‘When will you have …,’ the investors' question that annoyed Bill Gates daughter Phoebe Gates the most while raising funding for her startup

Phoebe Gates, daughter of Bill Gates, revealed a question from investors that repeatedly frustrated her while raising funds for her startup, Phia. In her early twenties and fresh out of college, Gates expected meetings with venture capitalists to focus on business plans, growth and funding.

Instead, she and her co-founder Sophia Kianni were often asked about their future plans to have children and how that might affect the company. Speaking on an episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Gates said the question came up so often that it left her upset and confused about why her personal life was being discussed at all.

Investors questioned Phoebe Gates’ future family plans

Phoebe Gates, 23 said that she and her business partner Sophia Kianni were pitching Phia, a fashion pricing and comparison tool, to investors when they faced questions about whether they planned to have children in the future. “We’ll have investors ask us all the time, ‘Well, what happens when you two go have babies?’” Gates said. She added that the assumption behind the question was that having children would reduce their commitment to the company.Gates said the repeated questioning became emotionally difficult, and at one point she called her mother, Melinda French Gates, to talk about it.

Advice Phoebe received from her mother Melinda French Gates

Gates said her mother gave her direct advice on how to deal with the situation.

“Get up or get out the game,” she recalled her mother saying. Gates shared that the comment helped her refocus and continue pushing forward with her work.She also said the questions reflected an assumption that women founders may not stay in business long term. “Because you’re a woman, investors think you’re going to be around for 10 years and then have kids and leave,” Gates said.

Phia co-founder pointed the double standard

Sophia Kianni said she responded to one investor by turning the question back on him. When asked what would happen to Phia if the founders had children, she asked, “What’s going to happen to your venture firm when you have kids?”Kianni said the investor replied that it would not affect his work, which she said highlighted the unequal expectations placed on women.