Ambareesh Murty was an Indian entrepreneur and business executive who co-founded and led Pepperfry, one of the largest online furniture and home decor platforms in India. He passed away on August 7, 2023, at the age of 51, due to a cardiac arrest in Leh, Ladakh, where he was on vacation.
In this article, we will explore the life and achievements of Ambareesh Murty, who was widely regarded as a visionary and a leader in the Indian e-commerce sector.
Early Life & Education
Ambareesh Murty was born on June 30, 1972, in Mumbai, Maharashtra. His father, Vedantam Sriram Murty, was a civil engineer and his mother, Shobha Murty, was a homemaker. He had a younger sister, Shambhavi Vedantam Murty, who is a journalist and an author.
Ambareesh Murty completed his schooling at St. Xavier’s High School in Mumbai and then pursued his engineering degree from Delhi College of Engineering. He graduated in 1994 with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. He then went on to do his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, where he specialized in marketing and finance. He graduated in 1996 and joined Cadbury India as a management trainee.
Corporate Career
Murty spent the first decade of his career in various marketing roles across different industries. He worked with Cadbury India for five years, where he handled brands like Dairy Milk, Gems, and Eclairs. He then moved to ICICI Prudential AMC as the vice president of marketing and customer service. He also had brief stints with Levi Strauss India as the brand leader and Britannia Industries as the marketing manager.
In 2005, Murty joined eBay India as the director of marketing and product management. He quickly rose through the ranks and became the country manager of eBay India, Philippines, and Malaysia in 2008. He was also the vice chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), an industry body that represents the online and mobile sectors.
At eBay, Murty met Ashish Shah, who was the director of operations and category management. The two became good friends and shared a common vision of creating an online platform for furniture and home products in India. They realized that there was a huge gap in the market for quality, affordable, and convenient furniture shopping online. They decided to quit their jobs at eBay and start their own venture in 2011.
Pepperfry: The Journey
Ambareesh Murty and Shah co-founded Pepperfry in January 2012 with an initial investment of $5 million from Norwest Venture Partners. The name is Pepperfry was inspired by the spice trade that connected India with the rest of the world for centuries. The company started as a horizontal e-commerce platform that sold products across categories like fashion, lifestyle, health, beauty, and electronics. However, within six months, they pivoted to focus exclusively on furniture and home decor.
The decision to pivot was based on two factors: one, they realized that furniture was a high-margin category with the low competition online; and two, they saw that there was a huge demand for customized and curated furniture solutions from urban consumers who wanted to express their individuality through their homes.
Pepperfry adopted a managed marketplace model where it partnered with small and medium-sized manufacturers, artisans, designers, and sellers who could offer a wide range of products at different price points. Pepperfry also invested heavily in building its own logistics network that could handle large and bulky items like sofas, beds, wardrobes, etc. The company also set up experience centers called Pepperfry Studios across major cities where customers could touch and feel the products before buying them online.
Pepperfry grew rapidly over the years and became one of the leading players in the online furniture segment in India. The company claimed to have over 10 million registered users, over 1.2 million products across 50 categories, over 10,000 merchant partners, over 70 fulfillment centers, over 500 delivery vehicles, and over 70 Pepperfry Studios as of 2021.
Pepperfry also raised multiple rounds of funding from investors like Goldman Sachs, Bertelsmann India Investments, State Street Global Advisors, Zodius Capital, and InnoVen Capital, among others. The company was valued at $500 million in its last funding round in November 2019.
Personal Life, Wife & Kids
Ambareesh Murty was married to Meeta Gangrade Murty in 2016. Meeta is an entrepreneur herself who runs an online platform for women entrepreneurs called Her&Now. According to some media sources, he has a son. However, the exact information related to his married life is not available. After seeing his Instagram profile, we found that he was an avid adventurer and liked to travel to hilly areas. He also shared his travel photos on social media.
Ambareesh Murty was known for his passion for travel, adventure sports, photography, music, books, movies, and food. He was an avid trekker who had scaled several peaks in India and abroad. He was also a fan of rock bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, and U2.
Parents & Siblings
According to the web search results, Ambareesh Murty’s parents were Vedantam Sriram Murty and Shobha Murty. His father was a civil engineer and his mother was a homemaker. As per the source, his dad Mr. Murty did a Ph.D. in Economics and worked in Finance at Indian Airlines. He had a younger sister, Shambhavi Vedantam Murty, who is a journalist and an author.
