Pankhuri Shrivastava
Pankhuri Shrivastava, the founder of Pankhuri, a Sequoia Surge-backed online community for women, passed away on Friday. She was 32. The exact cause of her death is not known.
Shrivastava was also the brains behind GrabHouse, which was acquired by India’s leading online classifieds company Quikr in 2016.
A graduate in Computer Science Engineering, Pankhuri delved into the startup world by founding Grabhouse in 2013. GrabHouse offered digital solutions for the rental needs of both owners and tenants. It also provided a managed rental homes model comprising a range of fully furnished, ready-to-move-in apartments across four major cities. In October 2015, the company raised US$10 million from Sequoia Capital and Kalaari Capital.
Her next venture Pankhuri, launched in 2019, is a women’s only community for members to socialise, explore and upskill through live interactive courses, expert chat, and interest-based clubs. Last July, the startup secured US$3.2 million from Surge, India Quotient and Taurus Ventures.
Mourning her passing, Vani Kola, the founder and managing partner of Kalaari Capital, wrote on Twitter that she was a vivacious bright woman full of ideas and full of life. “Hailing from Jhansi, she [Shrivastava] felt that the spirit of Jhansi Ki Rani was in her blood. She was incredibly satisfied that she opened an office in Jhansi & gave opportunities to girls to work in jobs that gave them a strong identity. She was proud of these girls and how much they could do if only given an opportunity. I saw in Pankhuri a young woman who continued to inspire and give back generously. My heart reaches out to her family at this untimely tragedy. Her demise is a loss for our startup ecosystem. We lost a bright and young founder, but I know her legacy will live on. It was truly a privilege to know Pankhuri.”
According to Rajan Anandan, managing director at Sequoia India, Pankhuri [Shrivastava] 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.”
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