Serial entrepreneur Pankhuri Shrivastava, the founder of Sequoia Capital-backed women-focused social community platform ‘Pankhuri’, passed away on December 24th due to a cardiac arrest. She was 32 years old.
“With profound grief and sorrow, we regret to inform you of the sad demise of our CEO Pankhuri Shrivastava,” her company tweeted on Monday. “We lost her on 24th December 2021 due to a sudden cardiac arrest. May her soul obtain Sadgati. Om Shanti.”
With profound grief and sorrow, we regret to inform the sad demise of our beloved CEO, Pankhuri Shrivastava. We lost her on 24th December 2021 due to a sudden cardiac arrest. May her soul obtain Sadgati. Om Shanti.@pankhuri16
— Pankhuri (@askpankhuri) December 27, 2021
Pankhuri Shrivastava launched Pankhuri in 2019 for women to socialize, explore, and upskill through live interactive courses, expert chat, and interest-based clubs. The short video app opens endless possibilities for women with interests like fashion, beauty, grooming, and lifestyle.
Pankhuri raised $3.2 million led by Sequoia Capital India’s accelerator programme, Surge. Hailing from Jhansi she felt that the spirit of Jhansi Ki Rani was in her blood. She felt incredibly satisfied that her platform is a stepping stone for girls to work in jobs that gave them a strong identity.
A computer science engineering graduate from Rajiv Gandhi Technological University, Pankhuri took her entrepreneurial plunge by founding brokerage-free home rental startup Grabhouse in 2012. It was backed by Indian Quotient, Sequoia Capital, and Kalaari Capital. Grabhouse was sold to online classified platform Quikr in 2016.
Several venture capitalists and top executives condoled the untimely death of Pankhuri Shrivastava on social media. They included Vani Kola, the founder of Kalaari Capital, and Sequoia India managing director Ranjan Anandan.
“Yesterday it came as a shock to me when I found out that Pankhuri is no more. I remember her as a vivacious bright woman full of ideas and full of life. She was confident. That was something you noticed about her immediately!” Kola tweeted on Sunday.
1/ Yesterday it came as a shock to me when I found out that @pankhuri16 is no more. I remember her as a vivacious bright woman full of ideas and full of life. She was confident. That was something you noticed about her immediately.
— Vani Kola (@VaniKola) December 26, 2021
“Deeply saddened and shocked by this sudden loss. Pankhuri was so full of life, ideas and passion and had a missionary zeal. We loved having Pankhuri in our Surge family and will miss you so dearly. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family in this very difficult time,” Rajan Anandan also posted on Twitter.
Deeply saddenned and shocked by this sudden loss. Pankhuri was so full of life, ideas and passion and had a missionary zeal. We loved having Pankhuri in our Surge family and will miss you so dearly. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family in this very difficult time. https://t.co/Xdj99eDYSg
— Rajan Anandan (@RajanAnandan) December 26, 2021
Investors and others who have known Pankhuri Shrivastava over the years said that the entrepreneur’s demise is a huge loss for the Indian startup ecosystem. While we might have lost a bright and young founder, we know her legacy will live on. Rest in peace, Pankhuri.
Featured Image: Instagram
