New York Tech Week Special: Live Recording with Partiful Co-Founder and CEO, Shreya Murthy

Welcome to a special bonus episode of The Room Podcast, recorded live at New York Tech Week! This week, we're thrilled to chat with Shreya Murthy, Co-Founder and CEO of Partiful, the modern social events platform that is revolutionizing how we make plans and build real-world relationships. Since launching in 2021, Partiful has scaled to millions of users and earned major accolades, including Google's Best App of 2024, Apple's Editor Choice, and recognition as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies for 2025. With its SMS-based approach and frictionless event creation, Partiful has become the go-to platform for gathering people together—so much so that "to partiful" has become a verb! In this episode, Shreya takes us through her unconventional journey from studying political theory at Princeton to building enterprise software, before ultimately founding Partiful to combat social isolation. We dive deep into fascinating topics like launching a party platform during a global pandemic, the strategic decision to start with SMS instead of an app, and how Partiful has maintained remarkable growth with an intentionally lean team. Shreya also shares invaluable insights on co-founder dynamics, navigating venture fundraising as a consumer company, and her vision for building community at every stage of life. Tune in for lessons on product development, authentic relationship building, and what it takes to create a platform that brings people together in an increasingly digital world. (00:00) Introduction (07:02) Where did Shreya grow up and how has that shaped her view of the world?  (08:13) Did Shreya always think she was gonna become a founder? (08:47) How did going from Princeton to the real world spark curiosity about entrepreneurship? (11:30) How has Shreya seen the New York tech ecosystem evolve over the past decade? (13:14) What was the initial idea behind Partiful and what was the aha moment?  (17:33) How did Shreya meet her co-founder Joy and cultivate trust?  (20:10) What advice would Shreya give to folks looking for a co-founder?  (21:33) What was COVID like for the Partiful team and how did the product evolve?  (23:31) What was the strategy behind Partiful's SMS-based approach instead of launching with an app?  (25:53) What metrics did Shreya orient around to know when to launch and build an app? (27:58) Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Partiful?  (29:27) What made Partiful and Shreya so compelling as an angel investment?  (32:56) What is Partiful's go-to-market strategy and business model?  (35:40) How has Shreya managed conversations with VCs about when to start monetization? (36:57) How has Shreya thought about scaling the team at Partiful?  (38:35) What's Shreya's favorite Partiful Invite that she's ever seen?  (40:13) How has Partiful thought about building into the social graph network? (43:56) What is Shreya's take on consumer as a sector for growth and opportunity?  (45:45) What have you seen resonate with consumer investors for folks fundraising?  (49:16) What's next for Shreya personally?  (51:45) Who is a woman that has inspired Shreya and impacted her career? For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter. Follow us on Instagram  Follow us on TikTok  Check out our guide to podcasting here!  Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music! Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.* *Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC. WX Productions