“Starting a Company Is No Joke”: Kardashian Offers Tough Love and Wisdom to the Young Co-Founders of Fashion Startup Phia
When it comes to starting a business, few know the pressure and power of a successful launch better than Kim Kardashian. So when Phoebe Gates — daughter of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates — needed guidance for her upcoming fashion tech startup Phia, she went straight to the source.
In a lighthearted Instagram video, Gates and her co-founder Sophia Kianni, who also co-host The Burnouts podcast together, found themselves in a disagreement over how much they should be revealing about their pre-launch brand. Kianni insisted she got the green light from Kardashian herself — a claim Gates wasn’t quite ready to believe. The only way to settle it? Call Kim.
“Girls, have I taught you nothing about media training?” Kardashian, 44, asked over speakerphone, with a smile in her voice. “You can’t just give them everything right now.” Her tone quickly turned serious. “Starting a company is no joke, so keep Phia under wraps until the perfect moment.”
The call ended with a characteristically focused note from Kardashian: “Trust me, it’ll be worth it. I’ll call you girls later. We have a lot of work to do.”
While Kardashian didn’t divulge further details about what that work might include, her presence alone signaled that the budding founders are moving in high-powered circles — and possibly toward an ambitious launch.
A New Vision for Digital Fashion
Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni are gearing up to shake up the world of shopping with Phia, a digital fashion startup that remains shrouded in mystery — on purpose. As advised by Kardashian, their website currently offers only a waitlist, inviting early adopters to sign up without revealing exactly what’s to come.
But that hasn’t stopped buzz from building.
The co-founders, both 22, recently spoke to PEOPLE about their shared mission. Gates, known for her advocacy in reproductive rights and gender equality, emphasized that the pair are serious about both purpose and innovation. “Our dream listener is the girl who’s grinding,” she said of their podcast audience. “She’s moving up the ladder, she’s working hard, she’s falling down and getting back up — and she’s listening in her AirPods on the way to work.”
Kianni, a climate activist and UN advisor, echoed the sentiment. “The point of this show is not really to be polished. It’s not a buttoned-up business plan,” she explained. “It’s real. It’s raw. And it’s about the process of building something meaningful.”
Star Power Meets Startup Grit
Kardashian’s involvement — however casual or behind the scenes — lends a major spotlight to Phia, which is positioning itself at the intersection of fashion, technology, and Gen Z sensibilities. And while Gates and Kianni are no strangers to media attention or entrepreneurship, it’s clear they’re leaning into mentorship and strategic advice from those who’ve navigated the space before.
In true Gen Z style, they summed it up perfectly in their Instagram caption:
“If @kimkardashian tells you to wait, you wait.”
As the countdown to Phia’s launch continues, all eyes will be on what these powerhouse women are building — and how their combination of authenticity, ambition, and A-list advice might just redefine digital fashion for a new generation.
