Epigamia CEO Rohan Mirchandani’s sudden demise has once again brought back the debate around work-life balance and corporate culture
Epigamia, a Greek yogurt company, CEO Rohan Mirchandani, passed away due to cardiac arrest on December 21. The company confirmed his death in a joint statement and mentioned that in the absence of the 42-year-old entrepreneur, Epigamia will continue with its usual business under the leadership of co-founders Ankur Goel and Uday Thakker.
“All of us at the Epigamia family will deeply mourn this loss...We remain steadfast in our determination to carry forward his dream with strength and vigor,” said the parent company Drums Food’s spokesperson. “The senior leadership of Epigamia, led by Ankur Goel (COO & Founding Member) and Uday Thakker (Cofounder & Director), continues to steer the company’s day-to-day operations with the full support of the board of directors, including Rohan’s family...,” added the spokesperson.
The 42-year-old entrepreneur founded Epigamia’s parent company, Drums Food International, in 2013 to bring an innovation in FMCG sector.
In just a decade's time, the startup became the third largest in its segment with a valuation of around $160 million and nearly 6 per cent market share, according to research agency Tracxn.
According to moneycontrol.com, the 42-year-old entrepreneur in an interview recently said he said the revenue of the company will increase to Rs 250 crore in FY25. The deceased founder held a nearly 4.68 per cent stake in the company.
In nearly 17 rounds of funding so far, the 42-year-old founder’s share in the Startup had reportedly come down from 4.8 per cent in the pre-funding round to around 4.7 per cent in the last funding round as of December 2023. Mirchandani was also the largest shareholder compared to other founders who hold 1 per cent or less than that in the FMCG startup.
Moreover, his sudden demise has once again brought back the debate around work-life balance and corporate culture, particularly in the startup sector. Recently, a report by YourDOST, a mental health startup, revealed that those in the initial stage of their entrepreneurial journey have higher levels of imposter syndrome due to increased pressure and uncertainties.
Earlier in 2024, India lost another two startup founders, Rohan Malhotra and Ambareesh Murthy due to cardiac arrest.