# Liyia Wu

> Liyia Wu is the New York-based founder of ShopShops, a live-video marketplace for new and pre-owned fashion and luxury goods. Born in Beijing and educated in Vancouver and New York, she moved from finance and advertising into merchandising, opened a Beijing designer boutique, ran her own label, and founded ShopShops in 2016. The company evolved from a shopping directory into a cross-border livestream platform and became part of Japan's Komehyo Holdings in late 2025.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at ShopShops
- **Organizations:** ShopShops, Wo2, IShop, Twinkle by Wenlan
- **From:** Beijing, China
- **Education:** Bachelor of Commerce, double major in finance and accounting, UBC Sauder School of Business, AAS in Fashion Merchandising, Parsons School of Design - The New School
- **Known for:** Built Wo2 into a label with four Beijing stores and distribution through more than 100 retailers in China and the United States., Founded ShopShops and helped establish a U.S.-based live-shopping model linking stores, hosts and shoppers across borders., Scaled ShopShops to more than 2.7 million users, 12,000 annual livestream segments and over 1,000 retail partners by figures reported in 2023.

## Career timeline

- **1992** — Lived in Budapest, where she recalls selling silk pajamas and bedding at a weekend market as her first small business.
- **1994** — Moved from Beijing to Vancouver and later attended high school and university there.
- **2005** — Moved to New York to study fashion merchandising at Parsons after working in media and advertising in Beijing.
- **2005-2007** — Worked in merchandising for New York fashion label Twinkle by Wenlan.
- **2008** — Opened IShop, a multi-brand Beijing boutique carrying U.S. and European contemporary designers.
- **2009-2016** — Founded and led contemporary label Wo2, operating four Beijing stores and selling through more than 100 retailers in China and the United States.
- **2016** — Founded ShopShops in New York; the concept evolved from a shopping directory into a livestream marketplace.
- **2018** — Union Square Ventures announced its investment in ShopShops.
- **2021** — ShopShops announced a $15 million Series B to expand its U.S. business.
- **2023** — Wu said ShopShops had surpassed 2.7 million users, hosted 12,000 livestreams a year and worked with more than 1,000 retail partners.
- **2025** — Spoke about trust in U.S. direct-to-consumer commerce and said ShopShops' livestream approach supported a 60 percent repeat-purchase rate.
- **2025** — Komehyo Holdings completed its acquisition of iShopShops in December.

## Achievements

- Built Wo2 into a label with four Beijing stores and distribution through more than 100 retailers in China and the United States.
- Founded ShopShops and helped establish a U.S.-based live-shopping model linking stores, hosts and shoppers across borders.
- Scaled ShopShops to more than 2.7 million users, 12,000 annual livestream segments and over 1,000 retail partners by figures reported in 2023.
- Raised $15 million in Series B funding in 2021, with investors across the company's funding history including Union Square Ventures, Forerunner Ventures, LightShed Ventures and Acrew Capital.
- Led ShopShops through its acquisition by Komehyo Holdings in December 2025.

## Latest updates

- **2026-06** — ShopShops named LegitApp an official authentication partner following its acquisition by Komehyo Holdings.
- **2025-12** — Komehyo Holdings completed its acquisition of iShopShops; the company announced a new president and director while ShopShops continued as its live-commerce platform.
- **2025-05** — Wu spoke at a U.S.-market growth forum about independent websites, video-based trust, third-party purchase protection and ShopShops' reported 60 percent repeat-purchase rate.

## Links

- Website: https://www.shopshopslive.com/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/liyia-wu-1609b667
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/LetsShopshops
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shopshops_official/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shopshopslive/

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/liyia-wu
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-28