When Shreya Murthy co-founded Partiful in 2020, it could have been seen as unfortunate timing. As the platform, designed to aid in event planning, emerged, the world found itself unable to participate in social events due to pandemic lockdowns. But, in an ironic twist, the global retreat into isolation made people realize the value of in-person connections more than ever before, according to what Murthy shared at the Fortune‘s Most Powerful Women Next Gen Summit.
A Hit Among the Young Crowd
In the following three years, Partiful found favor with Gen Z users, making waves with its unique branding and innovative approach. With catchy taglines like “[parties] for hot people” and being christened the “least cringe” way to get people to go to your party by the New York Times, the platform rapidly expanded its user base.
Beyond Individual Users
Businesses too have taken notice of the platform. Despite Murthy’s assertion that Partiful is not vying for corporate users, brands like Chipotle have successfully partnered with the company for promotions. Murthy reassures users that the platform is not designed to provide party hosts with direct access to attendees’ contact information, thus maintaining a degree of privacy.
Overcoming Early Challenges
Early on, skepticism from investors was a hurdle, particularly as two young women trying to secure backing for a “party-planning startup.” However, with Partiful’s remarkable growth and society’s renewed appreciation for in-person connection following pandemic lockdowns, investors have come around, contributing to a successful $20 million Series A funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz and Initialized Capital.
Not Just Another Party App
In a sea of event-planning platforms, Partiful has managed to carve a unique niche for itself. Billing itself as the “Facebook Events for hot people,” Partiful’s growth and success is reflected in the new funding round from Andreessen Horowitz.
The Partiful Revolution
The platform, which allows hosts to easily customize their event pages and communicate with guests via SMS, has seen a significant surge in popularity in recent times. Its user base has exponentially grown, with the number of event pages created on Partiful increasing tenfold since the beginning of the year
Venture investors have praised Partiful’s growth, with venture partner at SignalFire, Josh Constine, highlighting its appeal among Gen Z users who prefer an SMS-based product. With the potential to bring together large groups of friends at real-world events, Partiful stands as a revolutionary force in the domain of event planning.
