Phia, Phoebe Gates' AI Shopping Startup, Reaches $185M Valuation After $35M Raise

Phia, an AI-powered shopping assistant co-founded by Phoebe Gates, reached a valuation of approximately $185 million following a $35 million funding round announced February 21, 2026. The round was led by Notable Capital, with participation from Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures. The New York-based startup, co-founded with Stanford roommate Sophia Kianni, launched its app in 2025 and has attracted hundreds of thousands of downloads. Phia's browser extension compares prices across tens of thousands of retail and resale platforms in real time, targeting young female consumers. The company previously raised an $8 million seed round. Gates, 23, stated she has not accepted family capital for the venture, aiming to build credibility independent of her lineage as the daughter of Microsoft founder Bill Gates and philanthropist Melinda French Gates.