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

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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 fo