Phoebe Gates, the 23-year-old daughter of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, has raised more than $43 million（約69億円） for Phia, an AI shopping assistant now valued at around $185 million（約300億円）. Gates is publicly committed to building the company on merit rather than family connections, though the startup recently faced allegations that its browser extension improperly claimed credit for online sales—an issue the company says it fixed within 24 hours of learning about it.
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Phoebe Gates, 23, cofounded Phia, an AI shopping assistant that compares prices across tens of thousands of retail and resale sites in real time. The startup has raised more than $43 million（約69億円） and is now valued at around $185 million（約300億円）, including a recent $35 million（約56億円） funding round led by Notable Capital.
Why it matters
Gates is deliberately building the venture without using her family name or taking parental money, determined to prove merit-based success in Silicon Valley. However, this week Bloomberg reported that Phia's browser extension had been claiming credit for online sales it did not drive—a practice called cookie stuffing—though a Phia spokesperson said the issue was fixed after the company became aware of it within the prior 24 hours.
What to watch
Phia launched its app in 2025 and has grown to hundreds of thousands of downloads in its first months. The startup is part of a broader investor wave into AI agents—software that automates digital tasks—and will need to maintain user trust as it scales.
Phoebe Gates launched Phia with Stanford roommate Sophia Kianni after brainstorming startup ideas in their dorm room. The cofounders designed the tool to align with Gates' interest in women's empowerment and Kianni's sustainability focus, targeting what Gates describes as "a young woman who's hustling" who wants to shop efficiently without wasting time. The startup's rapid valuation growth—from an $8 million（約13億円） seed round to $185 million（約300億円） in less than a year—reflects intense investor appetite for AI agents, a category of software that automates digital tasks across the web.
Gates has been vocal about her determination to build credibility independent of her surname and family wealth. She has rejected investor suggestions about her future family status and has resisted using her last name in business pitches, framing her drive as proving herself "based on merit, not inheritance or legacy." However, the cookie stuffing controversy revealed by Bloomberg this week tested that credibility. The company's rapid response—fixing the issue within 24 hours of learning about it and confirming the fix when Bloomberg retested—suggests an effort to contain reputational damage early, though the incident underscores the scrutiny startup practices face as they scale.
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