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Pepperfry

Omnichannel Furniture & Home Decor RetailFounded 2011
Reviewed by Swet Parvadiya
Company data updated: October 2026

Founders

Who Founded Pepperfry?

Ambareesh Murty, Ashish Shah · Founded 2011 · HQ today: Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

Who founded Pepperfry?

Pepperfry was founded by Ambareesh Murty, Ashish Shah in 2011. It is now led by Ashish Shah.

Founders
Ambareesh Murty, Ashish Shah
Founded
2011
Headquarters
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Number of founders
2
Current CEO
Ashish Shah (since 2023)
Where was Pepperfry founded?
Pepperfry was founded in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India in 2011.
When was Pepperfry founded?
Pepperfry was founded in 2011.
Who started Pepperfry?
Pepperfry was founded by Ambareesh Murty and Ashish Shah.
How old is Pepperfry?
Pepperfry is 15 years old as of 2026.

Founding Story

Ambareesh Murty had run eBay India and Ashish Shah had led operations there. They launched Pepperfry in Mumbai in 2011 as a broad lifestyle store, then narrowed it to furniture and home goods, a category that big e-commerce players avoided because large items are hard to ship and assemble. Pepperfry built its own delivery and installation capability to make it work.

What each Pepperfry founder did

FounderRole at foundingContributionSource
Ambareesh MurtyCo-founder & CEO—en.wikipedia.org
Ashish ShahCo-founder & CEO——

Ambareesh Murty

Co-founder 2011

Background

Engineer (Delhi College of Engineering) and IIM Calcutta MBA with marketing roles at Cadbury, ICICI Prudential and Levi Strauss, then country manager of eBay India.

Role at Pepperfry

Ambareesh Murty co-founded Pepperfry in 2011 and led it as CEO for 12 years, building its omnichannel studio network and raising more than $300 million. He died of a cardiac arrest in Leh in August 2023, aged 51.

Education: Delhi Technological University; Indian Institute of Management Calcutta.

Ambareesh Vedantam Murty died on August 7, 2023. Before Pepperfry he was eBay's country manager for India. Ambareesh Murty was born in 1971.

Ashish Shah

Co-founder 2011

Background

Operations executive at eBay India before co-founding Pepperfry, where he ran supply chain and studios as COO.

Role at Pepperfry

Ashish Shah co-founded Pepperfry in 2011, served as COO, and has been CEO since September 2023. He led the company through cost cuts, the 2025 TCC Concept acquisition and a 2026 push into decor and B2B interiors. (Exact birth year remains publicly undisclosed).

Pepperfry: CEO & Leadership History

Full timeline →

Ashish Shah

Co-founder & CEO

2023 – Present

Operational co-founder who previously ran Pepperfry's supply chain and studio network as COO.

Ambareesh Murty

Co-founder & CEO

2011 – 2023

An alumnus of Delhi College of Engineering and IIM Calcutta with leadership stints at eBay India and Cadbury, Murty's entrepreneurial passion shaped online furniture retail in India.

Keep researching Pepperfry

Who Founded Pepperfry? FAQ

Who were the founders of Pepperfry and when was it established?

Pepperfry was founded in November 2011 in Mumbai by two former eBay India executives: Ambareesh Murty and Ashish Shah.

What background did Ambareesh Murty and Ashish Shah share before founding Pepperfry?

Ambareesh Murty (IIM Calcutta alumnus) and Ashish Shah (SPJIMR alumnus) worked closely together at eBay India, where Murty served as Country Manager and Shah served as Head of Motors and Operations. Their experience managing high-ticket online marketplace categories inspired them to solve the fragmented Indian furniture market.

What was Pepperfry's original business model before focusing exclusively on furniture?

Pepperfry launched in early 2012 as a horizontal lifestyle marketplace selling fashion, cosmetics, jewelry, and home decor. In 2013, the founders made the bold strategic decision to exit low-margin fashion and focus 100% on furniture and home living.

How did the founders raise their initial venture capital funding?

In December 2011, before launching the website, the founders secured a $5 million Series A investment from Niren Shah at Norwest Venture Partners, who believed in the founders' deep marketplace domain expertise.

How did the founders build early relationships with Indian furniture artisans?

Ambareesh Murty and Ashish Shah spent months traveling across traditional woodworking hubs in Jodhpur, Jaipur, and Saharanpur, convincing traditional artisans and small factory owners that selling handcrafted solid wood furniture online would expand their business nationwide.

What inspired the creation of the first Studio Pepperfry in 2014?

The founders realized that while consumers loved browsing furniture online, skepticism regarding wood quality, color accuracy, and comfort prevented high-ticket checkouts. In December 2014, they opened the first Studio Pepperfry in Mumbai as an experience center, pioneering omnichannel furniture retail in India.

What core cultural values did Ambareesh Murty and Ashish Shah instill at Pepperfry?

The founders established a culture based on 'Intensity, Integrity, and Empathy', focusing on customer delight, transparent pricing, fair treatment of supplier artisans, and passionate operational execution.

How is Ambareesh Murty's legacy honored at Pepperfry?

Ambareesh Murty is remembered as an entrepreneur who transformed Indian ecommerce. Pepperfry honors his legacy by continuing his mission to democratize stylish, durable home design for millions of Indian families.

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Content is for informational purposes only. Not financial advice. Data sourced from SEC filings, annual reports, and public records. See our full disclaimer and methodology.