Sophia Kianni

Founder of Phia, Youngest Appointed United Nations Advisor & Social Entrepreneur

Sophia Kianni

Founder of Phia, Youngest Appointed United Nations Advisor & Social Entrepreneur

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Biography

Sophia Kianni is an Iranian-American social entrepreneur and activist. After founding and leading the world’s largest youth-led climate nonprofit, Climate Cardinals, Sophia, alongside her college roommate Phoebe Gates, co-founded Phia, an AI-powered, digital fashion platform capable of comparing prices across 40,000+ retail and secondhand sites in just seconds. Together, with their love of fashion and their commitment to sustainability, Sophia and Phoebe desire to help shoppers make smarter decisions for themselves and society.

Sophia and Phoebe are also co-hosts of The Burnouts, a podcast where they discuss their experience as startup founders and the complexities of being young professionals—from financial literacy to social impact and navigating networking. The podcast is part of Alex Cooper’s Unwell network and guests have included Kris Jenner and Mrs. Dow Jones.

Prior to Phia, Sophia founded and led Climate Cardinals, the world's largest youth-led climate nonprofit comprised of 16,000 volunteers in 80-plus countries. She is the youngest United Nations advisor in U.S. history and was most recently appointed to serve on the EPA's National Youth Advisory Council.

Sophia has amassed a following of over 300,000 across social media platforms, and her work has been profiled by The New York Times, CNN, Vogue, Business Insider, BBC, NPR, ELLE, The Guardian, NBC and even on the front page of The Washington Post. She has also authored opinion pieces for outlets such as TIME magazine, MTV News, Cosmopolitan, Teen Vogue and Yale Climate Connections.

Sophia is a prolific public speaker and has spoken at major events, including FORTUNE Impact Initiative, Coachella, IBM Think, Arch Summit, Bermuda Climate Summit, Web Summit, The Washington Post Climate Summit, WIRED Green and The New York Times Climate Forward. She has spoken at universities across the world, including Harvard, Stanford, Columbia, Yale, Berkeley, Johns Hopkins, Cambridge and Princeton.

Sophia’s debut TED Talk as the closing speaker at the inaugural TED Countdown Conference has 2-plus million views.

Sophia has sat on boards and advisory councils for The New York Times, World Economic Forum, Ashoka, American Lung Association, REFORM Alliance and Lady Gaga's Born This Way Foundation.

She has been named VICE Media's youngest Human of the Year, a National Geographic Young Explorer, on Business Insider's Climate Action 30, among BBC's 100 Women and to Forbes 30 under 30.

Speaker Videos

Activist Sophia Kianni Cuts Her Hair in Protest for Women’s Rights | Global Citizen Festival 2023

CGI 2023 | Story Studio with Sophia Kianni

Sophia Kianni Introduces The Solv[ED] Youth Innovators at Solve At MIT 2023

Language Shouldn't Be a Barrier to Climate Action | Sophia Kianni | TED Countdown

Is climate salvation lost in translation? | Sophia Kianni

Kianni on accountability and the individual carbon footprint

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Speech Topics

Creating a Culture of Impact: Leading with Purpose in Business

Businesses today are increasingly expected to do more than just turn a profit—they're also being called to contribute to the greater good. Sophia Kianni will discuss how leaders can embed purpose into their business models, drive innovation with impact in mind and build brands that resonate with socially conscious consumers.

Key takeaways include:

Define a mission with a broader purpose: It's essential to create a mission that aligns not only with your business objectives but also with a larger societal need. For instance, Sophia’s startup, Phia, focuses on sustainability in fashion technology, which has provided a strong foundation for both growth and impact.
Adaptability is key: As businesses evolve, it's crucial to remain flexible and allow your mission to adapt with new insights and opportunities. This adaptability ensures long-term relevance and the ability to seize emerging opportunities while staying true to core values.

Women in Leadership: Breaking Barriers & Building Legacies

Despite progress, women still face significant challenges in leadership roles across all sectors. Drawing from her journey as a young woman starting two major initiatives, Sophia Kianni will discuss the importance of representation, the power of mentorship and how women can support each other in breaking through glass ceilings to build impactful legacies. In this deeply personal talk, she shares the hurdles she has overcome and the lessons she has learned along the way. This speech is a must for audiences who are passionate about gender equality, women's empowerment, and the importance of mentorship and community in breaking through barriers.

