Startups are hard, and they could be taking a toll on the health founders — as many as six Indian startup founders have succumbed to heart attacks in the recent past. These are the Indian startup founders who’ve tragically passed away at young ages from cardiac arrests.
Pankhuri Srivastava (32), Grabhouse
Pankhuri Srivastava was the CEO and co-founder of Grabhouse. She’d launched home rental and roommate finding platform Grabhouse in 2013. The company had raised $13 million from investors over the following years. The company was acquired by Quikr, and Pankhuri had then launched a woman-focused community startup named after herself. But in December 2021, she passed away suddenly from a cardiac arrest. She was 32 at the time.
Rohan Malhotra (36), Good Capital
Rohan Malhotra was the co-founder of Good Capital, which he’d founded with his brother Arjun in 2019. Prior to founding Good Capital, the duo had started the investment firm Investopad, which invested in up-and-coming startups. Rohan Malhotra’s investment portfolio included companies like Little Black Book, Meesho and simsim, which was acquired by Google. On 1st October 2024, Rohan Malhotra passed away following a cardiac arrest. He was 36 years old at the time.
Ambreesh Murthy (51), Pepperfry
Ambreesh Murthy was the co-founder and CEO of furniture platform Pepperfry. He’d founded Pepperfry in 2012, and the company was valued at nearly $500 million by 2020. Murthy was an avid biker and traveler. While on a biking trip to Ladakh, he suffered a cardiac arrest and passed away. He was 51 years old at the time.
Rudratej Singh (46), Royal Enfield
Rudratej Singh had served as the Global President of Royal Enfield, and helped it raise its market share from 3.3 percent in 2014 to 6.9 percent in 2018. In 2019, he’d been appointed the President and CEO of BMW India. In 2020, he died from a cardiac arrest while exercising at home. He was 46 years old.
Rohan Mirchandani (42), Epigamia
Rohan Mirchandani had co-founded Drums Food International in 2013, which launched yogurt brand Epigamia. Under his leadership, Epigamia grew quickly, and reached 20,000 retail touchpoints across 30 cities. However on 21st December 2024, Mirchandani passed away from a sudden cardiac arrest at the age of 42.
Amit Banerji (44), Table Space
Amit Banerji was the founder, Chairman and CEO of Table Space, a managed workplace provider he’d founded in 2017. Table Space had become a significant player in the managed workplace space, and served over 500 clients including major corporations like Apple and Google. On 6th January 2025, he passed away from a cardiac arrest at the age of 44.
