Shreya Murthy, founder of $120M US startup, recalls immigrant parents saving for a month just to call India

Shreya Murthy, the co-founder and CEO of the popular American event-planning platform Partiful, recently opened up about her roots and the lessons she learned growing up in an Indian immigrant family.Shreya Murthy is the co-founder and CEO of Partiful.The insights came during a casual street vox pop interview conducted content creator Viraj Ala, a video of which was shared on Instagram this morning. During the exchange, Murthy shared how her upbringing shaped her worldview, alongside her transition from attending a top Ivy League university to running a tech startup valued at over $120 million.More about PartifulFounded in 2020 Palantir alums Joy Tao and Shreya Murthy, Partiful has quickly become a dominant player in the event-space market. The company raised a $20 million Series A1 round in late 2022 led Andreessen Horowitz, bringing its total funding to $27.34 million and securing a $120 million pre-money valuation, according to a TechCrunch report.When asked about the company’s current scale in the interview, Murthy hinted at massive growth, noting its value is now “in the nine figures.”Lessons on frugalityWhen the interviewer pointed out that she comes from an immigrant background, Murthy spoke candidly about what that experience taught her. For her, the most critical takeaways from her family’s early days in the United States were centered around modesty and careful spending.”Being frugal and being humble,” Murthy said. “I remember my mom telling me stories of—they had to save up for a month to be able to afford a call back home to India. My mom saved up for a year to buy one thing for herself, which was a tube of lipstick.”The Princeton graduate explained that because of these hardships, her family maintained a very grounded lifestyle, avoiding unnecessary expenses.”And so, all of the like, luxuries, we’re like, ‘Nah, we don’t need that. It’s a draction.'”Despite taking a non-traditional path starting a party-centric tech platform after graduating from an elite institution, Murthy shared that her parents have been incredibly supportive of her journey.”They’re very proud of the school I went to, and now they’re very, very proud of Partiful,” she said.The importance of funBeyond her family hory, Murthy shared the core philosophy that drives both her life and her company: the under-valuation of having a good time. She argued that society often ignores things that cannot be easily measured corporate metrics.”Because we can’t quantify it,” Murthy explained when asked why fun is so undervalued. “It doesn’t fit nicely on a slide deck. The only way that you can have the strength to change it is if you’re at peace with yourself and you’re taking care of yourself so that you have the strength to go to war with the world.”(Also read: Sundar Pichai’s latest post is proof that even being CEO of Google is not enough for Indian parents)She left viewers with the best piece of advice she has ever received, urging people to pursue enjoyment for its own sake rather than always looking for a calculated return.”Do something because it’s fun. Fun is a worthy goal in and of itself. Do things because they’re fun, and great things will come out of that.”