Ambareesh Murty was very close to his parents and often shared their photos on his social media accounts. He mentioned that his father and mother are no longer alive He also expressed his love and admiration for his sister, who wrote a book called The Tonic, which is a collection of short stories.
How did Ambareesh Murty Die?
Ambareesh Murty was on a vacation in Leh, Ladakh, with his wife and friends when he suffered a cardiac arrest on August 7, 2023. He was rushed to a hospital but could not be revived. He was cremated in Leh the next day.
Ambareesh Murty’s death came as a shock to the Indian startup ecosystem and the e-commerce industry. He was widely respected and admired for his vision, leadership, innovation, and humility. He was also known for his mentorship and support to many young entrepreneurs and startups.
Many prominent personalities from the business, political, and social spheres expressed their condolences and paid tribute to Murty on social media. Some of them include:
Ravi Shankar Prasad, Union Minister of Law and Justice, Electronics, and Information Technology, and Communications:
“Saddened to learn about the untimely demise of Ambareesh Murty, co-founder and CEO of Pepperfry. He was a pioneer in the e-commerce sector and a role model for many entrepreneurs. My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends.”
Legacy
Ambareesh Murty will be remembered as one of the most influential and successful entrepreneurs in India who revolutionized the online furniture market with his vision and execution. He will also be remembered as a leader who built a strong team, a loyal customer base, a trusted brand, and a profitable business.
Ambareesh Murty’s legacy will live on through Pepperfry, which he co-founded with his friend Ashish Shah, who is now the sole CEO of the company. Shah has vowed to continue Murty’s mission of making Pepperfry the ultimate destination for furniture and home products in India.
Murty’s legacy will also live on through his family, friends, colleagues, partners, investors, mentors, mentees, admirers, and fans who will cherish his memories and follow in his footsteps.
Ambareesh Murty BIO/WIKI
| Name | Ambareesh Vedantam Murty Ambareesh Murty |
| Born | June 30, 1972 |
| Died | August 7, 2023 |
| Age | 51 years |
| Place of birth | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India |
| Place of death | Leh, Ladakh, India |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Education | Delhi College of Engineering (B.E.) Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta (MBA) |
| Occupation | Co-Founder & CEO of Pepperfry |
| Known for | Pepperfry, eBay, Cadbury, Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) |
| Spouse | Meeta Gangrade Murty |
| Children | Will Update |
| Parents | Vedantam Sriram Murty (father) Shobha Murty (mother) |
| Siblings | Shambhavi Vedantam Murty (sister) |
| Net worth | Estimated at $100 million (as of 2021) |
| ambareeshmurty | |
| ambareesh.murty | |
| AmbareeshMurty | |
| ambareesh-murty | |
| Wikipedia | Ambareesh_Murty |
| Homepage | Dreshare.com |
Trivia/Facts
- Ambareesh Murty was an avid reader who read at least one book every week.
- Some of his favorite authors were J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, Amitav Ghosh, Salman Rushdie, Haruki Murakami, Yuval Noah Harari, Malcolm Gladwell, and Nassim Nicholas Taleb, among others.
- Ambareesh Murty was a music lover who played the guitar and sang songs in his free time. He also collected vinyl records of classic rock bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, U2, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc.
- He was born in Mumbai, Maharashtra, in 1972 and was 51 years old at the time of his death.
- He graduated from Delhi College of Engineering with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering and from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, with an MBA in marketing and finance.
- He started his career as a management trainee with Cadbury India in 1996 and worked with various brands like Dairy Milk, Gems, and Eclairs. He also worked with ICICI Prudential AMC, Levi Strauss India, Britannia Industries, and Origin Resource in different marketing roles.
- Ambareesh joined eBay India as the director of marketing and product management in 2005 and became the country manager of eBay India, Philippines, and Malaysia in 2008. He was also the vice chairman of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI), an industry body that represents the online and mobile sectors.
- He met his future Pepperfry partner and co-founder Ashish Shah at eBay and decided to quit their jobs to start their own venture in 2011. They launched Pepperfry in January 2012 as a horizontal e-commerce platform that sold products across categories like fashion, lifestyle, health, beauty, and electronics.
- Ambareesh was married to Meeta Gangrade Murty in 2016. Meeta is an entrepreneur herself who runs an online platform for women entrepreneurs called Her&Now.
- Ambareesh was also an avid reader, music lover, guitar player, singer, vinyl collector, trekker, traveler, photographer, foodie, and movie buff. He was a fan of rock bands like Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, U2, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc.
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