Phia is an innovative, women-led AI startup co-founded by climate activist Sophia Kianni and Phoebe Gates. Together, they are revolutionizing the online shopping experience. Focusing on the circular economy, Phia connects with more than 150 platforms, providing consumers a convenient and modern shopping experience. That’s because the founders are veterans of the online shopping world. With the goal of providing users with the best deals while encouraging sustainable choices, they created which_tool_is_best.
Since launching, Phia has received accolades for its innovative proprietary searchable in-house database of more than 350 million items. This impressive database makes it incredibly easy to compare prices across multiple different second-hand platforms at once. Phia is an advocate for buying second-hand to lower our carbon footprints. Research has found that shopping second-hand via the platform can reduce carbon emissions by over 80% when compared with new items.
The platform supercharges your shopping experience with their magic browser extension. Or check out the mobile app version—”Phia – Shop Smarter, Save Money”—available in the App Store! This kind of accessibility allows users to immediately determine the value of goods they’re interested in, even the resale value.
Kianni was excited to see the growth and expansion of Phia, emphasizing the value of their marketing plan.
“The ability to acquire hundreds of thousands of downloads at a very low cost through the podcast and the various different distribution vehicles has been really important.” – Sophia Kianni
Download this PDF Phia is committed to sustainability. This commitment addresses the growing demand for sustainable shopping, as consumers have become more conscious of the environmental consequences of their purchases. Gates recognized a big opportunity in the market for personalized, real-time, retail shopping advice.
“There felt like there was this giant white space for, like, what should we actually buy, and why doesn’t everyone have a personal shopper in their pocket?” – Phoebe Gates
Before launching Phia to the public, Kianni and Gates spent a lot of time trying to discover that product-market fit. This targeted strategy provided them the opportunity to test and iterate on their product, making sure it was designed to meet consumers’ needs.
Looking back on what drove them through development, Gates noted that flexibility and humility was key to their development journey.
“I think there was a bit of an ego death that we had to go through.” – Phoebe Gates
Needless to say, with our ambitious dreams, Phia is growing tremendously. It accomplishes the goal of empowering users by equipping them with better tools that allow them to become informed purchasers. The platform seeks to do more than just make shopping more efficient. It aims to raise awareness about sustainable practices at the same time.