TechCrunch Startup News Phia’s founders on how AI is changing online shopping, plus, Grammarly rebrands to ‘Superhuman,’ launches a new AI assistant
Oct 29, 2025
Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni discuss their innovative AI shopping assistant that helps users compare prices across new and secondhand items. They highlight the sustainability benefits of buying secondhand and how their app predicts resale value. Meanwhile, Grammarly rebrands as Superhuman after acquiring the Superhuman email client, unveiling a new AI assistant that offers writing suggestions and connects to various apps. Superhuman's features are poised to revolutionize email and productivity tools.
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Founders Met In A Stanford Class Project
- Phoebe Gates and Sophia Kianni met as randomly paired Stanford roommates and built an e-commerce AI from a class project.
- They validated demand in class before launching to the public after finding product-market fit.
Secondhand Shopping Scaled With AI
- Phia aggregates over 350 million items and integrates 150+ second-hand platforms to surface cheaper, sustainable options.
- Buying secondhand can cut an item's carbon footprint by about 80% while often saving money.
AI Estimates Resale Value And Fit
- Phia's assistant helps users assess retained value and resale potential to judge whether a purchase is worth it.
- The tool also predicts fit using past orders and returns to reduce sizing uncertainty.