Mysuru Startup’s Cofounders Found Dead In US Home

In a tragic incident, Mysuru-based robotics startup HoloWorld’s cofounders Harshavardhana Kikkeri and Shwetha Panyam were reportedly found dead in their US home last week. 

As per Seattle Times, King County sheriff’s spokesperson Brandyn Hull classified Panyam’s and Dhruva Kikkeri’s deaths as homicides while Harshavardhana Kikkeri died by suicide. Responding to a 911 call around 7 PM on April 24, detectives reportedly found blood on the front window and a lone hollow point bullet in the street.

“An investigation such as this takes time, and our detectives are working diligently to try and piece together what led to this incident… Until this work concludes, the Sheriff’s Office won’t have any further updates,” Hull reportedly said. 

There was no clarity on the motive behind the gruesome incident. Neighbours reportedly said the family of four kept to themselves and lived in the townhouse. The couple’s younger son, seven year-old, was the only survivor.

Meanwhile, condolences continued to pour in. Speaking with Economic Times, group CTO at PRS Neurosciences and former deputy CTO at Holosuit, Stafford Michahial, said, “Losing all three of them — Shwetha, Dhruv, and Harsha — in such a tragic way has left a pain I can’t describe… I love Harsha for everything he created, for the wisdom he shared, and the lives he changed. But I cannot reconcile the way it all ended. It is devastating. It’s impossible to understand how someone so spiritually grounded could reach such a point”.

EqualizeRCM chairman Bhaskar Kalale told The Indian Express, “The last time I met him was in Mysuru about a year ago. He was very promising, intelligent, and had accomplished a lot of things. In fact, cricketer Yuvraj Singh had funded his organisation and also was the brand ambassador”.

Belonging to Karnataka’s Kikkeri village, Harshavardhana completed his early education in Mysuru and then moved to the US where he earned a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Syracuse University. 

After working with Microsoft, he returned back to India and cofounded HoloWorld with his wife Shwetha in 2017. HoloWorld made headlines for creating HoloSuit, an AI-enabled full body motion capture suit which acts as a virtual trainer for your body.

As per a report, the company wrapped up operations in 2022, after which Kikkeri and Panyam moved to the US. He held 44 international patents across the US, China, Japan, and Europe.