A Star-Studded Investment Round
Fresh from the $1 billion sale of her skincare label Rhode, Hailey Bieber has added her name to one of the most closely watched fashion-tech ventures of 2025. The supermodel and beauty mogul has joined the $8 million seed round for Phia, the AI-powered shopping platform co-founded by Phoebe Gates and climate activist Sophia Kianni. The investment reinforces Bieber’s growing influence beyond beauty and fashion, positioning her alongside Silicon Valley’s leading venture capital firm, Kleiner Perkins, which led the round.
Image – Instagram / Hailey Rhode Bieber
The roster of backers speaks to Phia’s unique position at the intersection of technology, culture, and commerce. Alongside Bieber, the company counts Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely, Michael Rubin, Desiree Gruber, and former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg as supporters. This blend of celebrity, entrepreneurial, and corporate capital not only secures the company’s financial runway but also situates Phia within a network of powerful advocates who understand both consumer behavior and digital innovation.
For Phia, the addition of Bieber brings more than capital. It introduces a stamp of cultural credibility from one of Gen Z’s most recognizable figures, a woman who has successfully scaled a beauty brand into a global name. Bieber’s alignment with Gates and Kianni suggests a recognition of their vision for Phia: a product at once technologically advanced and inherently stylish, one that mirrors the digital-first instincts of a new generation of shoppers.
Rapid Growth and Market Impact
Launched in April 2025, Phia has already demonstrated growth that many startups struggle to achieve in years. In just five months, the platform has amassed 500,000 users, forged direct partnerships with more than 5,000 brands, and built one of the largest resale databases in the United States, with more than 300 million items indexed across sites including eBay, The RealReal, and Poshmark. The platform has also been credited with driving tens of millions of dollars in sales for retail partners, solidifying its value proposition not only to consumers but also to the fashion industry itself.
Phia’s success lies in its AI-powered model, which combines price-comparison technology with personalized discovery. For consumers, it provides access to luxury and resale markets at a level of efficiency that speaks directly to Gen Z’s preference for seamless, tech-enabled shopping experiences. For brands, it creates an engine of visibility and sales at a time when digital retail is both fragmented and hyper-competitive.
This dual-market appeal explains why investors have been quick to support the venture. By securing both consumer loyalty and brand partnerships, Phia demonstrates a rare ability to create an ecosystem rather than a product. Its growth trajectory signals a broader shift in how luxury and mainstream fashion are accessed, consumed, and reimagined in a digital era.
Vision, Legacy, and Cultural Credibility
The philosophical underpinnings of Phia stem from Gates’s refusal to rely on the financial empire of her parents, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates and philanthropist Melinda French Gates. Instead, Phoebe has emphasized the value of building alongside collaborators, from her co-founder Sophia Kianni to interns working late nights in pursuit of shared vision. As she explained to Fortune, success comes down to “the people you choose every single day,” a sentiment that reflects a generational shift toward collaboration, authenticity, and mission-driven entrepreneurship.
Bieber’s decision to back Phia is rooted in this very ethos. Just months after selling Rhode in a billion-dollar transaction to e.l.f. Beauty, she recognized in Gates and Kianni the same clarity of vision and relentless pace that had allowed her to scale a beauty brand beloved by Gen Z in under three years. Her public support underscores the strategic importance of investing in female founders whose work reflects both commercial opportunity and cultural relevance.
Even Bill Gates, while not funding the company, has offered his own symbolic contribution. By working a day in customer support for Phia, he provided a lesson in humility and practicality that surpassed the impact of financial assistance. The anecdote illustrates a deeper truth about the venture: that success is not only measured in capital raised but also in the quality of insight, resilience, and lived experience shaping its foundation.