AI-POWERED SHOPPING APP BY PHOEBE GATES SECURES $8 MILLION WITH HAILEY BIEBER BACKING

Phia, a price-comparison shopping app co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, announced on September 18, 2025, that it secured $8 million in seed funding.

The round was led by venture firm Kleiner Perkins, with participation from investors including Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely, Michael Rubin, and former Meta executive Sheryl Sandberg.

Launched in April 2025, Phia uses artificial intelligence to enable users to compare prices for new and used items across retailers, estimate resale values, and track price drops through its app and browser extension. The platform has attracted 500,000 users since its launch and partners with over 5,000 brands and retailers, including Cult Gaia and Revolve, driving millions in sales.

The company plans to use the funding to expand its team, hiring additional engineers and AI researchers, and to develop an AI shopping agent that provides personalized product recommendations based on users’ preferences, browsing behavior, and budget. Phia’s proprietary large language model and multimodal agents are designed to operate 10 times faster and at half the cost of standard GPT models.

Phoebe Gates, co-founder of Phia, said in a statement: “Today, I’m incredibly proud to share that we’ve raised $8M in seed funding led by Kleiner Perkins, with support from partners at the intersection of consumer culture and technology - including Hailey Bieber, Sara Blakely, Michael Rubin and more. I’m deeply grateful to our team, to our investors who believe in this vision - and to the Phia community. Early on, I wrote to our first beta group of just 500 users: ‘Together, we’re going to build something that changes the way we shop forever.’ That belief has carried us from late-night bug bashes to user feedback dinners, shaping every step of our journey.”

Hailey Bieber, founder of beauty brand Rhode, added: “Phoebe and Sophia recognized the white space that existed in the fashion industry and were quick to build a product this generation wants. They move fast and listen deeply to their customers. Backing female founders with this level of clarity and creativity is something I’m honored to be a part of.”

The funding round aligns with growing investor interest in AI-driven fashion tech startups. Other examples include Raspberry, which raised $24 million in January, Doji with $14 million in May, and Alta and Gensmo, which secured $11 million and $60 million, respectively, in June.Market reactions to the announcement were positive. Shares of technology-focused companies in the retail sector saw gains, with the Nasdaq Composite up 0.2% on September 18, 2025. The S&P 500 retail index rose 0.5%, reflecting optimism in AI-driven consumer tech. The U.S. dollar index remained stable at 96.20, and Treasury yields were unchanged.