"Instead, the thing that could make or break a product's success, they advised, is your team. "The people that you build with, who you're at the office until 1 a.m. with-even, it comes down to the summer intern you have. The people that you choose to build with every single day, whether that's your incredible co-founder, like I have Sophia-that's what's actually going to define, you know, whether the product succeeds,""
"Since its debut in April 2025, the AI-powered shopping assistant has attracted over 500,000 users and partnered with more than 5,000 brands. "We are the women who use this product day in and day out. That's why we wanted to bring people onto our cap table who truly understand how shopping needs to adapt and where it's headed," she said."
Phoebe Gates, age 23, launched Phia, an AI-powered shopping assistant co-founded with Stanford roommate Sophia Kianni. Parental advice emphasized that team selection, not money, determines product success. Gates prioritized building with like-minded people and bringing users and women who shop onto the cap table. Since its April 2025 debut, Phia has attracted over 500,000 users and partnered with more than 5,000 brands. The product raised $8 million in seed funding led by Kleiner Perkins, and prominent backers helped accelerate adoption of the app and mobile browser extension.
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