$ cat ./records/phoebe-gatess-ai-shopping-startup-phia-takes-off-built-with-no-ti-2026.txt
Phoebe Gates's AI shopping startup Phia takes off — built with 'no ties to my last name'
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Phoebe Gates, the youngest child of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, has drawn attention for Phia, the AI-powered shopping app she co-founded with Sophia Kianni. Launched in April 2025, Phia scans the web and secondhand marketplaces to find deals on fashion; by early 2026 it had surpassed a million users, grown revenue elevenfold, and raised more than $40 million — including a $35 million round — at a valuation around $185 million, backed by Kleiner Perkins, Kris Jenner, and Hailey Bieber. Notably, Phoebe took no money from her parents, saying she wanted to 'build something generational that has no ties to me, my privilege, or my last name.'
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Gates becomes 'much poorer' in 2026 as he accelerates giving and slips down the wealth rankings
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Related Accomplishments
1990s
Gates keeps a collection of rare and classic cars
Despite his reputation for frugality in some areas, Bill Gates has long indulged a passion for cars, assembling a collection that has included several Porsches — among them the 911 he has owned for decades and the storied 959 — as well as other classics. His automotive tastes, and the saga of importing the then-illegal 959, are among the more colorful footnotes of his personal life.
1990s
Gates retreats for solitary, twice-yearly 'Think Weeks'
For years Bill Gates retreated twice a year to a secluded cabin for a solitary 'Think Week,' during which he read stacks of papers, books, and employee proposals with no interruptions, emerging with strategic memos that shaped Microsoft's direction. The ritual became famous as a model of deep, focused thinking by a busy executive, and was credited with helping spark major pivots — including Microsoft's embrace of the internet. Gates carried the habit of voracious, deliberate reading into his philanthropy.
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