Pankhuri is a social community platform where women can network, learn, and shop online through livestreaming, chat, and micro-courses.
With a vision to create an amazing community experience that is positive, convenient and fun, Pankhuri’s mission is to enable millions of Indian women to be active participants in beauty and lifestyle conversations online instead of being passive consumers.
Of the 240 million digitally enabled female population in India, only 27% are present on popular social media apps today. Many shy away from engaging online due to a lack of confidence and many feel the absence of an online community where women feel both safe and empowered in a world where social bullying and trolling discourage women from engaging completely.
As more Indian women are going on the Internet for the first time, the country is adding 15-20 million new users every month. This has led to a rise in female digital consumers who are now accessing content and buying products online. Digital is also becoming the most convenient form of consumption, especially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities, where social barriers can restrict women from pursuing their aspirations and socialising outside of the home environment. COVID-19 has also accelerated this online consumption pattern. This digital influence has become a game-changer for India’s $18 billion beauty market as women are replacing traditional ways of discovery (print and TV ads) with social media-led discovery of products.
Pankhuri enables an inclusive online community of women-only users, empowering them with knowledge on topics, such as beauty and personal care through live sessions conducted by experts where women can ask specific questions tailored to their needs. Within the community, Pankhuri blends entertainment with transactions. Users not only browse video content but also ask specific questions and shop while consuming content. Pankhuri has a completion rate of 95% for its livestreamed sessions and a fast-growing community of over 200,000 active women.
Pankhuri was founded in India in September 2019 by Pankhuri Shrivastava who was the co-founder of Grabhouse, which she started after a fellowship at Teach for India. Grabhouse, which was backed by Sequoia India, Kalaari Capital, and India Quotient, was acquired by Quikr in 2016. She is a computer science graduate with years of hands-on marketing and startup experience.
*Angel Investors: Farid Ahsan, Krishnan Menon, Kunal Shah, Sai Srinivas, and Sweta Rau