Bill Gates' Daughter Phoebe Scored A Major A-List Investor For Her Shopping Business
Phoebe Gates is following in her dad Bill Gates' tech mogul footsteps in a big way and has even received major celebrity financial support for her efforts. The daughter of Bill and Melinda French Gates founded an AI shopping app called Phia in April 2025 with partner Sophia Kianni, which has grown to more than 1.5 million users and was named one of TIME's Best Inventions of 2025. A little over a year later, Phoebe and Kianni scored an A-list investor in none other than Khloé Kardashian.
The company announced on May 29 that they received $35.5 million in seed funding led by Notable Capital, Koshla Ventures, and Kleiner Perkins (according to People). "The Kardashians" star invested as did other celebrities, including Alix Earle, Olivia Culpo, Paris Hilton, Mindy Kaling, Jessica Alba, Sydney Sweeney, and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Those are some big names backing her up! Phoebe and Kianni also raised $8 million in their last seed round, with Kris Jenner being one of the investors.
"My mom has always had an eye for what's next, so when Kris Jenner invests in something, I pay attention," Khloé told People. "I'm so excited to join her as an investor."
Bill Gates did not invest in his daughter Phoebe's business
This positive news came after Phoebe Gates' reputation went from bad to worse, with influencers calling Phoebe out for asking them to promote her shopping app without fair compensation. It's true that Phoebe lives a wildly lavish life, but she reportedly doesn't receive any money from her famous father, Bill Gates, for her startup. In a 2025 interview with The New York Times, Phoebe revealed that her mother, Melinda French Gates, advised her not to ask her dad for money.
"She saw it as a real opportunity for me to, like, learn and fail," Phoebe told the outlet. Bill added that although he likely would have said yes to his daughter's request for funding had she asked, he's glad it didn't work out like that. "I would have kept her on a short leash and be doing business reviews, which I would have found tricky, and I probably would have been overly nice but wondered if it was the right thing to do? Luckily, it never happened," he said.
Although her name and status as a celebrity nepo baby likely helped, Pheobe and her business partner, Sophia Kianni, managed to attract celebrity partners from the beginning. In 2025 interview with People, Kris Jenner said, "The way you build a brand today is simple – you build it for your audience. And that's exactly what Phoebe and Sophia are doing with Phia." She added, "I'm so proud to be part of their journey."