Biography Flash: Sophia Kianni's AI Shopping App Phia Raises $8M While Facing Privacy Questions cover art

Biography Flash: Sophia Kianni's AI Shopping App Phia Raises $8M While Facing Privacy Questions

Biography Flash: Sophia Kianni's AI Shopping App Phia Raises $8M While Facing Privacy Questions

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 Sophia Kianni Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

Sophia Kianni has been at the center of several major headlines in the past few days thanks to her role as co-founder of Phia, the fast-growing AI shopping app she launched with Phoebe Gates, which has now amassed around 500,000 users since its April debut and just raised an $8 million seed round from top investors like Kleiner Perkins, Kris Jenner, and Hailey Bieber, according to TechCrunch. The platform leverages artificial intelligence to scan hundreds of millions of fashion items and aims to transform online shopping into a personalized experience, letting users track purchases and search history, with plans for a future AI-powered agent that could advise on what to buy, when to resell, and even sync with user calendars for smarter shopping.

In the past 24 hours, however, Phia faced scrutiny after a Fortune report revealed it was collecting more sensitive user data than many rivals. This raised questions about privacy practices and could mark a significant moment in Sophia’s entrepreneurial journey, with potential long-term implications for both the brand and her reputation. Neither Sophia nor Gates has posted a detailed response yet as of this morning, but both have often used social media and their own podcast, The Burnouts, as a platform for sharing company updates and discussing how they build the business in public, so a statement could be forthcoming.

Just days ago, Sophia appeared at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 alongside Gates, speaking about AI in consumer technology and highlighting Phia’s unique features, including its sustainability-focused second-hand search, which integrates with more than 150 resale platforms. Sophia explained that buying second-hand through Phia can reduce an item’s carbon footprint by 80 percent, staying true to her roots as a climate activist and founder of Climate Cardinals. That broader context—her rapid rise as an entrepreneur, her continued activism, and her role as one of the youngest advisors to the United Nations—means this privacy controversy is especially newsworthy.

On social media, Sophia has been highly visible, regularly sharing updates, recruiting for Phia’s team, and crowd-sourcing feedback directly from users, often referencing the startup’s journey and inviting followers to participate in live Q&As and strategy sessions. Her Gen Z-forward approach, which includes viral marketing experiments and leveraging podcasts for talent sourcing, remains a key part of Phia’s public persona and business strategy.

To wrap up, Sophia Kianni’s latest days have brought public praise, major funding, high-profile investor backing, and a new challenge as she navigates user data transparency with her startup. That blend of entrepreneurial ambition and public accountability is shaping her emerging biography in real time. Thanks for listening. Subscribe so you never miss an update on Sophia Kianni, and search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Sophia Kianni. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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