Top 10 Retail Startups to Watch in 2026

Executive Summary

LONDON, February 19, 2026 — The retail industry is undergoing a seismic technological transformation, with startups raising billions in venture capital to reshape how consumers discover, purchase, and receive goods. In 2024, the global retail platform market was valued at $32.5 billion and is projected to reach $95.49 billion by 2030, according to MarketsandMarkets. The smart retail market is expected to reach $450.69 billion by 2033, driven by innovations in AI, live commerce, and supply chain technology, according to Grand View Research. From Whatnot's $11.5 billion live commerce empire to Statusphere's micro-influencer automation platform, these ten companies represent the most well-funded and innovative forces reshaping global retail. As highlighted in our recent analysis, innovative startups are instrumental in reshaping industries through technology adoption and customer-centric strategies. This article profiles the ten retail startups best positioned to define the industry's trajectory in 2026 and beyond, ranked by valuation and market impact.

Key Takeaways

• Combined funding across all ten startups exceeds $10 billion, reflecting massive investor confidence in retail technology innovation.
• Live commerce, AI-powered personalization, and direct-to-consumer models are the three dominant themes driving growth.
• Five of the ten companies have achieved unicorn status (valuations exceeding $1 billion).
• Food delivery and logistics represent the largest single category by funding, with Wonder and Gopuff raising over $7 billion combined.
• Creator-driven and influencer-powered commerce platforms like ShopMy and Statusphere are emerging as critical distribution channels for premium brands.

Top 10 Retail Startups to Watch in 2026

Rank	Company	Headquarters	Focus Area	Valuation / Total Raised	Latest Round
1	Whatnot	Los Angeles, CA	Live Commerce	$11.5B valuation	$225M Series F (Oct 2025)
2	Gopuff	Philadelphia, PA	Instant Delivery	$8.5B valuation	$250M Series I (Nov 2025)
3	Wonder	Cranford, NJ	Food Super-App	$7B valuation	$600M Series (May 2025)
4	Faire	San Francisco, CA	B2B Wholesale Marketplace	$5.2B valuation	$100M Series I (Nov 2025)
5	Quince	San Francisco, CA	Direct-to-Consumer Fashion	$4.5B valuation	$200M Series D (Jul 2025)
6	ShopMy	New York, NY	Creator Commerce	$1.5B valuation	$70M Series C (Oct 2025)
7	Hightouch	San Francisco, CA	AI Customer Data Platform	$1.2B valuation	$80M Series C (Feb 2025)
8	DealHub.io	Redwood City, CA	AI Revenue Platform	$190M total raised	$100M Growth (Jan 2026)
9	Rezolve AI	London, UK	AI Commerce Platform	NASDAQ: RZLV	$150M ARR target (2025)
10	Statusphere	Orlando, FL	Micro-Influencer Marketing	$27M total raised	$18M Series A (Jan 2026)

Individual Company Profiles

1. Whatnot — Live Commerce Platform

Whatnot has emerged as the undisputed leader in live commerce, achieving an $11.5 billion valuation after closing a $225 million Series F round in October 2025 led by DST Global and CapitalG, Alphabet's growth fund. The company has raised approximately $968 million since its founding in 2019, according to Crunchbase. Its gross merchandise volume reached $6 billion in 2025, more than doubling the 2024 total, while revenue approached $1 billion. Whatnot's platform enables sellers to host live-streamed auctions across collectibles, fashion, electronics, and other categories, with users averaging 80 minutes per day on the platform and 80 percent month-over-month customer retention. The company generates revenue through an 8 percent commission on most sales plus payment processing fees. Additional investors include Andreessen Horowitz, Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. As reported by Business of Fashion, the company is expanding internationally across the UK and Europe while investing in trust and safety infrastructure.

2. Gopuff — Instant Commerce

Gopuff secured a $250 million Series I round in November 2025 led by Eldridge Industries and Valor Equity Partners, valuing the company at $8.5 billion, according to Gopuff's official announcement. The company has raised over $5.3 billion since its founding and is considered the "last one standing" among US quick-commerce players operating a vertically integrated instant delivery model. Gopuff reported record revenue of $2 billion in 2024 and its management described the 2025 position as the "strongest financial position in company history." The platform operates micro-fulfillment centers that enable deliveries within 30 minutes, serving thousands of products including groceries, household essentials, and alcohol. Strategic partnerships with Amazon UK, Starbucks, and college platform Fizz have extended its reach. As Bloomberg reported, while the valuation represents a markdown from its 2021 peak of $15 billion, the company is positioned for long-term sustainability.

