When Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni announced that their startup, Phia, closed an $8 million Seed round, it didn’t just mark another early-stage raise. It signaled a generational shift in how climate tech companies are being built, backed, and scaled. The round drew investment from some of the most recognized names across technology, business, and culture, including Kleiner Perkins, Hailey Bieber, Kris Jenner, Sara Blakely, Michael Rubin, Desiree Gruber, and Sheryl Sandberg.

Phia’s mission is straightforward yet transformative: to mobilize capital, technology, and collective energy toward accelerating climate solutions that resonate with the next generation. The startup is creating a platform that sits at the intersection of activism, innovation, and commerce, empowering young people to play a central role in climate decision-making while providing scalable pathways for businesses and investors.

For a Seed round, $8 million is substantial. But what makes this raise remarkable isn’t just the size of the capital - it’s the signal it sends. Investors aren’t just backing an idea; they’re backing a movement led by two founders who have spent years on the frontlines of climate advocacy.

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Who’s Behind Phia?

Phoebe Gates is widely recognized for her philanthropic focus, blending an understanding of global challenges with a sharp interest in technology and equity. Sophia Kianni, meanwhile, is a renowned climate activist and the founder of Climate Cardinals, the world’s largest youth-led climate translation initiative. Together, their partnership represents the kind of founder-market fit investors dream of: two leaders deeply rooted in the issue they’re trying to solve, with proven ability to mobilize attention, partnerships, and now, capital.

The high-profile backers in this round underscore just how much confidence the market has in Phia’s vision. Kleiner Perkins has a long history of spotting generational companies early (Amazon, Google, Beyond Meat). Meanwhile, celebrity investors like Hailey Bieber and Kris Jenner expand Phia’s cultural reach, bridging the gap between traditional venture and mainstream influence. The involvement of leaders like Sara Blakely and Sheryl Sandberg adds an extra layer of operational expertise and advocacy power.

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The Larger Context: Why Climate Tech Needs Phia

Global climate investments surpassed $1.1 trillion in 2022, but allocation continues to skew toward late-stage infrastructure and hardware-heavy projects. Early-stage innovation - particularly ventures that activate community, consumer behavior, and cultural adoption - remains underfunded.

This is where Phia is carving its niche. Instead of positioning itself as just another player in clean energy or carbon management, Phia is reimagining how climate tech integrates into people’s daily lives and decisions. Their platform is designed to democratize access, allowing Gen Z and Millennial audiences - the most climate-conscious generations - to directly participate in meaningful solutions.

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Insight That Founders Rarely Hear

Here’s where most founders get it wrong in climate tech - and where Phia is subtly breaking the mold. Many startups assume that solving the technical challenge alone is enough to unlock adoption. But what actually drives scaling isn’t just technological readiness - it’s cultural adoption velocity.

Think about it this way: Tesla didn’t just make EVs viable; it made them aspirational. Beyond Meat didn’t just offer a plant-based patty; it made meat alternatives culturally relevant. Phia is playing the same playbook, but for climate activation. They’re combining community mobilization with scalable digital workflows so that climate tech doesn’t just sit in policy reports or niche labs - it becomes part of mainstream consumer and investor behavior.

For other founders, this is a crucial takeaway: your technology isn’t enough on its own. You need to design distribution with cultural adoption at its core. This is the difference between being a solution that exists and a solution that spreads.

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Why This $8M Raise Matters

The size and caliber of this round mean Phia has the resources to quickly build and deploy its platform. Early reports suggest they’re focusing on three core pillars:

1. Democratized Climate Investing – making climate-focused projects accessible for younger generations and small-scale investors.
   
2. Community Mobilization Tools – turning activism into actionable, measurable outcomes that align with both grassroots and enterprise-level initiatives.
   
3. Partnership Infrastructure – creating connective tissue between brands, influencers, and investors to accelerate adoption of climate-positive practices.
   

Each of these pillars reflects both the urgency and scalability investors want to see in the next wave of climate solutions.

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Industry Outlook: The Climate Tech Boom

Climate tech is one of the fastest-growing verticals in venture capital. According to PwC’s State of Climate Tech 2023 report, venture funding for climate tech grew five times faster than the overall VC market between 2013 and 2022. The momentum is being driven by a mix of government policies, consumer demand, and shifting corporate priorities.

Some key stats:

• By 2030, global climate tech is expected to reach $9.4 trillion in market value.
  
• 70% of Gen Z consumers say they’re willing to pay more for sustainable products (First Insight, 2023).
  
• More than 60% of Fortune 500 companies now have publicly stated climate commitments, creating demand for new technologies that can help them meet targets.
  

Phia is perfectly positioned to ride these tailwinds. Unlike hardware-intensive climate companies, its platform-driven model can scale quickly with relatively low capital intensity. Combine that with the credibility of its investor group, and it’s clear Phia isn’t just another climate startup - it’s building a category-defining company.

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What’s Next for Phia?

With fresh capital in hand, Phia is expected to accelerate hiring, roll out its platform publicly, and expand partnerships with both enterprises and consumer-facing organizations. For investors, this represents not just an opportunity to back a climate startup, but to back the cultural infrastructure that will determine how fast solutions actually spread.

And for other founders, Phia’s journey offers an important lesson: in the most competitive industries, execution isn’t just about building the product - it’s about building the movement.