Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni on Temu, Girl Math, and Online Stalking

Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni wear vintage Miu Miu—and you can too! To thwart the SHEIN zealots and help people source second-hand designer items without getting scammed, the match made in start-up heaven co-founded their AI-fueled fashion app Phia, a price comparison tool (think Google Flights meets Shoppable Pinterest). Gates, the daughter of Bill, and Kianni first met in their dorm room at Stanford and soon paired up as business partners. Then, earlier this year, they ventured into the world as podcasting under Alex Cooper’s Unwell Network, launching The Burnouts, which amassed 130k listens in just the first episode and guest-starred iconic momager Kris Jenner in the second. From mastering business rizz to helping listeners develop financial literacy, the girls are not interested in gatekeeping. Naturally, our interest was piqued, so we slid into their DMs earlier this month to talk girl math, Celsius supremacy, and the necessity of LinkedIn stalking. 

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KATHERINE SIMON: Hey loves!

PHOEBE GATES: Hey!

SIMON: Thank you so much for coming on! To start: A/S/L?

SOPHIA KIANNI: 23/Female/NYC

GATES: 22/Female/NYC

SIMON: What’s the first thing you both do in the morning?

GATES: Check my email 😭 then my slack

KIANNI: Have a Celsius and an allergy pill.

SIMON: How many Celsius’s in a day?

GATES: 2 😬

KIANNI: Trying to keep it to 1-2 max. Coffee doesn’t cut it anymore 😔

SIMON: You’re better than me. Can you both send a fit pic?

SIMON: Tell me about your looks.

GATES: Phia x Pangaia sweatshirt. 

KIANNI: Quince sweater + Frame jeans found secondhand on Phia.

SIMON: What’s your definition of girl math? 

GATES: Shopping smart—buying items that are good quality and hold their value.

KIANNI: And buying secondhand. You can get the exact same item 75% off and it’s better for the planet.

SIMON: Sustainability and looking cunt go hand in hand.

KIANNI: 💅Look good and do good!

SIMON: Speaking of dressing cute, who takes longer to get ready?

GATES: …👀

KIANNI: Definitely me. Ngl. I do my makeup with extreme precision. It’s tactical, like a business plan.

SIMON: Any beauty tips?

KIANNI: Learn how to do your makeup once and then just keep redoing. The right lip color. Perfect eyeliner wing.

GATES: Find your five products and stick to ‘em is my beauty advice.

KIANNI: It’s a blueprint. And have your best friend there to keep you in check. My claim to fame is making Phoebe ditch her fake eyelashes and she made me stop being orange.

SIMON: You guys are good friends. What were your last three Google searches?

SIMON: What’s the candle fireplace inspo for?

KIANNI: For The Burnouts set coming soon 👀

SIMON: Speaking of Pinterest, what’s on the boards?

GATES: Outfits. Home decor. Food.

KIANNI: Lots of office fits and podcast fit ideas. And office + set design. Oh, and I love a good motivational quote.

SIMON: Let’s stir the pot: what’s the best and worst part about being co-hosts and co-founders? 

KIANNI: Best—having someone to talk to every day when things are hard. Worst—our time to gossip has significantly diminished.

GATES: Best part is getting to build everyday with my best friend. Worst, she chews really loudly.

SIMON: FMK: fashion brands?

KIANNI: Kill fast fashion. SHEIN and Temu ‼️

SIMON: Absolutely, cannot let the SHEIN bots take over. Needs to go. And Fashion Nova. ALL OF IT.

GATES: Fuck Tiffany 🤤

KIANNI: Marry secondhand Sézane.

SIMON: So real. Effortless Parisian girl chic is my inspo ‘til I die.

KIANNI: Effortless cardigans all year long. Anything already in your closet >>

GATES: Marry secondhand Prada or Miu Miu heels.

SIMON: As I heard on the pod, Sophia, you created a fake assistant in college. Would my life improve with a Kobe?

KIANNI: Everyone needs a Kobe. You need to learn to advocate for yourself!

SIMON: Right. Send the last meme you screenshotted!

KIANNI: Ngl, my screenshots are all candles and fireplaces rn.

GATES:

KIANNI: I have our Youtube thumbnails. 

SIMON: Stalking preference: LinkedIn or Instagram?

GATES: LinkedIn.

KIANNI: LinkedIn. Gotta get the substance. We need to go back on LinkedIn rn to find some more engineers.

SIMON: There’s never enough. And my last question, who’s next on the pod?

KIANNI: You’ll have to tune in to find out 😉

GATES: That’s a secret we’ll never tell.