Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Phia, the AI-powered shopping startup co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, was reported to be raising $30 million in December 2025, at a reported private valuation of about $180 million. The round drew major venture firms and celebrity investors—but that was not the end of the funding story. By May 2026, Phia’s Series A had reportedly grown to $35.5 million, bringing its total funding to $43.5 million. Later reporting also raised questions about the company’s browsing-data practices and how its software attributed sales.
What the $30 million headline actually refers to
Bloomberg reported in December 2025 that Phia was raising $30 million in a round led by Notable Capital, with Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures participating. Bloomberg put the company’s valuation at approximately $180 million. Those are reported private-market figures, not a public-market price or an independently verified measure of what the company is worth. Bloomberg Law’s December report described the larger financing after an earlier $8 million seed round led by Kleiner Perkins, announced in September 2025. Phia’s seed-round announcement named Kleiner Perkins as lead investor.
The original $30 million figure is now historical. TechCrunch reported a $35 million Series A in January 2026. In May, Vogue reported that the round had been oversubscribed to $35.5 million, taking reported total funding to $43.5 million and the valuation to approximately $185.5 million. TechCrunch’s January account and Vogue’s May report describe the later financing. The figures should be read as reported fundraising and valuation, not proof of profitability or durable demand.
What Phia does
Phia is a shopping assistant built around finding products across online retailers. Its app and browser extension are intended to help people search for products, compare prices, find similar or less expensive options, discover secondhand listings, and track discounts. The company initially presented the product as an AI-powered search tool for shopping, rather than as a retailer selling its own inventory. FashionNetwork’s summary of the early coverage describes its price-comparison and resale discovery features.
Phia’s longer-term ambition, as described by Vogue, reaches beyond comparison. The company has discussed a multi-retailer cart, a digital closet based on past purchases, rewards redeemable for gift cards, and personalized and social-commerce recommendations. That would put Phia across more of the shopping journey: discovery, comparison, purchase, and follow-up. Those plans are not the same as proof that the product already performs every step autonomously.
Who founded Phia—and what the family connection does and does not tell you
Phoebe Gates, the youngest daughter of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, co-founded Phia with Sophia Kianni, her former Stanford roommate. Both founders have been presented as operators building a company, not simply as a famous family name attached to a product. Their background and access are still relevant: a high-profile founder can draw press attention, open doors, and make fundraising introductions easier. That advantage does not establish whether customers return, whether the product works well, or whether the economics are sustainable.
The family connection also should not be mistaken for the source of the reported financing. Phoebe Gates told Vogue that her father had not invested in Phia, though he had publicly supported it. The distinction matters because the headline can otherwise suggest that Bill Gates supplied the capital. Forbes’ account of the founders’ fundraising adds context on the company’s financing and founder story.
Who backed the company
Venture investors
Notable Capital led the December 2025 round, with Hans Tung identified in coverage as its lead investor. Kleiner Perkins, which led the earlier seed round, and Khosla Ventures also participated. The involvement of established venture firms signals that investors were willing to finance Phia’s opportunity; it does not guarantee commercial success. An investor’s other portfolio companies are not a reliable forecast of Phia’s outcome.
Celebrity and high-profile investors
Early coverage named Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sheryl Sandberg, Sara Blakely, Michael Rubin, and Desiree Gruber among Phia’s backers. Vogue later described a broader roster that included Paris Hilton, Karlie Kloss, Mindy Kaling, Sydney Sweeney, Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Jessica Alba, Halsey, Ice Spice, Khloé Kardashian, and Alix Earle. Here, “backer” refers to reported investment participation, not necessarily a paid endorsement or a promise to promote the product. Public reporting has not established how much any individual invested. Vogue’s coverage details the later roster.
What the growth numbers show—and what they do not
For the eight months ending in November 2025, Phia said its product had reached approximately 750,000 downloads, according to FashionNetwork’s account. Downloads measure installations, not necessarily distinct people who became regular users. They do not establish how many shoppers were active, made purchases, or generated revenue.
