Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, co-founders of Phia, assert that artificial intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing online shopping by creating more personalized, sustainable, and efficient experiences for consumers. Their AI-powered shopping assistant, launched in April 2025, leverages advanced technology to help users make smarter purchasing decisions by comparing prices, calculating resale values, summarizing product details, and tracking real-time price drops across thousands of retailers and secondhand platforms[1][2][5].
Phia, which has quickly gained traction with over 500,000 us...
Phia, which has quickly gained traction with over 500,000 users and 5,000 brand partnerships in just five months, offers a user-friendly iOS app and mobile browser extension that functions like a personal shopping assistant in the pocket of every consumer[1][3]. It hosts billions of fashion products and maintains one of the largest databases of secondhand fashion items in the U.S., cataloging over 300 million secondhand items to promote sustainable fashion choices[1][5]. By integrating secondhand options, Phia supports ethical consumerism and helps reduce environmental impact, aligning closely with the values of Gen Z shoppers who seek trust, personalization, and sustainability in their purchases[2][4].
Phia’s founders emphasize that AI enables shoppers to naviga...
Phia’s founders emphasize that AI enables shoppers to navigate the overwhelming choices in e-commerce by providing transparent, real-time insights into pricing and product value. This technology empowers users to avoid fast fashion’s pitfalls by encouraging longer-lasting, more intentional shopping habits that benefit both the wallet and the planet[4][5]. Phia’s platform integrates with more than 150 secondhand sites, highlighting the significant carbon footprint reduction—up to 80%—when consumers opt for used items instead of new ones[5].
The startup recently secured $8 million in seed funding led...
The startup recently secured $8 million in seed funding led by Kleiner Perkins, with additional backing from influential investors such as Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely, Michael Rubin, Desiree Gruber, and Sheryl Sandberg, signaling strong confidence in Phia’s mission and market potential[1][7]. At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, held from October 27-29, Gates and Kianni presented their vision of how AI will define the future of shopping by blending cutting-edge technology with ethical consumerism and deep customer loyalty[2][5].
Phia’s founders, who met as Stanford roommates, designed the...
Phia’s founders, who met as Stanford roommates, designed the platform from the perspective of digital natives experienced with the frustrations of online shopping. Their goal is to democratize the benefits of having a personal shopper using AI, making smarter choices accessible to all consumers while fostering a more sustainable and conscious fashion ecosystem[5].
In essence, Phia is pioneering a new era of online shopping...
In essence, Phia is pioneering a new era of online shopping where AI not only enhances convenience but also promotes transparency, sustainability, and personalized value, paving new paths for how consumers discover and buy products in the digital age.
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 1:00:44 PM
In a recent update, Phia's AI-powered shopping platform has garnered significant attention, with its co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni emphasizing AI's transformative role in the online shopping landscape. While Phia itself does not have publicly traded stock, its impact on the broader e-commerce sector is notable, with companies focusing on AI seeing varied stock performances—some outperforming others by as much as 6.1% since June 30, compared to 4.1% for those mentioning AI in earnings calls[4]. However, Phia has successfully raised $8 million in seed funding, driven by its impressive growth and strategic partnerships[9].
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 1:11:00 PM
Phia's AI-powered shopping assistant has garnered a strong consumer response, reaching over 500,000 users within five months of its April 2025 launch and earning praise for helping shoppers find the best deals across more than 350 million items, including secondhand options that reduce carbon footprints by 80%[2][3][4]. Public reaction highlights enthusiasm among Gen Z and Millennials, who value the app’s ability to streamline price comparison and sustainability in shopping, with experts noting it could significantly shorten the shopping process by removing research barriers[1]. Investors and users alike appreciate Phia’s database integration with over 150 resale platforms, offering both environmental benefits and economic savings, with one retail strategist calling it “game-changing” for its inclusion o
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 1:21:21 PM
Phia, co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, uses AI to analyze billions of fashion products across 40,000+ retailers and resale sites, providing real-time price comparisons, resale value calculations, and deal recommendations through its iOS app and browser extension. Since its April 2025 launch, Phia has attracted 500,000 users, over 5,000 brand partnerships, and raised $8 million in seed funding, showcasing AI’s capacity to optimize pricing and enhance sustainable shopping choices while significantly reducing customer acquisition costs for brands. Kleiner Perkins partner Annie Case noted Phia addresses “key pain points” by improving price transparency and smarter retargeting, fundamentally reshaping online fashion retail with data-driven precision and scalability[1
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 1:31:20 PM
Consumers and the public have reacted positively to Phia's AI-powered shopping assistant, praising its ability to streamline price comparison across new and secondhand items. Since its April 2025 launch, Phia has attracted over 500,000 users and partnered with 5,000 brands, with users appreciating features like real-time price alerts and sustainability insights—an 80% carbon footprint reduction by choosing secondhand[3][4][2]. Retail experts highlight Phia’s extensive database of over 350 million secondhand items as a game-changer for bargain hunters and environmentally conscious shoppers, particularly appealing to Gen Z and Millennials who value savings and sustainability[1][2].
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 1:41:05 PM
Breaking News Update
Phia, the AI-powered shopping assistant co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, has now cataloged over 350 million second-hand items across more than 150 online marketplaces, with its platform adding “hundreds of millions” of new fashion products daily and maintaining one of the largest second-hand fashion databases in the U.S.[1][3] “We saw a giant white space for what you should actually buy—why doesn’t everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?” Gates told the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 audience, emphasizing the tool’s use of sustainability metrics and AI-driven value predictions to guide purchases.[1] In its first five months since launch (April
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 1:50:54 PM
In a recent update, Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni highlighted the global impact of AI in online shopping, emphasizing its potential to reduce carbon footprints by up to 80% through second-hand purchases[1]. Phia's platform has attracted over 500,000 users and partnered with more than 5,000 brands, generating tens of millions of dollars in sales since its launch in April 2025[2][3]. The international response has been positive, with investors like Kleiner Perkins supporting Phia's expansion into new markets, underscoring the company's potential for global influence in sustainable e-commerce[5].
