Invitation app Partiful has filled a Facebook Events-shaped void. Its CEO tells us what's next

Sherwood’s J. Edward Moreno interviewed Shreya Murthy, cofounder and chief executive of Partiful, who discussed how the company got to where it is and what direction it's going. The startup helps users plan events, and it has been dubbed “the least cringe” option to plan a party and "Facebook Events for hot people." 

Partiful rolled out a new logo in April and launched an app earlier this year. The company was founded in 2020 and has boomed in popularity, particularly among Gen Z. In 2022 it raised $20 million in its first funding round led by Andreessen Horowitz, scoring it a $100 million valuation. This interview was conducted via email and was edited for length and clarity. 

Edward: I know Partiful as a link that my friends send me when they're having a small party at their apartment, maybe 20 or 30 people are invited. In the future, what kinds of things should I expect to see a Partiful invite for? 

Shreya: Partiful web links are great, but Partiful as an app is even better :). As you and your friends start to use Partiful more and more, you'll find that it's also a great tool for planning smaller and more casual events (group dinners, movie nights, game nights, watch parties, picnics in the park, beach days, etc.) as well as group trips (camping trips, weekends away, big international vacations).

Edward: Partiful had a successful Series A funding round in 2022, securing backing from some major venture-capital firms. Are you thinking about a Series B round any time soon?

Shreya: We're fortunate to have a ton of investor interest, but we're well-capitalized and not actively thinking about the next round.

Edward: How has the way investors engage with you changed from before?

Shreya: Earlier in our journey, some investors were excited about the product, but many were still skeptical that it would grow into something big. Now, we get outreach from many more investors who see how the vision is being realized, and how our community has adopted Partiful in a way unlike anything they've seen before. 

Edward: Would you in the future want to see Partiful go public? 

Shreya: We're still relatively early in our journey, so we're less focused on specific exit paths at this time. What we know is that we're committed to building Partiful into something big to maximize the impact of our mission: making it way easier for you to make plans, meet new people, and make the most of your time offline.

Edward: Partiful once tweeted that it is not interested in making money. But on your website you say that you may start selling party add-ons like disposable cameras. Is the plan to be profitable? If so, what exactly is the business model? 

Shreya: While we're not yet ready to share our monetization plans, we believe there's a ton of spend on real-world social plans and events, and we're well positioned to capture it.

Edward: How has the macroeconomic environment impacted Partiful? Is there anything partying can tell us about how users feel about the economy right now?  

Shreya: We're seeing that people are being more intentional about where they're spending money, often prioritizing experiences over things. In some cases, we're also seeing a shift to more "DIY" socializing — planning a cozy game night or watch party at home, or a potluck dinner, or events where people can make their own drinks or meals (e.g., "DIY Tacos and Margs night"). These events save money, take some of the pressure off of hosting, and help people focus on spending quality time with friends.

Edward: Partiful recently debuted a new logo. Tell me a bit about how you got there. What does that tell us about the direction you’re going in?

Shreya: When we started Partiful, we were focused on standing out amidst a sea of boring events products. We wanted to make sure our brand was unapologetically about parties and having fun. 

As we grew in popularity, we started to see that Partiful was being used in new ways — for more casual hangouts, more formal events, and group trips. We realized that our old branding didn't fully reflect the direction that we were headed, and where our community was taking us organically. 

Additionally, many of the design elements that people associated with Partiful were being adopted by other brands (e.g., sparkles). Our design philosophy means that we're often pushing the boundaries of current design trends, and evolving constantly to give our community something fresh and new. Our new logo is designed to be flexible to many different contexts, rather than tying us to a specific place and time. It also reflects the diversity of our community and the ways in which they're using Partiful — morphing and evolving while still centered around having fun and making memories.