The Key To Success? Chasing Impact

True success comes from giving to others—focusing on creating positive value for the world and continually evolving your method of impact. For Sophia Kianni, it's a way of life that started when she was a teen and has continued with her latest venture, Phia, a fashion technology platform to advance sustainability. Sophia’s journey began at 18 when she founded her nonprofit, Climate Cardinals, to translate climate information into hundreds of languages to reach a global audience. By cultivating a community and focusing on learning, she created further impact by joining the UN as a climate advisor. In this talk, Sophia breaks down how others can find their own success by identifying a guiding mission and allowing it to evolve through different phases of their careers. She also shares the steps needed for you to start making an impact and the importance of being open to learning, adapting and seeking opportunities to scale. If you are interested in helping others and changing the world, this talk is for you!

Generation Z: The Voice of a New Era

Sophia represents the voice of a new generation—one that is unafraid to challenge the status quo and push for change on a global scale. In this talk, she explores the unique characteristics of Generation Z and how they are leveraging technology and social media to drive movements that matter. This speech is particularly impactful for audiences looking to understand the influence and power of Gen Z in today's world.

Building a Global Community: The Role of Collaboration in Social Change

No one changes the world alone. Sophia Kianni has learned that the most effective change happens through collaboration. In this speech, she shares her experiences in building a global community, emphasizing the importance of partnerships across borders and sectors. Ideal for audiences focused on social impact, collaboration and community building, this talk provides a roadmap for working together to create lasting change.

The Power of Youth: Shaping Tomorrow Through Leadership & Innovation

Youth today aren't just inheriting the world; they're actively shaping it. By leading movements, launching startups and challenging the status quo, young leaders like Sophia Kianni are redefining what it means to be a changemaker. This talk is ideal for audiences looking to be inspired by the potential of the next generation and to understand the transformative role they can play in shaping the future.

The Digital Age of Activism: Mobilizing Movements Online

In an era where the internet has become a powerful tool for change, Sophia Kianni has successfully used digital platforms to mobilize millions for climate action. Through this speech, she shares her insights on how to build and sustain impactful movements online, drawing from her experience with Climate Cardinals and Fridays for Future. This talk is perfect for audiences interested in digital activism, social media strategy and the future of advocacy.

Testimonials

"Sophia was a lively speaker at our panel, distinguishing herself as a passionate leader with a sternly unique vision and powerful insights to initiate global change. At Panel to the People, we always stressed that conversations are give-and-take, and Sophia perhaps best embodied that spirit through her amazing ability to form insights across different domains of work. She was a dynamic panelist and contributed significantly to our vibrant discussion through her interdisciplinary insights. Through her compelling message and powerful delivery, she inspired me and our many attendees. As a highly passionate and eloquent student, activist, and changemaker, I strongly recommend Sophia for any future speaking engagements."

- Baltimore Ethical Society

"She was very impressive, speaking from her own experiences and perspective as a young woman in the movement, which made it personal and distinctive. She was organized, confident, professional, and prompt. She overviewed her speech before getting into the presentation, stayed within her time, and answered questions thoroughly and concisely. I appreciated that her presentation was a visual aid to her speech, rather than text that was being read verbatim. She’s a very empowering role model, especially for young women of color. Sophia’s speech brought up topics of environmental justice such as indigenous rights, intergenerational learning, disability rights, and environmental racism, sexism, and ageism. She also offered ways for people to get involved at multiple levels as well as structural changes needed to forward the movement. Sophia really was inspirational in her knowledge and passion and is a terrific speaker."

- St. Louis Earth Day Festival

"We at MUN Impact work to empower students around the world to take action for the SDGs and believe that their youth is not a disadvantage, in fact it is a strength. Ms. Sophia Kianni’s work is testament to that very statement and hence, we were delighted to have her present at the MUN Impact Global Summit 2020. Her passion for environmental advocacy shined through in the enthusiastic manner in which she delivered critical information on the climate crisis and proposed solutions to the same. Though climate change is an issue we’ve heard of frequently, Ms. Kianni was able to re-ignite curiosity and zest in our audience for the cause. Her journey with the Climate Cardinals allowed her to cite an inspiring personal story that motivated our audience. She undoubtedly has my full endorsement."

- MUN Impact Global

“Sophia Kianni was a pleasure to work with. Sophia was our closing speaker at our Diversity Week event, and she did great!”

- Women in Cable Telecommunications