Phoebe Gates Faces Personal Questions from Investors While Pitching Her Startup
Phoebe Gates, the daughter of Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, has opened up about a frustrating experience she faced while raising funds for her fashion technology startup. The twenty-three-year-old entrepreneur expected serious discussions about business plans and growth strategies during meetings with venture capitalists. Instead, she found herself repeatedly fielding questions about her personal life and future family plans.
Investors Focus on Family Planning Instead of Business Strategy
Gates and her co-founder Sophia Kianni were pitching Phia, their fashion pricing and comparison tool, to potential investors when the uncomfortable questions began. "We'll have investors ask us all the time, 'Well, what happens when you two go have babies?'" Gates revealed during an appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast. She expressed confusion about why her personal life became a topic of discussion in professional funding meetings.
The young founder noted that the underlying assumption behind these questions seemed to be that having children would automatically reduce their commitment to the company. This line of questioning occurred so frequently that it left Gates feeling upset and questioning why investors focused on her potential motherhood rather than her business acumen.
Emotional Toll and Seeking Guidance
The repeated inquiries took an emotional toll on Gates. At one particularly difficult point, she reached out to her mother, Melinda French Gates, for advice and support. The philanthropist and businesswoman offered direct guidance that helped her daughter refocus on her entrepreneurial goals.
"Get up or get out the game," Gates recalled her mother saying. This straightforward advice helped the young entrepreneur regain her perspective and continue pushing forward with her work despite the challenging investor interactions.
Highlighting Gender Bias in Venture Funding
Gates believes these questions reflect a broader assumption in the investment community about women founders. "Because you're a woman, investors think you're going to be around for 10 years and then have kids and leave," she explained. This perception creates additional hurdles for female entrepreneurs seeking funding for their ventures.
Her co-founder Sophia Kianni directly confronted this double standard during one investor meeting. When asked what would happen to Phia if the founders had children, Kianni turned the question back on the investor. She asked, "What's going to happen to your venture firm when you have kids?"
The investor responded that having children would not affect his work, which Kianni said perfectly highlighted the unequal expectations placed on women in business. This exchange demonstrated how assumptions about gender roles continue to influence professional interactions even in supposedly progressive investment circles.
Moving Forward with Determination
Despite these challenges, both founders remain committed to growing their fashion technology startup. Their experience sheds light on the additional obstacles young women entrepreneurs face when seeking venture capital funding. The story has sparked conversations about how investors evaluate founders and whether unconscious biases affect funding decisions.
Phoebe Gates' revelation comes at a time when discussions about gender equality in the startup ecosystem are gaining momentum. Her experience serves as a reminder that even daughters of prominent business figures face gender-based assumptions when entering the entrepreneurial world.