3. Wonder — Food Super-App

Wonder, founded by serial entrepreneur Marc Lore (formerly of Walmart, Jet.com, and Diapers.com), raised $600 million in May 2025 at a valuation exceeding $7 billion, according to Restaurant Dive. The company has raised approximately $1.7 billion in total. Wonder's defining move was its acquisition of Grubhub for $650 million in early 2025, giving it access to 375,000 restaurant partners and 200,000 delivery couriers across more than 4,000 US cities, as reported by TechCrunch. The company operates multi-brand food halls featuring chef-driven concepts from Bobby Flay, Jose Andres, Marcus Samuelsson, and Nancy Silverton, combining dine-in, takeout, and rapid delivery. Wonder expanded from 35 locations to a target of 90-plus by end of 2025, with plans to open one new location per week across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. Previous acquisitions of Blue Apron ($103 million, 2023) and Tastemade further position Wonder as a comprehensive "super app for mealtime." As seen in other sectors, platform consolidation through strategic acquisitions is driving industry transformation.

4. Faire — B2B Wholesale Marketplace

Faire, the B2B wholesale marketplace connecting independent retailers with emerging brands, achieved a $5.2 billion valuation through a November 2025 tender offer that allowed employees to sell shares ahead of a potential IPO, according to Digital Commerce 360. The company has raised $1.7 billion across nine funding rounds, with investors including Sequoia Capital, Y Combinator, Lightspeed Venture Partners, and D1 Capital. Faire reported revenue exceeding $500 million in 2025 with growth accelerating for eight consecutive quarters, while GMV approached $3 billion. The platform serves over 800,000 retailers and 100,000 brands across 100-plus countries, offering 60-day net payment terms that eliminate upfront costs for retailers. Europe is growing nearly twice as fast as North America. Co-founder Marcelo Cortes told BetaKit that Faire has "the metrics of a very good public company" but is waiting for favorable IPO market conditions. The company has invested in AI-powered product recommendations, consolidated fulfillment, and a Shopify integration launched in September 2025.

5. Quince — Direct-to-Consumer Fashion

Quince, the direct-to-consumer retailer offering premium-quality goods at radically reduced prices, more than doubled its valuation to $4.5 billion after closing a $200 million Series D round in July 2025 led by Iconiq Capital, according to Crunchbase. The company has raised approximately $461 million in total across six rounds, with additional investors including Wellington Management, Founders Fund, DST Global, and 8VC. Revenue reached $340 million in 2024, representing 54 percent year-over-year growth, and the annual run-rate reportedly reached $700 million by mid-2025, according to Puck News. Quince's model eliminates traditional retail middlemen by shipping directly from manufacturer to consumer, enabling cashmere sweaters at approximately $50 and silk dresses at similarly accessible price points. As reported by Business of Fashion, Quince's Series D alone matched the total funding raised by all other fashion startups combined in 2025. The company expanded into beauty with its Beauty Atelier marketplace in June 2025, and its employee count grew 124 percent year-over-year to 259 staff.

6. ShopMy — Creator Commerce Platform

ShopMy achieved unicorn status in October 2025, raising $70 million at a $1.5 billion valuation in a Series C round led by Avenir, with participation from Bain Capital Ventures, Bessemer Venture Partners, and Menlo Ventures, according to PR Newswire. The company has raised $174 million total since its 2020 founding, growing revenue 200 percent year-over-year while maintaining profitability. ShopMy's platform connects 185,000 creators with over 1,200 premium brands including Gucci, Net-a-Porter, Rhode, and West Elm, facilitating over $1 billion in annual platform sales across 130-plus countries. The company launched a consumer-facing "Circles" feature in August 2025, allowing curated multi-creator shopping feeds that replace algorithmic recommendations with human curation. Revenue comes from brand subscriptions starting at $999 per month, an 18 percent take-rate on affiliate commissions, and performance program fees. As Business of Fashion reported, ShopMy's approach centers on "curated commerce infrastructure" that makes word-of-mouth scalable for premium brands.

