Phoebe Gates, the 23-year-old daughter of Bill and Melinda Gates, is making waves in Silicon Valley with her AI shopping startup Phia, which recently raised $35 million at a $185 million valuation. The Stanford graduate cofounded the company with sustainability advocate Sophia Kianni, creating an AI shopping assistant that compares prices across tens of thousands of retail sites.

Gates is determined to build Phia without leveraging her family name or inheritance, telling investors her venture must stand on its own merit. The New York-based startup launched in 2025 and has already garnered hundreds of thousands of downloads as investors pour money into AI automation tools. Notable Capital led the latest funding round, with participation from Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures.

Gates draws inspiration from her mother's women's rights activism and her father's emphasis on building strong teams. Despite facing questions about her personal life and potential future children during investor meetings, Gates maintains her focus on creating a tool for young women who want to shop smart without wasting time. Her determination to prove herself in Silicon Valley reflects a broader challenge for second-generation entrepreneurs seeking to establish independent legacies.