Digital products marketplace Whop has reached a $1.6 billion valuation after a $200 million strategic investment from Tether in February 2026, according to a company timeline published by YesPress and corroborated by creator-economy coverage from Built By Foundry and TopWhops.

Founded in 2021 by Steven Schwartz, Cameron Zoub and Jack Sharkey as a marketplace for digital goods, Whop raised a $17 million Series A led by Insight Partners in 2023 and a $50 million Series B at roughly an $800 million valuation in 2024, backed by Peter Thiel and Bain Capital Ventures. The company cut its marketplace take rate in 2025 to accelerate growth, and reported more than $2.67 billion in lifetime GMV alongside 650+ millionaires minted on the platform.

Other named backers over time include Kevin O’Leary, Justin Mateen, Justin Kan, The Chainsmokers and NBA star James Harden — a roster that blends institutional venture money with celebrity and operator angels.

For creators, Whop’s pitch is a low-fee storefront for digital products, communities, courses and software: a 3% platform fee with no monthly subscription, plus standard card processing. TopWhops estimates the platform has processed more than $500 million in cumulative creator payouts across 100,000+ marketplace products, with trading, ecommerce, AI, social media and sports among the top categories.

Built By Foundry’s review notes the tradeoffs honestly: the fees are reasonable and Discord/Telegram integration is strong, but it remains a marketplace — creators who treat it as one channel inside a business they own do best, while those who treat it as the business itself risk suspension headaches and a customer list that lives on whop.com.

The takeaway for creators: if you sell digital products or run a paid community, Whop’s 3% fee is among the lowest in the market. Just keep your own email list and customer data outside the platform, so a policy decision never becomes an existential one.