7. Hightouch — AI Customer Data Platform

Hightouch raised $80 million in a Series C round at a $1.2 billion valuation in February 2025, led by Sapphire Ventures, with participation from Bain Capital Ventures, ICONIQ Growth, and Y Combinator, according to TechCrunch. The company has raised $172 million total and serves over 600 enterprise customers including Spotify, PetSmart, Grammarly, and Autotrader. Hightouch's composable customer data platform sits directly on existing data warehouses like Snowflake and BigQuery, eliminating data duplication while enabling AI-powered personalization. Its AI Decisioning product, launched in August 2024, uses reinforcement learning to autonomously optimize marketing across channels, timing, and messaging for each individual consumer. PetSmart, which manages over 70 million loyalty members, adopted the platform for one-to-one personalization. WHOOP reported learning "more in six weeks with AI Decisioning than a year of manual A/B testing." As previously reported, AI integration within enterprises is a core focus across industries, and Hightouch exemplifies this trend within retail specifically.

8. DealHub.io — AI Revenue Platform

DealHub.io secured $100 million in growth funding in January 2026 led by Riverwood Capital, bringing its total funding to approximately $190 million, according to PR Newswire. The company's AI-powered quote-to-revenue platform consolidates configure-price-quote, subscription management, billing, contract lifecycle management, and revenue recognition into a unified system serving retailers and enterprise clients across 195 countries. Key customers include Intuit, Gong, Kore.ai, SpotOn, and Braze. DealHub achieved 250 percent annual growth for four consecutive years and doubled both its customer base and annual recurring revenue between 2021 and 2022. In November 2025, DealHub acquired Subskribe to integrate subscription management and billing capabilities. The company employs between 251 and 500 staff across six global locations and is positioned as an "Agentic Revenue Hub" for the AI era. Previous investors include Alpha Wave Ventures, which led a $60 million Series C in June 2022, alongside Leumi Partners and Israel Growth Partners.

9. Rezolve AI — AI Commerce Platform

Rezolve AI, publicly traded on NASDAQ under the ticker RZLV, reported explosive growth in 2025, with H1 2025 revenue reaching $6.3 million — a 426 percent year-over-year increase — at a gross margin of 95.8 percent, according to Rezolve's investor relations. The company raised its 2025 annual recurring revenue guidance to a $150 million exit rate and initiated 2026 guidance targeting $500 million ARR. Rezolve's Brain Suite — comprising Brain Commerce, Brain Checkout, and Brain Assistant — is powered by its proprietary brainpowa large language model and provides conversational AI, one-click checkout, and real-time product discovery for enterprise retailers. Strategic partnerships with Microsoft Azure and Google Cloud underpin its scalable infrastructure, while its December 2025 acquisition of Crownpeak digital experience platform added hundreds of enterprise deployments across the US, UK, and EMEA. The company has processed over 13 billion API calls and reached 53.9 million consumer devices through its SDK, with customers including Shoeby in the Netherlands and Royal Caviar Club in Hong Kong.

10. Statusphere — Micro-Influencer Marketing Platform

Statusphere secured $18 million in Series A funding in January 2026, led by Volition Capital with participation from HearstLab, 1984 Ventures, and How Women Invest, bringing total funding to $27 million, according to Business Wire. Founded in 2016 by Kristen Wiley, a former micro-influencer, the platform automates large-scale creator campaigns for enterprise brands, handling creator sourcing, product fulfillment, FTC compliance monitoring, and content rights management. Statusphere's proprietary StevieOps AI campaign manager matches creators using 300-plus first-party data points including demographics, lifestyle preferences, and purchasing behavior. The platform has powered over 50,000 creator collaborations and generated more than 500 million engagements and video views, serving major clients including Parlux, Kendo Brands, Express, and LG H&H. Larry Cheng, managing partner at Volition Capital, stated that "Statusphere is creating infrastructure that addresses a fundamental shift in how consumers discover and trust brands." The influencer marketing industry reached over $30 billion globally in 2025 and is projected to exceed $100 billion by 2030.

