With celebrity support, Bill Gates daughter raises $30 million for an AI startup
ahamedabubakkar35@gmail.com 
Bill Gates daughter raises $30 million for an AI startup. Credit: Via Instar Images
Bill Gates daughter raises $30 million for an AI startup, Phoebe Gates recently raised $30 million for Phia and assembled a $180 million valuation for her retail business. Only a few months have passed since the company raised a $8 million seed round in September, marking a remarkable growth trajectory for a startup that is still in its first year in business.
Gates and his old Stanford classmate Sophia Kianni founded the company, which has subsequently drawn interest from prominent Silicon Valley figures and famous investors. Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sheryl Sandberg, and Sara Blakely have all confirmed their support for Phia, according to a pitch deck that Bloomberg was able to view.
Also read: Lovable Secures $330 Million in Series B Capital at a $6.6 Billion Appraisal.
As the New York-based company expands into one of the most competitive sectors of the computer industry, a company representative confirmed the funding details and valuation. Notable Capital, helmed by Hans Tung, the seasoned investor behind Anthropic and Airbnb, will spearhead the funding round. Kleiner Perkins, one of the most established venture capital firms, and Khosla Ventures, represented by partner Keith Rabois, are among the other participants in the round.
Phoebe told Vogue that although Bill Gates has officially endorsed the idea behind the tool, he has not directly invested in the business. Phia is billed as an AI shopping assistant that will make web searches less cluttered. The company’s offering is a browser-integrated tool that works with Chrome and Safari. It enables users to find products across stores and resale websites, follow live discounts, and compare pricing.
In the eight months before November, Phia reports more than 750,000 downloads since its start. While residing in a Stanford dorm room, the founders began working on the idea. Initially, they experimented with a smart tampon concept before shifting their focus to AI-powered fashion discovery. The concept developed into a digital engine intended to simplify online consumer behavior. Phia positions itself as a member of the new wave of AI agent firms that are gaining significant traction.
The business compares its model to that of Harvey, a $8 billion legal tech startup; Mercor, a $10 billion HR automation company; and Cursor, a $30 billion AI development software company. Software that automates common digital tasks at a scalable level falls under the larger area of AI agents; this field is currently seeing a spike in investment. The youngest daughter of Bill and Melinda French Gates, Phoebe Gates earned a degree in human biology from Stanford University in 2024 and is worth $20 million.
Also read: Weeks After $100M Funding, Indian Startup MoEngage Secures Fresh $180M Investment.
She has addressed public criticism of her past by using her platform. She previously told Vogue that, despite her efforts to create an identity independent of her parents’ influence, she felt uneasy about being called a “nepo baby.” In addition to advocating for more inclusive leadership in AI and technology, she sees Phia as a means of optimizing how customers interact with technology. After meeting at Microsoft, Bill and Melinda French Gates got married in 1994 and have three kids together. After 27 years of marriage, they divorced in 2021.
Melinda reportedly voiced worries about Bill Gates’ relationship with notorious sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, which led to the divorce. Melinda received $12.5 billion to support her own charitable endeavors after leaving the Gates Foundation in May of last year following the divorce. In numerous interviews, Bill has declared that he intends to give his children “less than 1%” of his entire fortune, claiming that giving them sizable inheritances would not be “a favor” to their goals or way of life.
About The Author
