Welcome to a special bonus episode of The Room Podcast, recorded live at New York Tech Week! This week, we're thrilled to chat with Shreya Murthy, Co-Founder and CEO of Partiful, the modern social events platform that is revolutionizing how we make plans and build real-world relationships. Since launching in 2021, Partiful has scaled to millions of users and earned major accolades, including Google's Best App of 2024, Apple's Editor Choice, and recognition as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies for 2025. With its SMS-based approach and frictionless event creation, Partiful has become the go-to platform for gathering people together—so much so that "to partiful" has become a verb!

In this episode, Shreya takes us through her unconventional journey from studying political theory at Princeton to building enterprise software, before ultimately founding Partiful to combat social isolation. We dive deep into fascinating topics like launching a party platform during a global pandemic, the strategic decision to start with SMS instead of an app, and how Partiful has maintained remarkable growth with an intentionally lean team. Shreya also shares invaluable insights on co-founder dynamics, navigating venture fundraising as a consumer company, and her vision for building community at every stage of life. Tune in for lessons on product development, authentic relationship building, and what it takes to create a platform that brings people together in an increasingly digital world.

(00:00) Introduction
(07:02) Where did Shreya grow up and how has that shaped her view of the world?
(08:13) Did Shreya always think she was gonna become a founder?
(08:47) How did going from Princeton to the real world spark curiosity about entrepreneurship?
(11:30) How has Shreya seen the New York tech ecosystem evolve over the past decade?
(13:14) What was the initial idea behind Partiful and what was the aha moment?
(17:33) How did Shreya meet her co-founder Joy and cultivate trust?
(20:10) What advice would Shreya give to folks looking for a co-founder?
(21:33) What was COVID like for the Partiful team and how did the product evolve?
(23:31) What was the strategy behind Partiful's SMS-based approach instead of launching with an app?
(25:53) What metrics did Shreya orient around to know when to launch and build an app?
(27:58) Who was the first person to say yes to investing in Partiful?
(29:27) What made Partiful and Shreya so compelling as an angel investment?
(32:56) What is Partiful's go-to-market strategy and business model?
(35:40) How has Shreya managed conversations with VCs about when to start monetization?
(36:57) How has Shreya thought about scaling the team at Partiful?
(38:35) What's Shreya's favorite Partiful Invite that she's ever seen?
(40:13) How has Partiful thought about building into the social graph network?
(43:56) What is Shreya's take on consumer as a sector for growth and opportunity?
(45:45) What have you seen resonate with consumer investors for folks fundraising?
(49:16) What's next for Shreya personally?
(51:45) Who is a woman that has inspired Shreya and impacted her career?

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Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions

In this season’s finale of The Room Podcast, we're thrilled to chat with Neil Parikh, Co-Founder of Casper and current Co-Founder of Slingshot. Neil first disrupted the mattress industry by building Casper into a household name, pioneering the direct-to-consumer sleep revolution before taking the company public. Now, he's tackling an even bigger challenge with Slingshot, building a foundational AI model specifically designed for psychology and mental health therapy.

In this episode, Neil takes us through his unconventional journey from medical school dropout to D2C pioneer, sharing the serendipitous moments that led to Casper's creation and the harsh realities of going public during a pandemic. We delve into the mental health crisis facing society, the limitations of current AI therapy approaches, and how Slingshot is training models on real-world human therapy data to create more effective interventions. Neil also opens up about his therapy journey, the power of taking nudges when they appear, and why he believes we're entering an era of unprecedented change that will reshape how we think about mental health access and self-actualization.

(04:06) Where did Neil grow up and how has that shaped his view of the world?
(04:54) Did Neil always think he was gonna become a founder?
(06:06) Was entrepreneurship in the water at Brown like it is today at Stanford or Harvard?
(07:38) What led to Neil's decision to drop out of medical school?
(10:52) What did Neil do after dropping out of medical school?
(14:20) What made Neil believe that VC was the right route for a mattress company in 2014?
(16:44) What was the name before Casper?
(18:46) What advice would Neil have for DTC founders during this current climate?
(22:17) What did Neil learn from the later stages of fundraising and preparing for the IPO?
(27:14) How did Slingshot become the idea for Neil's next exciting phase?
(31:40) How did Neil get the confidence to take "the nudge"?
(32:48) How is Neil thinking about data sources, model training, and ethical guardrails for psychology?
(38:53) How is Neil's model specificity even better than using ChatGPT for therapy?
(41:58) Who's the first person to say yes to backing Slingshot?
(43:25) What does Neil think is next for Slingshot and what is he excited for?
(44:55) What's next for Neil personally, and what is he excited for this year?
(46:34) Who is a woman in Neil's life that has had a profound impact on himself and his career?

For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Check out our guide to podcasting here!
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!

Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions

Welcome back to another episode of The Room Podcast! This week, Madison and Claudia sit down with Alex Konrad, former Senior Editor at Forbes and now Founder of Upstarts Media. After a decade covering technology and venture capital at Forbes, where he pioneered coverage from the Midas List to the Cloud 100, Alex has launched his own media company focused on telling the stories of early-stage founders and companies challenging the status quo.

Throughout this conversation, Alex shares insights from his front-row seat to some of tech's most defining moments, including interviews with industry leaders like Sam Altman and Mark Benioff. He discusses the evolution of media in the age of AI, his decision to bootstrap rather than raise venture funding, and his vision for building a community-first media company. Alex also reveals how his upbringing in New York City shaped his no-nonsense approach to tech reporting and why he believes the future of media lies in creating direct, authentic connections with audiences. Tune in for a fascinating look at the changing media landscape and what it takes to build a modern media company from the ground up.

(03:52) Where did Alex grow up and how did that shape his view of the world?
(04:49) Did Alex always think he would become a founder?
(05:35) What was the story as an intern that Alex got printed?
(07:57) When Alex reflects on his Forbes interviews with tech leaders like Satya Nadella and Sam Altman, which ones stand out most?
(10:04) What has Alex learned about power, vision, or vulnerability from being in the room with industry giants?
(12:10) Why has Legacy Media been struggling to build an authentic connection with the startup community?
(13:27) How is Alex thinking about building a foundation with Upstarts that's going to build into a legacy as lasting as Forbes?
(16:03) How is Alex going to be thinking about events as a complement to media?
(17:30) Is Alex seeking venture dollars to get Upstarts off the ground?
(19:52) If Blue Links are dead, how does Alex think building an audience for the future is going to shift with AI?
(23:57) How is Alex using AI in his workflow from editorial decisions to distribution?
(29:05) What's next for Upstarts and for Alex personally?
(40:06) Who is a woman in Alex's life that has had a profound impact on him and his career?

For The Room Podcast in your inbox every week, subscribe to our newsletter.
Follow us on Instagram
Follow us on TikTok
Check out our guide to podcasting here!
Don't forget to subscribe to our channel on YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Music!

Brought to you by Perkins Coie and Mercury.*
*Mercury is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group and Evolve Bank & Trust; Members FDIC.

WX Productions