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 2:01:05 PM
AI startup Phia, co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, is reshaping the competitive landscape of online shopping by integrating AI-driven personal shopping with sustainability, compiling over 350 million items from 150 second-hand platforms and partnering with 5,000 brands, just five months after its April 2025 launch[2][3][7]. With $8 million raised from investors including Kleiner Perkins and celebrities like Kris Jenner and Hailey Bieber, Phia leverages large-scale AI to provide instant price comparisons, resale valuations, and personalized recommendations, addressing key pain points in e-commerce and challenging traditional retailers to adopt smarter, AI-enhanced consumer engagement[3][7]. Gates highlighted the untapped market potential, stating
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 2:11:15 PM
Phia’s AI shopping platform has sparked strong consumer enthusiasm, attracting 500,000 users within five months of its April 2025 launch and generating tens of millions in sales. Users praise the app's ability to instantly compare prices across 40,000 retail and resale sites, saving time and money—Phoebe Gates noted it ends "the manual price comparison and tab-opening we were doing" online[1][4]. Public reaction highlights appreciation for Phia's sustainability focus, with co-founder Sophia Kianni emphasizing that buying secondhand through Phia reduces carbon footprints by 80%, which resonates especially with environmentally conscious Gen Z shoppers[2][3].
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 2:21:31 PM
In a recent update, Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni highlighted AI's transformative role in online shopping, emphasizing its ability to personalize experiences and promote sustainability. Phia has attracted 500,000 users and generated tens of millions of dollars in sales since its launch in April 2025, with plans to expand its AI capabilities and engineering team following an $8 million funding round[2][5]. Gates noted during TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, "There felt like there was this giant white space for, like, what should we actually buy, and why doesn't everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?"[5].
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 2:31:20 PM
Phia, co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, is reshaping the online shopping competitive landscape by leveraging AI to integrate over 350 million items from more than 150 second-hand platforms, offering users a personalized, sustainable shopping experience[2][5]. Since its April 2025 launch, Phia has rapidly gained 500,000 users and secured 5,000+ brand partnerships, fueled by an $8 million seed round led by Kleiner Perkins that aims to build proprietary AI models for faster, cost-effective personalization[3][4]. Gates emphasized the market opportunity, stating, “There felt like there was this giant white space… why doesn’t everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?”[2] Thi
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 2:41:38 PM
## AI Paves New Paths for Online Shopping, Say Phia Co-Founders – Breaking Technical Analysis
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni unveiled an AI shopping assistant now tracking over 350 million items across 150+ second-hand platforms, claiming it offers real-time price, resale value, and sustainability comparisons—unmatched in scale by any current consumer tool[1]. “There felt like there was this giant white space for, like, what should we actually buy, and why doesn't everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?” Gates told the audience, highlighting how Phia’s algorithms not only surface deals but also calculate an 80%
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 2:51:13 PM
Phia’s AI shopping platform is reshaping the competitive landscape by integrating over 150 second-hand marketplaces and cataloging 350 million items, enabling consumers to access personalized price comparisons and sustainability metrics. Since its April 2025 launch, Phia has rapidly gained 500,000 users and partnered with more than 5,000 brands, signaling a strong market shift towards AI-driven, sustainable e-commerce solutions. Co-founder Phoebe Gates highlighted the gap Phia fills: "Why doesn’t everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?"—underscoring AI’s role in transforming online shopping from manual price hunting to instant, intelligent assistance[2][3][5][7].
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 3:01:07 PM
At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni revealed their AI shopping assistant now integrates with more than 150 second-hand platforms and catalogs over 350 million items, directly challenging legacy price-comparison and fashion discovery apps by emphasizing sustainability and real-time value predictions[2][5]. “There felt like this giant white space for, like, what should we actually buy, and why doesn’t everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?” said Gates, spotlighting how Phia’s personalized, AI-driven approach is redefining user expectations in a crowded market[2][5]. Since its April 2025 launch, Phia has attracted 500,000 users
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 3:11:03 PM
In a significant development for the e-commerce sector, Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni emphasize how AI is transforming online shopping by integrating sustainability metrics and personalized recommendations. Phia's innovative platform, which tracks over 350 million items across more than 150 second-hand marketplaces, has attracted 500,000 users since its launch in April 2025, with Annie Case of Kleiner Perkins noting it addresses "key pain points" in price comparison and brand discovery[1][2][3]. As Phia expands its capabilities, industry experts predict a continued rise in AI-driven shopping solutions, potentially revolutionizing the way we shop online[5][6].
🔄 Updated: 10/29/2025, 3:21:24 PM
Phia co-founders Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni have launched an AI-powered shopping assistant that catalogs over 350 million items from 150 second-hand marketplaces, integrating sustainability metrics and AI-driven value predictions to enhance personalized online shopping[1]. Their platform, supported by $8 million in seed funding, features real-time price comparison, resale value calculation, and product trend forecasting, serving 500,000 users and over 5,000 brand partners within five months[3]. Gates stated at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, "There felt like there was this giant white space for, like, what should we actually buy, and why doesn't everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?" highlighting AI’s transformative potential in reducin