- AI-powered shopping app Phia has closed a $35.5 million Series A funding round at a $185.5 million valuation, led by Notable Capital, Kleiner Perkins, and Khosla Ventures.
- The celebrity investor list includes Alix Earle, Sydney Sweeney, Ice Spice, Khloé Kardashian, Paris Hilton, Karlie Kloss, Priyanka Chopra, and over 30 other names spanning Hollywood, music, and tech.
- Phia now boasts over 1.5 million users and partnerships with more than 9,600 retail brands, covering over 350 million products, plus a companion Shopping Agent that inputs discount codes, calculates resale value, and suggests alternative price options.
- The Series A follows an earlier $8 million seed round led by Kleiner Perkins, with participation from Kris Jenner, Hailey Bieber, Sara Blakely, and Michael Rubin.
Phia, the AI-powered shopping app co-founded by Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni, just revealed the celebrity roster behind its blockbuster Series A.
The $35.5 million round is backed by a “who’s who” of Hollywood, music, and tech, including Alix Earle, Ice Spice, Khloé Kardashian, Charles Porch of OpenAI, and Allison Ellsworth of Poppi. Other notable names include Sydney Sweeney, Paris Hilton, Karlie Kloss, Mindy Kaling, Halsey, Gunna, Shaboozey, and Priyanka Chopra.
Earle, who recently launched her own skincare brand Reale Actives and fronted a campaign for Hawaiian Tropic, fits Phia’s Gen Z-first ethos perfectly, making her buy-in more than symbolic. With over 14 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, Earle has become one of the most bankable influencer-founders of 2026.
Sweeney, fresh off the massive box-office success of The Housemaid and currently airing Euphoria Season 3, brings film-to-fashion crossover clout. She also has recent brand partnerships with American Eagle and Dr. Squatch.
This celebrity-investor model is gaining real traction. Much like Jon Bon Jovi’s investor partnership with Gorgie and Meghan Markle’s stake in Oneoff, stars are increasingly moving beyond endorsements into equity.
Phia helps shoppers compare prices across retailers and find secondhand alternatives, so if you’re about to pay full price for a dress, Phia shows you the same item on Poshmark for less.
The platform has grown a following of over two million people and reached hundreds of millions of views through founder-led social content rather than traditional advertising.
Takeaways
This isn’t just a celebrity-backed app story, it’s a signal of where the influencer economy is heading. Stars like Earle and Sweeney aren’t waiting to be hired; they’re buying into the brands their audiences already trust.
Phia’s roster reads less like a PR list and more like a strategic coalition, blending Gen Z tastemakers, legacy entertainers, and serious tech operators (Robinhood’s Vladimir Tenev, ElevenLabs’ Mati Staniszewski) under one roof.
Does having over 30 celebrity investors actually help a brand build trust? Is Alix Earle becoming the new blueprint for influencer-turned-businesswoman in the AI era? Will Phia’s celebrity investors become active promoters, or is this purely a financial bet?
