The Brief
- Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni launched Phia, an AI shopping app, amid challenges for female founders in tech.
- Phia has attracted over 700,000 users and raised $8 million in seed funding from notable investors.
- Gates and Kianni advocate for more female representation in tech and venture capital funding.
SEATTLE – The “Tech Crunch Disrupt 2025” conference in San Francisco is a gateway of sorts for up-and-coming founders and the Gates name, synonymous with tech and Seattle, is getting a Gen Z rebrand.
Backstage, the Seattle freeze was nowhere to be felt— instead, Seattle-area native Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni are helping thaw the perspective on female friends turned tech co-founders.
“I said you guys pair so well together, you guys just bounce off each other. Where does that energy come from?” asked FOX 13 Seattle anchor Sabirah Rayford.…