Bill Gates' daughter raised $43M for a startup. It just got caught cheating.

@vcwithanna

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Build your closet seamlessly, and find the best prices instantly.

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The post leverages the notoriety of Bill Gates' daughter and other celebrities to draw attention to a scandal involving a startup's alleged fraudulent practices, tapping into public interest in celebrity news and business ethics.

Summary

This post details allegations of fraud against Phia, a startup co-founded by Phoebe Gates, which allegedly engaged in cookie stuffing to claim unearned commissions. The startup, which had raised $43 million and was valued at $185 million, was suspended from Impact.com after investigations by Bloomberg, Ben Edelman, and Capital One Shopping confirmed the fraudulent activity.

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Bill Gates’ daughter co-founded a $185M startup. It just got caught doing what Honey got sued for. Cookie stuffing, quietly injecting referral codes at checkout to claim commissions on sales you didn’t drive was found by Bloomberg, an independent researcher and Capital One Shopping all in the same week. Phia says it was a bug. The affiliate platform that suspended them isn’t so sure. For anyone in VC: this is a reminder that revenue quality matters as much as revenue growth. Always ask how the number is being generated. #venturecapital #startups #ai #founder #Tech

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