Phoebe Gates, Bill Gates’ Youngest Daughter, Launches A.I. Startup Phia
Phoebe Gates, the 23-year-old daughter of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, is making a name for herself in the startup world with the launch of Phia, an A.I.-powered shopping assistant. Alongside her Stanford roommate Sophia Kianna, Gates is on a mission to revolutionize e-commerce with an app and mobile extension that lets users compare prices across over 40,000 sites. Phoebe Gates, co-founder of Phia, speaks onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 on Oct. 28. Kimberly White/Getty Images for TechCrunch
The Idea Behind Phia
The concept for Phia was born out of Gates and Kianna’s own frustration with online shopping. “There felt like there was this giant white space for, what should we actually buy and why doesn’t everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?” said Gates while speaking at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 yesterday (Oct. 28). “We were wasting so much money on junk.” According to a report by the NPD Group, the average American consumer spends around $1,300 per year on impulse purchases, highlighting the need for a more mindful approach to shopping.
What started as a class project soon turned serious after Gates and Kianna received a $250,000 grant from Stanford. Phia officially launched in April this year and quickly caught the attention of major investors. In September, the startup raised $8 million in a seed round led by Kleiner Perkins, attracting a star-studded group of backers that included Sheryl Sandberg, Michael Rubin, Hailey Bieber, and Kris Jenner. This investment brings the total funding for Phia to $10.25 million, according to Crunchbase.
A Unique Approach to User Feedback
Gates and Kianna take an unconventional approach to user feedback, hosting regular “roast” sessions with power users to gather insights and improve the app. “Every other week, we have 40 of our power users come to the office and ‘roast’ the app,” said Gates. A recent session inspired the team to explore adding sizing recommendations—a feature they hope to build by analyzing return data and user measurements. This approach has helped Phia gain over 600,000 users and integrate with roughly 150 resale sites, including ThredUp and Poshmark.
Phia’s emphasis on the secondhand market reflects the founders’ focus on sustainability. “We have enough clothes right now in existence to dress the next six generations of humans,” said Kianna, who has a background in climate activism and became the youngest United Nations advisor in U.S. history in 2020. “Buying an item secondhand actually represents an 80 percent reduction in carbon footprint compared to buying new, and it’s less than 75 percent of the cost.” According to a report by the McKinsey Global Institute, the fashion industry is responsible for around 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions, highlighting the need for more sustainable practices.
Personalized Features and Future Plans
Gates and Kianna plan to roll out more personalized features as Phia learns about customers’ tastes and preferences. By leveraging A.I., Gates said, the startup can “collect that data very, very cheaply to, long term, power personalized recommendations.” Phia also promotes more mindful shopping through features that remind users of an item’s retained value. Someone considering a $100 fast-fashion piece, for example, can see how quickly it depreciates compared to higher-quality items. As the company continues to grow, Gates and Kianna aim to expand their team and explore new partnerships, with a focus on maintaining their commitment to sustainability and user-centric design.
Despite being the daughter of one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the world, Gates says she’s more interested in learning from industry leaders such as Spanx founder Sara Blakely and designer Danielle Guizo—and from Phia’s users themselves. “He’s not comparing his wishlist items for his spring break trip,” she said, referring to her father’s lack of expertise in fashion. As Phia continues to make waves in the startup world, it’s clear that Gates and Kianna are dedicated to creating a more sustainable and user-friendly shopping experience, one that prioritizes both people and the planet.
Image Source: observer.com
