Overview

• Phoebe Gates, 22, co-founded Phia, a digital fashion price-comparison platform, with her Stanford roommate Sophia Kianni, aiming to promote smarter and more sustainable shopping.
• Phia aggregates prices across 40,000 e-commerce sites, emphasizing second-hand shopping to reduce waste and environmental impact.
• Phoebe independently raised over $850,000 in funding, including $100,000 from Soma Capital, $250,000 from a Stanford grant, and $500,000 from angel investors after facing multiple rejections.
• Bill Gates revealed he initially worried she would ask for his financial support but is relieved she chose to navigate the competitive e-commerce space independently.
• Despite his vast wealth, Bill Gates reiterated his philosophy of leaving each of his children less than 1% of his fortune to encourage self-made success.