Epigamia co-founder Rohan Mirchandani passes away at 41 due to heart attack

By Chandra R Srikanth and Tushar Goenka

Rohan Mirchandani, co-founder of Epigamia, passed away on the night of December 20, according to four people who confirmed the news to Moneycontrol. The entrepreneur, in his early forties, reportedly succumbed to a heart attack, the sources said.

Mirchandani, a graduate of NYU Stern and Wharton School started up Drums Food International in 2013. Drums Food is the parent of Epigamia, a new age FMCG brand and among India’s most prominent Greek yogurt brands.

Mirchandani has previously said that as a student in business school, he had attended a lecture in Mumbai on consumer brands and the lack of innovation in FMCG, a eureka moment for him to start up.

Epigamia became popular in top cities as more consumers gravitated to its flavoured Greek yoghurt offerings.

Mirchandani’s unfortunate demise follows that of other startup industry executives in recent times.

Rohan Malhotra, the co-founder and managing partner of early-stage venture capital firm, Good Capital, passed away on October 1 this year.

Ambareesh Murty, the 51-year-old co-founder of online furniture store Pepperfry, died of a cardiac arrest during a biking trip in Leh in August 2023.

Belgian investor Verlinvest, is one of the largest external shareholders in Epigamia, which is also backed by French dairy major Danone and Bollywood actress Deepika Padukone.

Rohan Mirchandani moved into the role of executive chairman in December 2023, with co-founder Rahul Jain taking on the role of co-founder and CEO. Ankur Goel, the founding member of Epigamia, who was overseeing the company's supply chain and business intelligence functions, was elevated to the post of COO.

In recent interviews, Mirchandani spoke about betting big on the quick commerce channel, with plans to grow revenue to 250 crore in FY25.

A TASTE OF EPIGAMIA

Mumbai-based Epigamia is present in segments ranging from yoghurt, curd, and beverages to milkshakes, smoothies and kheer. Epigamia in its original form began as Hoki Poki ice cream and then pivoted to a yogurt brand, as ice-cream business was a more seasonal business.

According to reports, the brand is retailed across 20,000 touchpoints in more than 30 towns as of December 2023. It was planning a foray into the Middle East by 2025-26. It clocked sales of Rs 168 crore in FY23.

Chandra R Srikanth is Editor- Tech, Startups, and New Economy, and Tushar Goenka is a breaking news reporter who focuses on startups. Interested in venture capital, quick commerce, e-commerce, food delivery and D2C.