Phoebe Gates’ Shocking Plan to Be the Next Elizabeth Holmes Revealed

Phoebe Gates once thought she’d excel as a medical entrepreneur.

As an ardent admirer, I’m thrilled to share a fascinating tidbit about the daughter of tech titan Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates. During her time at Stanford University, she brainstormed an innovative concept – a Bluetooth-enabled tampon! Yes, you heard it right! In a business class, she presented her vision for a potential company named Renaissance, aiming to revolutionize women’s health products.

Phoebe aspired that her invention would swiftly examine menstrual blood, providing immediate results, allowing women to determine if they have anemia, check for hormonal imbalances, and potentially receive various medical diagnoses, all without visiting a physician or undergoing a conventional blood test.

Despite the pitch not being successful, it led the 22-year-old to draw parallels with Elizabeth Holmes, the former CEO of Theranos who received an 11-year prison sentence for her role in a fraudulent blood testing company.

In the March 31st episode of their podcast, “The Burnouts with Phoebe & Sophia,” Phoebe explained to her friend Sophia Kianni that she is deeply committed to this endeavor because she’s involved in reproductive health work and is also pre-med. She added, “This was our initial setback among numerous others we’ve experienced.

However, Sophia recognized the merit in it, expressing that it wasn’t entirely “unappealing” because “who enjoys having a blood test?

In awe, I exclaimed, ‘You’re nothing short of brilliant!’ To my eyes, Phoebe embodied the true spirit of Elizabeth Holmes.

Phoebe concurred that their aspirations were ambitious: “We exclaimed, ‘This is going to be incredible—we could become the next Elizabeth Holmes.’ I joked, ‘Perhaps we should start donning black turtlenecks.’

Looking back, I realize that Sophia and I unconsciously measured ourselves against Elizabeth, as we weren’t familiar with many other successful women entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley at the time. It’s truly disheartening to acknowledge that she was virtually the only prominent female entrepreneur widely recognized in the U.S.

And in the end, Phoebe’s project didn’t come to fruition.

She reminisced, “For a span of three weeks, our minds were completely engrossed in this ambitious plan. It felt like we vanished from the world, leading people to speculate that we were deeply involved with one another and had secluded ourselves from our social lives.

Yet, Phoebe – who began her relationship with Arthur Donald, grandson of Paul McCartney, last year – discovered that their business venture failed due to a lack of prepared responses for some crucial questions. These included what issue the product addressed, how it would generate income, and why they were the suitable individuals to create it.

She admitted that we were denied entry into that particular class, which served as a valuable wake-up call for us. Fortunately, Stanford offers an open-admission entrepreneurship course to everyone.

Looking back, the influencer admits that she and Sophia primarily measured themselves against Elizabeth, as they weren’t familiar with many women entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley at the time. She lamented, “It’s truly disheartening to discover that Elizabeth is essentially the only well-known female entrepreneur across the U.S.

And in the end, Phoebe’s project didn’t come to fruition.

She reminisced, “For a span of three weeks, our minds were fully engrossed in this magnificent plan. It felt as if we vanished from public sight, leading people to speculate that we might have developed feelings for one another or had decided to cut off our social interactions altogether.

Nevertheless, Phoebe – who made her relationship with Arthur Donald, Paul McCartney’s grandson, public last year – found out that their business idea didn’t succeed because they lacked proper responses for crucial questions such as what issue their product addressed, how it would generate profits, and why they were the ideal candidates to create it.

In my own words, I was turned down for that particular class, which surprisingly served as a valuable wake-up call for me. Fortunately, Stanford offers an open-door entrepreneurship course that anyone can join.

Read on to learn more about celebrities with kids who grew up in the spotlight.

In the year 2023, the former star of Full House is seen alongside her spitting image eldest child (on the left), as well as her daughter named Beatrix, during their visit to Jamaica.

In a similar vein, just as Yolanda Hadid made a name for herself on “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills,” her daughter Gigi Hadid, who also started young in the fashion world, has continued to shine on the runway since then.

Clint Eastwood’s fifth offspring, his son Scott Eastwood, has chosen to walk in the actor’s cinematic footsteps by appearing in movies such as “Suicide Squad”, “Snowden”, “The Fate of the Furious”, and “Pacific Rim”.

In 2017, Jon Bon Jovi, the renowned singer, and his third child share a striking resemblance, often referred to as his ‘mini-me’. This family quartet – father, son, mother Dorothea Bongiovi, and their youngest son Romeo Bongiovi – were pictured together at the Jefferson Awards Foundation’s 2017 DC National Ceremony held at the Capital Hilton in Washington, D.C.

Back in 2016, I was beaming ear to ear as I found myself in the heart of New York City, right there at the performance of Finding Neverland – an experience that felt like a dream come true! You wouldn’t believe it, but the two stars who looked like they had stepped straight out of a fairy tale were there too, adding even more magic to the evening.

Woah, the Marsden men’s resemblance was uncanny at the 2017 SAG Awards.

In April of 2025, the daughter of the actress known for her role in “Alfie” – a child she shares with her former partner Tom Sturridge – was spotted accompanying her mother during an uncommon public appearance in London.

Double take! The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum’s daughter looks like her younger sister!

The soccer star has the cutest plus-one ever at the London premiere of Ronaldo.

Sailor is taking after her mom in the modeling industry.

And Kate’s daughter is also following in her mom’s famous footsteps.

At the Los Angeles premiere of “Hot Pursuit”, this mother-daughter duo were a perfect match as they struck a pose for their Instagram shot!

Like mother, like daughter. The two attend the Vanity Fair Oscars party in 2015.

In a striking resemblance, they appear as if they could pass for twins instead of a mother and daughter, due to their identical jumpsuits, neat hairstyles, and glasses! On Instagram, Willis playfully commented, “The moment when you can’t help but notice the uncanny similarity #twins #notmad.

Pictured here in 2010, the pop icon’s daughter is a fashionista just like her mama!

You’ll get a kick out of how much the soccer star and his son look alike.

The lively morning radio host commemorated her daughter’s 14th birthday by sharing this charming photograph. Notice the striking similarity!

Once upon a time in Hollywood…the Kill Bill actress twinned with her daughter on the red carpet.

Little Blue stole the show at the 2017 Grammys, and she’s totally #twinning with her pops!

As a lifestyle enthusiast, I recently had the pleasure of experiencing the magic of Disney On Ice Presents Frozen alongside my dear daughter at the iconic Staples Center. Needless to say, it was an enchanting way to immerse ourselves in the holiday spirit, reminiscent of the timeless tale that is Days of Our Lives.

The mother and daughter resembled each other closely (particularly due to their identical hairstyles), as they attended the Chanel Fall-Winter Haute Couture event in Paris.

The Oscar-winner and her daughter both rock the red hair.

The nearly identical stunning stars even dress the same!

The Fuller House star and her daughter are practically twins at the Summer TCA Press Tour.

As a devoted admirer, I can’t help but share my excitement about a remarkable moment in fashion history – the debut of the son of Daniel Day-Lewis, the star of “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Lincoln,” who also happens to be the offspring of the French actress extraordinaire, Isabelle Adjani. This extraordinary occasion took place at the 2015 Paris Fashion Week, where he graced the runway alongside the illustrious Julianne Moore, making it a day I’ll never forget!