Bill Gates<\/a>, insisted she complete her education before launching any venture, even though he dropped out of Harvard himself to start Microsoft![\"Phoebe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/phoebe-gates-1.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
<\/p>\nLaunching Phia: The startup story<\/p>\n
In early 2023, Phoebe co-founded Phia with former Stanford roommate Sophia Kianni, an AI-powered shopping tool described as \u201cGoogle Flights for fashion.\u201dPhia officially launched in April this year as a free iOS and Chrome extension tool, helping users find smarter, more sustainable shopping options by comparing prices instantly across platforms.How is it different from other shopping apps?Well, Phia aggregates listings from over 40,000 retail and secondhand websites, allowing users to compare prices instantly. Its flagship feature, \u201cShould I Buy This?\u201d, labels the price as overpriced, typical, or fair. What\u2019s more? It also suggests better alternatives when available.<\/p>\n
How did she raise the money?<\/p>\n
To raise the money for her startup, Phoebe chose the harder way. Despite being the Gates heiress, she did not fund her startup with her family money. Rather, she raised over $500,000 in venture and angel funding, plus another $100,000 via a Stanford entrepreneurship grant, all without financial support from her parents. She even received mentorship from high-profile advisors like Kris Jenner, Spanx founder Sara Blakely, and former Honey president Joanne Bradford.And this alone is a feat worth applauding for!Phoebe\u2019s father, Bill Gates, explained that he was \u201crelieved\u201d she didn\u2019t ask for funding; otherwise, he feared micromanaging would complicate their father-daughter relationship. On the other hand, Phoebe\u2019s mother, Bill\u2019s former wife, Melinda French Gates, echoed a similar sentiment, stating it was essential for Phoebe to learn through real-world rejection, character, credibility, and resilience.Talk about proud parents!<\/p>\n
Conscious media presence<\/p>\n
Another thing worth mentioning about Phoebe: she is Gen Z-coded! She knows how important it is to leave an impactful social footprint behind, and she has started early on that path.![\"Phoebe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/phoebe-gates-4.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Phoebe co-launched The Burnouts, a founder-focused podcast on Alexandra Cooper\u2019s Unwell Network, sharing startup lessons and personal stories with fellow Gen Z entrepreneurs. No brownie points for gatekeeping the learnings, so instead, she chose to talk about tips and tricks.Phoebe is also a vocal advocate for women\u2019s health and reproductive rights, recognized in 2024 by Reproductive Freedom for All as a Rising Champion. Apart from that, she has spoken at forums like Goalkeepers and Global Citizen NOW, and contributed essays to publications including Vogue and Teen Vogue.<\/p>\n
Building Phia: NOT from scratch<\/p>\n
Like all other Gen-Z folks, Phoebe relies on AI, and the refreshing part? She doesn\u2019t mind spilling the beans on how. For Phia, Phoebe and Sophia revealed that they actively use ChatGPT and AI tools to craft marketing content. As per them, they reverse-engineered viral videos by studying their structure using AI, then applied those insights for Phia\u2019s branding. On an episode of \u2018The Burnouts\u2019, Phoebe shared, \u201cWe don\u2019t start from scratch \u2026 ChatGPT supercharges me,\u201d further emphasizing how their digital-first strategy fuels both user growth and media presence.Marketed as a sustainable alternative to fast fashion, Phia aims to make secondhand shopping more accessible and eco-friendly while reducing reliance on platforms like Shein.<\/p>\n
Estimated net worth<\/p>\n
Phoebe might be the daughter of the Gates, but that doesn\u2019t make her the heiress of Gates\u2019 billion-dollar tech empire. Rather, she has to make her own way in the world of business to taste success. Because Bill Gates has pledged to leave less than 1% of his fortune to each child, around $10 million or less, emphasizing independence over inheritance.![\"Phoebe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/phoebe-gates-2.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
Phoebe\u2019s net worth isn\u2019t publicly estimated yet. However, her real value likely comes more from her founder equity in Phia, personal brand influence, and early-stage investments than any direct family inheritance.<\/p>\n
Personal life<\/p>\n
Although she has earned quite a number of accolades at just 22, Phoebe isn\u2019t a believer of \u2018all work, no play\u2019. She is currently dating Arthur Donald, the grandson of Beatles legend Paul McCartney. They reportedly began dating in 2022 after meeting through a collaboration with Stella McCartney. Donald is the son of Paul McCartney’s daughter, Mary McCartney, and her former husband, Alistair Donald. Their relationship was confirmed in June 2024, after rumors began circulating in October 2023.![\"Phoebe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/phoebe-gates-3.jpg\" "\\"\\"")
While they both come from prominent families, they’ve kept their relationship relatively private. They confirmed their relationship publicly after Phoebe graduated from Stanford University as a valedictorian. Arthur Donald, on the other hand, has kept a low profile and attended Yale University.<\/p>\n
Bhojpuri superstar Ravi Kishan’s 21-year-old daughter Ishita Shukla to join defence forces under Agneepath scheme; ‘Kudos’ says internet<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"She is not your regular heiress.Meet Phoebe Adele Gates, the youngest child of Bill and Melinda French Gates.Despite…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19992,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[16975,45,49,48,137,16976,16974,16980,16982,16979,16983,16981,16978,16977],"class_list":{"0":"post-19991","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entrepreneurship","8":"tag-bill-gates","9":"tag-business","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-entrepreneurship","13":"tag-phia-price-comparison-app","14":"tag-phoebe-adele-gates","15":"tag-phoebe-gates-boyfriend","16":"tag-phoebe-gates-educational-background","17":"tag-phoebe-gates-net-worth","18":"tag-phoebe-gates-podcast","19":"tag-phoebe-gates-startup-company","20":"tag-the-burnouts-podcast","21":"tag-womens-rights-advocate"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19991","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19991"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19991\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19992"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19991"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19991"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19991"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
![\"Who](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/122872816.jpg\")
She is not your regular heiress.Meet Phoebe Adele Gates, the youngest child of Bill and Melinda French Gates.Despite being the daughter of one of the most influential couples with an incredible amount of money and means, Phoebe is already carving her own path at just 22. Earning a Stanford degree, co-founding her own AI\u2011powered fashion-tech startup, hosting a candid podcast, and advocating for women\u2019s rights, Phoebe is doing it all on her own terms.Raised with modesty despite her parents’ massive wealth, Phoebe has already launched Phia, a price\u2011comparison app with investors including Kris Jenner and Sara Blakely. Her other achievements? Read on to take a look at that long list.<\/p>\n