Rank #3
Vogue later reported that Phia had reached 1.5 million users across its browser extension and app after roughly 14 months, as well as 9,600 brand partners. These are reported figures, and the user total combines two product channels. A partner count also does not show how many brands were actively generating sales or how much commerce occurred. To judge business traction, investors and customers would need metrics such as repeat use, purchase conversion, revenue, and active commercial relationships—figures not established by the cited public reporting.
How Phia makes money—and why attribution matters
Vogue reported that Phia earns a cut of sales made through its extension, making affiliate commissions part of its business model. In affiliate commerce, a publisher or service may receive a commission when a shopper buys after following a tracked referral. That gives Phia a way to earn revenue without selling products itself, but it also makes the method used to credit a sale financially important.
Recommended Free Tools
A shopping assistant should help a user find a suitable product; an affiliate system determines which business receives credit and a commission when a purchase happens. If a tool gets credit for a transaction it did not meaningfully drive, that can affect other publishers, retailers, and the credibility of its reported commerce. The available reporting does not establish Phia’s commission rates, revenue mix, or unit economics.
Why Phia’s funding is not yet proof of a durable business
Phia is pursuing a real consumer problem: shoppers face fragmented product listings, prices, and resale options. Combining discovery and comparison in one place could save time, while a personalized shopping agent could make recommendations more useful. Celebrity investors may also help the company attract attention and potential retail relationships.
But the company competes in a crowded space. Retailers, search engines, coupon extensions, marketplaces, and social platforms already influence product discovery and checkout, and larger technology companies can add similar features. Downloads and a high valuation do not show whether Phia can retain users or earn enough from each purchase to cover customer acquisition and operating costs. The affiliate model makes reliable attribution and shopper trust especially important.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Privacy and sales-credit questions now complicate the story
Fortune reported criticism of the amount of browsing data collected by Phia’s extension, including concerns about records or snapshots of webpages users visited and the possibility that sensitive pages could be involved. A browser extension may need access to certain page information to compare products or identify offers, but that does not by itself answer what information is collected, how long it is kept, or whether collection is limited to what the feature needs. The cited reporting does not establish a regulatory or court finding that Phia’s practices were unlawful.
Crashes, No Sound, or Screen Glitches?
Random freezes, missing sound and display glitches usually trace back to one bad driver. Find and replace yours safely.Free scan · under a minutePC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11In August 2026, Bloomberg reporting, summarized by Fortune, raised a separate concern: that Phia software could claim credit for purchases it did not drive. The Bloomberg report described a background tab opening during checkout and a referral code being injected, potentially overriding another publisher’s referral. These are reported allegations, not a legal finding of fraud or a proven regulatory violation. Bloomberg’s August report and Fortune’s coverage describe the concerns. Publicly available reporting cited here does not settle what Phia changed in response, whether partners ended or limited relationships, or whether an independent authority has assessed the allegations.
For shoppers, those questions are practical, not just technical. Before installing a shopping extension, check the current permissions and privacy policy, what browsing activity it can access, whether data can be shared, and how affiliate links or commissions work. For Phia as a business, transparent data practices and credible sales attribution matter because the product relies on users and commerce partners trusting it.
What would establish whether Phia can succeed
The financing and attention give Phia resources to build, but they do not answer the central business questions. The most revealing evidence would be repeat usage, purchases attributable to Phia under transparent rules, durable retailer relationships, and revenue sufficient to support the service. Privacy disclosures and the resolution of the reported attribution concerns will also shape whether shoppers and partners are willing to rely on it.
For now, Phia is best understood as a well-funded attempt to combine AI-assisted shopping with affiliate commerce—not as a proven shopping platform. Its celebrity roster and family connection explain why it attracted attention; repeat customer value, trustworthy data practices, and sound commerce economics will determine whether that attention becomes a lasting business.
What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
