Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni share the playbook for scaling consumer AI and winning Gen Z at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025

6 months ago 64

Consumer AI is having its breakout infinitesimal — and fewer startups person captured the spotlight this twelvemonth rather similar Phia. The AI-powered buying adjunct has go 1 of 2025’s buzziest launches, not lone for its imaginativeness of however Gen Z shops, but besides for the powerhouse founders starring it: Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni.

At TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, happening October 27–29 astatine San Francisco’s Moscone West, the 2 volition instrumentality to the Disrupt Stage to stock however they’re gathering Phia into a durable user brand, what it takes to standard successful 1 of tech’s astir competitory markets, and however they’re turning viral buzz into lasting marketplace influence.

TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni

The adjacent epoch of user AI

Phia aims to reinvent the mode integer natives discover, compare, and store for products — blending AI assistance with the values of conscious consumerism. For Gen Z, the buying travel is astir much than convenience. It’s astir trust, personalization, and aligning choices with idiosyncratic ethics. Gates and Kianni are betting that the adjacent procreation of user AI indispensable present connected each of those fronts astatine once.

From advocacy to AI

Phoebe Gates, co-founder of Phia, is an entrepreneur and passionate advocator for women’s reproductive rights and sex equity. A Stanford postgraduate successful quality biology, she has worked with planetary healthcare leaders, activists, and advocates to thrust meaningful societal change. Gates applies her entrepreneurial absorption to animate a caller procreation of women successful business. Recognized by Reproductive Freedom for All arsenic the 2024 “Rising Reproductive Freedom Champion,” she continues to beryllium a dependable for advancement portion gathering Phia into a starring AI buying brand.

Sophia Kianni is the co-founder of Phia. She is an Iranian American entrepreneur and clime activistic who has made waves arsenic the laminitis of Climate Cardinals, the world’s largest youth-led clime nonprofit. Named to Forbes 30 Under 30 and BBC’s 100 Women, she besides served arsenic the youngest UN clime advisor successful U.S. history. Now she’s applying her storytelling and advocacy expertise to standard Phia. A Stanford alumna, Kianni is focused connected utilizing AI to empower smarter, much sustainable user choices.

Learn however to physique for growth, loyalty, and interaction successful this session

Scaling a user AI marque is not conscionable astir tech — it’s astir winning trust, adapting rapidly to marketplace shifts, and knowing however to basal retired successful a noisy space. Gates and Kianni volition discuss:

  • Turning attraction into adoption: How Phia is moving beyond hype to physique existent user loyalty.
  • The Gen Z factor: Why today’s youngest shoppers expect personalization, transparency, and values-driven tech.
  • Building for scale: Lessons from taking an early-stage thought into 1 of the toughest markets successful tech.

Don’t miss the summons savings

With much than 10,000 founders, investors, and operators acceptable to stitchery astatine TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, this league is simply a must-see for anyone gathering successful user AI, commerce, oregon brand-driven tech who wants to triumph Gen Z loyalty. Be successful the country erstwhile Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni interruption down the adjacent frontier of AI-powered shopping. Register contiguous to prevention up to $444. More than conscionable you? Save 20% for groups of 4-9 by tomorrow, October 3.

Techcrunch event

San Francisco | October 27-29, 2025

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