The hottest tech startup in Los Angeles is Whatnot, a livestream shopping platform for collectors to buy and sell collectibles. The Marina Del Rey-based firm launched less than three years ago, back in December 2019, but has already locked down roughly $500 million in funding from major-league investors — Andreessen Horowitz and DST Global among them — and has been called a “QVC for the smartphone generation.” Today, the company sports a $3.7 billion valuation and more than 250 employees.
Whatnot’s rapid success has benefited co-founders Grant LaFontaine and Logan Head outside the office, too. Both in their early 30s and the company’s CEO and CTO, respectively, LaFontaine and Head have jointly paid $15 million in cash for a recently rebuilt estate in prime Beverly Hills. Simultaneously, records show they’ve sold their former home, a modern farmhouse-style build in Venice, for nearly $4 million.
Originally built in 1966, the Beverly Hills home last sold in 2018 for $10.5 million to a Hong Kong investor. The somewhat unattractive structure was then completely renovated in a coolly contemporary manner, with big skylights, dramatic walls of glass and Italian limestone flooring throughout 5,400 square feet of open living space. Last summer, the stylish house was put up for sale with a nearly $18.4 million price tag but lingered on the market for a full year before the Whatnot founders came calling.
Fully walled and gated, the single-story residence is fronted by a big motorcourt and an attached three-car garage. A towering front door opens immediately into a vast great room that marries the living and dining rooms with the kitchen, the latter equipped with slab marble countertops and top-of-the-line Wolf and Sub-Zero appliances. At the other end of the room is a sleek wet bar; a massive wall of glass opens seamlessly to the backyard.
Speaking of the yard, there are grassy lawns and mature hedges, plus an infinity-edge swimming pool with a raised spa. Front and rear, the half-acre property is framed by mature trees, and there is “ample space for a guesthouse and sports court,” per the listing.
Back inside, the master suite is ensconced in its own wing and flaunts travertine walls, a bespoke closet with LED backlighting and a five-star bathroom with dual marble sinks and a freestanding soaking tub. There are also three smaller guest bedrooms on the premises, all of them equipped with ensuite full baths. The smallest bedroom could be a sleek office or study, again per the listing. Long, skylit hallways throughout the home offer plenty of space for a modern art collection.
In addition to their chic new Beverly Hills digs and their just-sold Venice farmhouse, records show that LaFontaine and Head also co-own a luxury condo in Marina Del Rey that is likely either an income property or occupied by family members.
Kirby Gillon and Bryce Lowe at Compass held the listing with John Giddins of Sotheby’s International Realty.
