Bill Gates' Daughter's Startup Receives Massive Funding Boost from Celebrities and Wealthy Heirs
The technology and startup business world is buzzing with news of a significant funding achievement from Phia, an AI-based shopping application founded by Phoebe Gates, the youngest daughter of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, alongside her partner Sophia Kianni. The startup recently announced the successful collection of US$35.5 million (approximately Rp 540 billion) in a Series A investment round, bringing its total funding to US$43.5 million. This has propelled the company’s valuation to US$185.5 million (around Rp 2.9 trillion) in less than a year since its launch.
The story has gained global attention due to the roster of high-profile investors involved. Hollywood actress Sydney Sweeney, known for her roles in Euphoria and The White Lotus, has joined dozens of other famous figures, including Khloé Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Jessica Alba, and Alexandre Arnault, son of the world’s richest businessman Bernard Arnault, in supporting the project. The involvement of such celebrities and heirs to wealthy families has sparked diverse reactions, ranging from admiration for the ease of capital access to discussions on influence.
Phia originated from an idea developed while Gates and Kianni were students at Stanford University in the United States. Both felt that online shopping was exhausting due to the need to browse dozens of sites to compare prices, the difficulty of finding quality second-hand goods, and the uncertainty of whether a price was truly competitive. Initially named ShopBot, the project began with manual data collection from six second-hand shopping sites, evolved into a browser extension, and was officially launched as an application in April 2025.
Currently, Phia functions as an intelligent AI shopping assistant. Users simply mark an item of interest, and the system automatically scans thousands of stores and second-hand platforms to find similar options, compare prices, calculate resale value, and even provide alerts when prices drop. The platform now boasts over 1.5 million active users and collaborates with more than 9,600 retail and fashion brands.
The latest funding for Phia was led by prominent venture capital firms such as Notable Capital, Khosla Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins. Despite being the daughter of one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, Phoebe Gates has emphasised that the funds raised did not come from her parents. A major draw for Phia is its ability to attract ‘culture investors’—public figures who provide not only capital but also significant brand influence. Alongside Sweeney, the investor list includes over 30 famous names, ranging from Kris Jenner, who has been involved since the beginning, to Hailey Bieber, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, and technology figures such as the founder of Robinhood and senior staff from OpenAI.