Bill Gates returns to startups world as he joins CX team at AI powered fashion technology specialist Phia

Bill Gates has taken to social media to discuss joining the customer experience team at Phia, an AI powered fashion technology tool that is the brainchild of his daughter Phoebe Gates and her co-founder Sophia Kianni.

A free iOS app and mobile browser extension, this finds people the best prices on fashion while they shop.

In a LinkedIn post, he said: “I’ve entered the startup world again…When your daughter asks if you’d be willing to work a shift in customer service at her startup, the only right answer is yes. I’ve spent a lot of time thinking about how technology can make systems more efficient, equitable, and accessible. But I’ve learned over the years that the best way to understand how something works, or where it breaks, is to go straight to the people using it.”

He added: “That’s why I’ll be joining the Phia customer experience team for a day this week. They’ve built an app and browser extension that helps people shop smarter by finding the best prices, surfacing secondhand options, and showing lower-impact alternatives across thousands of online retailers.”

“It’s been inspiring to watch them tackle a massive challenge, rethinking the way we shop, by meeting users where they are. And now, I’ll be doing the same. Looking forward to getting back into the startup scene. Hopefully, I won’t break anything (no promises).”

Phoebe Gates commented: “When Sophia Kianni and I launched Phia, I didn’t think I’d be onboarding my father - a lifelong Android user, no less. I’ve learned a lot from him over the years - one of the most important takeaways being that the best way to improve any product is to stay close to the people using it.”

She added: “At Phia, that’s our approach: listening to our users to build a smarter way to shop. We heard their feedback, so we launched our Chrome desktop extension last month - and I couldn’t think of a better time than now to throw Bill Gates on the customer service rotation.”

“Phia is now fully synced across platforms to help shoppers find the best prices (new and secondhand), save their favourites, and view their search history - all without messy tabs or second guessing. We can’t wait for you to try it out.”

RTIH AI in Retail Awards

RTIH, organiser of the industry leading RTIH Innovation Awards, proudly brings you the first edition of the RTIH AI in Retail Awards, which is now open for entries. 

As we witness a digital transformation revolution across all channels, AI tools are reshaping the omnichannel game, from personalising customer experiences to optimising inventory, uncovering insights into consumer behaviour, and enhancing the human element of retailers' businesses.

With 2025 set to be the year when AI and especially gen AI shake off the ‘heavily hyped’ tag and become embedded in retail business processes, our newly launched awards celebrate global technology innovation in a fast moving omnichannel world and the resulting benefits for retailers, shoppers and employees.

Our 2025 winners will be those companies who not only recognise the potential of AI, but also make it usable in everyday work - resulting in more efficiency and innovation in all areas.

Winners will be announced at an evening event at The Barbican in Central London on Wednesday, 3rd September.