Pittsburgh Patrika January 2022

The Pittsburgh Patrika, Vol. 27 No 2, January 2022
From Wall Street to Onesies: Pallavi Golla’s
Entrepreneurial Journey
by Aire Reese, Pittsburgh, PA
Pallavi Golla relaxing in her home with her sons
Vyan, Kalyan, and her dog Bodie.
15
When Pallavi Golla had her first son, Vyan, in 2015 she never thought
her own problems as a first-time mother would be the start of a
business venture. Pallavi was
born and raised in the Franklin
Park neighborhood of
Pittsburgh. After graduating
from Sewickley Academy,
she attended NYU Stern
School of Business majoring
in Finance and went on to
work in hedge funds for many
years before attending business
school in California.
After returning to Pittsburgh,
Pallavi and her husband
Mukul Patil started their
family with their first son. She
enjoyed taking Vyan on walks in a stroller but noticed that while she stayed
dry in her activewear leggings and T-shirts, he would get hot and sweaty
in cotton baby clothes. Their time was cut short because he would get heat
rash. At night, traditional sleepwear would make him sweaty and fussy.
Pallavi started to wonder whether the same fabric used in adult activewear
could be used to make better baby clothing. She quickly realized that
technical synthetic fabrics for adults were laced with harmful chemicals
that would not be safe for small children. “There were adult companies
pushing the limits on fabric technology,” says Pallavi. “But for children,
there wasn’t anything new or innovative.”
Today, Golla is the founder of Lark Adventurewear, a premium e-
commerce brand that makes clothes for children, and also for adults
now, from a proprietary and sustainable Softek bamboo knit. The touch &
feel of this fabric is something you must experience personally. It is buttery
soft, temperature-regulating, UPF 50 sun-safe, and made to last.
Every product Pallavi and her team design is laser-focused on the following:
functionality that makes life easier for parents and more comfortable
for kids. And her customers have taken notice.
Since its founding in 2017, Lark Adventurewear has gained a loyal
following on social media with over 60,000 followers and a passionate