Death, while inevitable, is a very difficult topic to discuss. It is one of the heaviest but necessary discussions to have. Personally, I somehow have a harder time digesting the death of someone younger. Not that I am saying it isn’t sad if someone older dies but I think about how much more a young person had to live and everything they couldn’t do, which saddens me. So with great sadness, I inform you that entrepreneur Pankhuri Shrivastava has passed away at age 32 due to a cardiac arrest.
Pankhuri Shrivastava had founded a home rental startup called Grabhouse in 2012. This was also supported by Sequoia Capital, Kalaari Capital and India Quotient. In 2016, Grabhouse was sold to Quickr.
A statement was released by her women-centric social community platform, Pankhuri. The statement said, “With profound grief and sorrow, we regret to inform the sad demise of our CEO Pankhuri Shrivastava,” her company ‘Pankhuri’ 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
Vani Kola, the founder of Kalaari Capital also Tweeted about the sudden demise saying, “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.”
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 (vanik.eth) (@VaniKola) December 26, 2021
2/ Hailing from Jhansi, she 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.
— Vani Kola (vanik.eth) (@VaniKola) December 26, 2021
3/ 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.
— Vani Kola (vanik.eth) (@VaniKola) December 26, 2021
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4/ 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.
Rest in peace, Pankhuri.
— Vani Kola (vanik.eth) (@VaniKola) December 26, 2021
Many prominent names from the startup community came onto Twitter and spoke about the serial entrepreneur and what a loss this was for the community as a whole.
Farewell dear Pankhuri.
You will remain an inspiration.
The woman with the balls to name a startup after herself.— Anand Lunia, IndiaQuotient (@anandlunia) December 27, 2021
Really sad to see the demise of such a young & energetic entrepreneur. May her family find the strength and may her soul RIP. Om shanti.
https://t.co/FoU6un3BX5— Rajeev Koyal (@rajkoyaltweet) December 27, 2021
Life is so full of uncertainties. And this is an example of that. I hope that Pankhuri Shrivastava’s family find peace and closure in this tumultuous time. Moreover, may Pankhuri Shrivastava rest in peace.
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