AI Startup Phia Signs 9K-SF Lease at Zar Property’s 37 East 18th Street
The shopping and price assistance company was co-founded by Bill Gates’s daughter
By Isabelle Durso June 3, 2026 5:22 pm
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The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, especially for Bill Gates.
Phoebe Gates, the Microsoft co-founder’s youngest daughter, started a tech firm of her own — along with her Stanford classmate Sophia Kianni — and has just signed a lease to relocate its office in New York City.
Phia, an artificial intelligence-powered shopping assistant and price comparison tool, signed a lease for 8,900 square feet on the penthouse level of Zar Property NY’s 37 East 18th Street a block north of Manhattan’s Union Square, according to sources close to the deal. The deal represents a relocation from Phia’s previous office a block south at 200 Park Avenue South.
The length of the new lease was not disclosed, but the asking rent was $125 per square foot on the penthouse level of 37 East 18th Street.
Zar Property NY bought the 10-story office building in September 2024 for $27 million, as Commercial Observer previously reported.
JLL’s Cynthia Wasserberger, Michael Berg and Sofia Bruno brokered the deal for the tenant, while the landlord was represented in-house.
Zar Property NY and JLL declined to comment. The Real Deal first reported the news of the deal.
Phia launched in April 2025 and secured a $35 million Series A funding round in January that brought the company to a $185 million valuation. Now, Gates and Kianni’s company — which helps shoppers compare prices across brands and track price drops — has 1.5 million users of its browser extension and app and 9,600 brand partners, Vogue reported last week.
Phia also seems to be highly backed by celebrity investors, including socialite Khloe Kardashian, actor and comedian Mindy Kaling, model Karlie Kloss, influencer Alix Earle, actor Sydney Sweeney and socialite Paris Hilton.
The AI startup will join several other companies at its new home at 37 East 18th Street, including graphic designer Color Aid Corporation, e-commerce services company Mohawk Group and tile store Ann Sacks.
News of Phia’s new deal also comes during a busy period for tech firm leasing in the area around the Flatiron District, following AI sales platform Clay signing a major lease for 163,095 square feet at 11 Madison Avenue in March.
But nearby Hudson Square is picking up steam, too, with major tech tenants such as PayPal inking a 261,000-square-foot deal at 345 Hudson Street and AI firm Anthropic in talks to take the entire 465,630-square-foot 330 Hudson Street.
Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.
