in the know.
Want more? Find Sammi on Instagram @sammicohentalks.