Technologies Driving the Trend

Artificial intelligence and data analytics are reshaping the retail landscape across every segment represented by these ten startups, as reported by Sci-Tech Today. AI-powered platforms enhance operational efficiencies, personalize customer experiences, and enable data-driven decision-making at scale. Whatnot's recommendation algorithms drive 80-minute average daily sessions, while Hightouch's reinforcement learning optimizes marketing across millions of individual consumers. Rezolve AI's proprietary large language model powers conversational shopping experiences that mirror human interaction. Live and social commerce, driven by platforms like Whatnot and ShopMy, represents a fundamental shift in how consumers discover products — moving from search-based shopping to entertainment-driven purchasing. Direct-to-consumer models pioneered by Quince demonstrate that technology can eliminate supply chain intermediaries, delivering premium quality at accessible price points. The convergence of AI, logistics innovation, and creator-driven distribution is creating entirely new retail paradigms that challenge traditional brick-and-mortar and legacy e-commerce approaches alike.

Market and Industry Implications

The implications of these trends are profound, affecting stakeholders from institutional investors to individual consumers. With over $10 billion in combined funding flowing into these ten startups alone, the retail technology sector has attracted capital at a pace that rivals enterprise software. Five unicorns on this list — Whatnot, Gopuff, Wonder, Quince, and Faire — collectively command valuations exceeding $36 billion. The B2B wholesale segment, represented by Faire and DealHub.io, demonstrates that retail innovation extends far beyond consumer-facing applications into supply chain infrastructure and revenue operations. As key insights from Grand View Research suggest, the smart retail market's forecasted expansion to $450.69 billion by 2033 necessitates a reevaluation of competitive dynamics. The retail analytics market alone is projected to reach $31.08 billion by 2032, according to Fortune Business Insights. Investors and incumbents must now consider not only financial returns but also the technological moats these startups are building through proprietary AI models, network effects, and integrated logistics.

Retail Market Statistics — 2024 to 2030 Forecasts

Category	Metric	Year	Value	Source
Smart Retail Market	Market Size	2033	$450.69B	Grand View Research
Retail Platform Market	Market Size	2030	$95.49B	MarketsandMarkets
Retail Analytics Market	Market Size	2032	$31.08B	Fortune Business Insights
Influencer Marketing	Global Market Size	2025	$30B+	Industry Reports
B2B Wholesale (US)	Online Penetration	2025	~5% of $100B+	Sacra Research

What Comes Next — 12 to 36 Month Outlook

Looking ahead, the retail landscape will see continued acceleration in AI adoption, live commerce expansion, and platform consolidation. Faire and Quince are widely expected to pursue initial public offerings when market conditions stabilize, with Faire's co-founder explicitly confirming the company possesses "the metrics of a very good public company." Whatnot's international expansion across Europe will test whether live commerce engagement translates across cultural boundaries. Wonder's integration of Grubhub's logistics network with its food hall concept could create the first true "super app for mealtime" in the US market. Creator commerce platforms like ShopMy and Statusphere are positioned to capture significant share as marketing budgets continue shifting from traditional advertising to influencer channels, with the industry projected to grow from $30 billion to over $100 billion by 2030. AI-powered personalization will intensify as Hightouch and Rezolve AI demonstrate measurable ROI from autonomous marketing systems. However, projections carry uncertainty and depend on macroeconomic conditions, consumer spending patterns, and the competitive response from incumbents including Amazon, Walmart, and Shopify.

References

1. MarketsandMarkets — Retail Platform Market Report
2. Grand View Research — Smart Retail Market
3. Fortune Business Insights — Retail Analytics Market
4. Crunchbase — Whatnot Series F
5. Gopuff — Series I Announcement
6. Restaurant Dive — Wonder $600M Raise
7. Digital Commerce 360 — Faire $5.2B Valuation
8. Crunchbase — Quince Series D
9. PR Newswire — ShopMy Series C
10. TechCrunch — Hightouch Series C
11. PR Newswire — DealHub.io Growth Funding
12. Rezolve AI — 2025 Guidance Update
13. Business Wire — Statusphere Series A
14. Sci-Tech Today — AI Commerce Startups