You’d expect the youngest child of Bill Gates to be coding in a dark room or perhaps quietly managing a massive family foundation. But Phoebe Gates isn’t doing that. Honestly, she’s become a bit of a disruptor in her own right, leaning into a weird, fascinating intersection of high-fashion glam, AI tech, and aggressive reproductive rights activism.
She's 23 now. And while her older siblings Jennifer and Rory have largely kept the curtains drawn on their private lives, Phoebe has basically blown the doors off.
The Stanford Speedrun and the "No Dropouts" Rule
Most people know Bill Gates famously dropped out of Harvard to start Microsoft. It’s the ultimate tech bro lore. But when it came to his own daughter, that was a hard no. Phoebe recently shared on her podcast, The Burnouts, that her parents were extremely strict about her finishing her degree. No "dropping out to chase a startup" for the Gates kids.
She actually finished her Bachelor of Science in Human Biology at Stanford in just three years. That’s a grind. She graduated in June 2024, with her mom, Melinda French Gates, giving the commencement speech. It’s kinda poetic when you think about it—Melinda passing the torch of women's advocacy to a daughter who had just finished a degree specifically focused on the intersection of biology and policy.
Phia: The "Google Flights" of Fashion
While she was still in her dorm room, Phoebe and her roommate Sophia Kianni started cooking up an idea for a startup called Phia.
Think of it as a digital shopping agent. It’s essentially an AI-powered tool that scans over 40,000 retail and resale sites to find you the best price. Phoebe calls it the "Google Flights of fashion." If you find a designer dress you love but can't justify the $2,000 price tag, Phia finds the secondhand version on Depop or The RealReal in seconds.
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Here is the kicker: she didn't take her dad's money to build it.
She actually raised the initial capital independently. By late 2025, Phia had secured a $30 million Series A funding round, bringing the company's valuation to roughly $180 million. The investor list looks like a Met Gala seating chart:
- Kris Jenner
- Hailey Bieber
- Sara Blakely (the Spanx founder)
- Michael Rubin
It’s a massive flex to build a tech company in Silicon Valley without using the "Gates" checkbook, though she’s the first to admit the name opens doors that stay locked for everyone else.
The Investor Question That Drive Her Crazy
Even with the Gates name, being a young woman in tech isn't a walk in the park. On a recent episode of Call Her Daddy, Phoebe got real about the sexism she faced while fundraising.
She mentioned that venture capitalists would constantly ask her, "What happens to the company when you decide to have babies?"
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It’s 2026, and we're still asking female founders about their uteruses during pitch meetings? Phoebe’s co-founder, Sophia, reportedly snapped back at one investor, asking him what would happen to his firm when he had kids. He said it wouldn't affect anything. Exactly.
Activism and the "Nepo Baby" Label
Phoebe doesn't shy away from the "nepo baby" conversation. She knows. She’s aware. But she’s trying to pivot that privilege into something that actually moves the needle on reproductive rights.
Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she’s been all over the South—Mississippi, Louisiana—meeting with medical students and activists. She isn't just posting black squares on Instagram; she’s writing essays for Vogue and Teen Vogue about the "FemTech" gap and how medical systems are still designed for a default male patient.
A Modern-Day Power Couple?
If you're into celebrity gossip, you've probably seen the headlines about her dating Arthur Donald. If the name doesn't ring a bell, his grandfather’s might: Paul McCartney.
The media has dubbed them "Microsoft meets the Beatles." It’s a level of "elite" that feels almost fictional. They’ve been spotted at various high-profile events, from Paris Fashion Week to New York premieres, but they keep the actual details of their relationship pretty close to the chest.
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What Most People Get Wrong
The biggest misconception about Phoebe Gates is that she’s just another socialite with a famous last name. Sure, she lives in a $131 million house (nicknamed Xanadu 2.0) and has half a million followers on Instagram. But she’s also a human biology nerd who spent her summers interning at Partners In Health in Rwanda.
She’s trying to bridge a gap that usually stays wide open: the space between the sterile world of high-tech philanthropy and the fast-paced, influencer-driven world of Gen Z.
Actionable Insights for the Curious
If you're watching Phoebe’s trajectory and wondering what it means for the future of the Gates legacy, here are a few things to keep an eye on:
- Watch the Phia App: It’s moving beyond just a "search tool" and becoming a major player in the circular economy. If you want to shop sustainably without the headache, the Chrome extension is actually pretty useful.
- The Rise of FemTech: Phoebe is betting big on the idea that technology specifically for women's health is the next trillion-dollar industry. Keep an eye on the startups she talks about on The Burnouts.
- A Different Kind of Philanthropy: Unlike her father’s more institutional approach, Phoebe’s advocacy is grassroots and loud. It’s a signal of how the next generation of "old money" plans to spend their influence.
Phoebe is basically proof that you can be the daughter of the world’s most famous billionaire and still find a way to make people talk about something other than your inheritance. She’s carving out a space that is equal parts Silicon Valley and New York Fashion Week, and so far, it’s working.