First Time Founders: How Partiful Is Fixing the Loneliness Crisis

April 4, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

Shreya Murthy, CEO and co-founder of Partiful, discusses building a platform that simplifies planning in-person events amid rising social isolation. Launched in 2020, Partiful addresses the limitations of group chats—noisy threads, invite caps, fragmented contacts—by creating a dedicated page for RSVPs, logistics, and individual guest messaging. The conversation covers her decision-making, product execution, team culture, and plans for expansion.

Addressing Loneliness Through Parties

Murthy identified social isolation as a personal and societal issue post-college, driven by screen addiction turning entertainment solitary. She viewed parties as an engine for community: meeting friends-of-friends, strengthening weak ties, and fostering wider circles. Rather than data-driven analysis, she started from her own frustrations with event planning, partnering with technical co-founder Joy, an engineer who shared the pains of logistics like headcount and supplies.

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What you'll learn

1 (01:37) **Intro to Partiful and Loneliness Trend** - Host introduces guest Shreya Murthy and Partiful's mission to combat declining face-to-face socializing
2 (02:32) **What is Partiful** - Simple platform for planning events, RSVPs, and guest communication
3 (03:21) **Rise as Cultural Phenomenon** - Name-dropped on HBO's The Pitt; used as noun like "Ubering"
4 (05:02) **Superior to Group Chats** - Solves noisy, limited group chats with unified page for logistics and headcount
5 (07:25) **Personal Origin Story** - Quarter-life crisis amid social isolation post-college; parties as community engine
6 (10:18) **Loneliness Tied to Screens** - Shift from social entertainment to solitary phone use; Partiful makes real-world access as easy as scrolling
7 (13:14) **Early Insight from Heart, Not Data** - Started March 2020 based on personal feelings, not trends or analysis

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

Ed Elson speaks with Shreya Murthy, CEO and co-founder of Partiful. They discuss how the company survived the pandemic, why pushing boundaries has been important for its growth, and what the path to monetization looks like.

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