It was shocking to read the news of the sudden demise of Ambareesh Murty, the co-founder and CEO of Pepperfry.
Having interacted with him over the past few years, it was a personal loss to us as well.
Pepperfry derives its name from the Sanskrit word ‘pippala’, which means ‘banyan tree’. The banyan tree represents strength and stability.
Ambareesh was a visionary leader, a passionate entrepreneur, and a kind-hearted person who touched the lives of many people. He was an inspiration to the entire e-commerce industry.
Urban Ladder, a close competitor, took to social media to comment on the demise – a sign of respect garnered by Ambareesh.
“We are deeply saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Mr. Ambareesh Murty. Over the last 11 years, Pepperfry and Urban Ladder have engaged in a spirited rivalry, spurring each other to greater heights of innovation. Ambareesh’s brilliance challenged us to be our best,” Urban Ladder wrote in a touching social media post.
Ambareesh had a dream of creating a better world through innovation and technology. He founded Pepperfry in 2012 with Ashish Shah and built it into one of the leading online furniture and home goods platforms in India.
He was always looking for new ways to improve the customer experience, the product quality, and the social impact of his business. He was also a mentor, a friend, and a brother to his team and his peers.
Amabreesh was an avid biker and trekker. Even during the pandemic, he rode his Royal Enfield Himalayan from Mumbai to Ladakh, the land of high passes. He also enjoyed rock music and played the bass guitar in a band with his friends and had a quirky hobby of collecting Zippo lighters from Hard Rock Cafés across the globe.
His career spanned over two decades and included working at Cadbury, Levi’s, Prudential ICICI AMC (now ICICI Prudential), and eBay before he co-founded Pepperfry.
‘I ride, therefore I am’: Ambareesh Murty’s last Insta post read while he was in Leh.
The ET Edge Team extends its deepest condolences to Ambarish’s family and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time. Our thoughts are also with all of them who knew and loved Ambarish, as much as we did. His presence will be deeply missed.
You will always ride our hearts, Ambareesh.
We compile a list of CEOs who went away too soon:
In 2009, Ranjan Das, CEO and MD of SAP for the Indian subcontinent lost his life due to cardiac failure after his gym exercise.
In 2015, Silicon Valley technology executive and CEO of SurveyMonkey, David Goldberg, died after collapsing in a gym while on vacation in Mexico. David was the husband of Meta’s ex-Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg.
In 2016 Mark M. King, co-founder and co-managing partner of Denver private equity firm Revelstoke Capital Partners LLC died while on vacation with his family. The 56-year-old died while fly fishing in a remote area of British Columbia.
In 2021, Pankhuri Shrivastava, the founder of rental startup Grabhouse and Pankhuri, a women-focused social community platform, died due to a heart attack.
Last week, the CEO of the Bloomsbury USA publishing house, Adrienne Vaughan, aged 45, died in a horror boating accident on Italy’s Amalfi Coast. She had been at sea with her husband and two children on a rented speedboat when it collided with a larger sailing boat carrying about 80 tourists.
