The IITian Who Chose an Uncertain Path
Azhar Iqubal’s journey began at IIT Delhi, where he was studying Mathematics and Computing.
While college offered him a strong career path, Azhar was more interested in solving real-world problems.
In his third year, he took the difficult decision to drop out and pursue his startup dream.
It was a risky move, but it gave him the freedom to build something he truly believed in.
The Idea Was Born From a Simple Problem
In 2013, Azhar noticed that young people wanted to follow the news but rarely had enough time to read long articles.
Along with Deepit Purkayastha and Anunay Arunav, he started experimenting with a Facebook page called News in Shorts.
The idea was simple: explain important news stories in around 60 words.
What began as a small experiment soon started attracting a growing audience.
From Facebook Page to Inshorts
The response to News in Shorts convinced the founders that they had found a real user problem.
The Facebook page eventually evolved into the Inshorts app, built around short and easy-to-understand news updates.
Instead of asking users to spend several minutes on one article, Inshorts gave them the key information quickly.
That simple idea helped the platform stand out in India’s crowded digital news market.
Why the 60-Word Format Worked
Azhar understood something important about the new generation of internet users: time had become valuable.
People wanted to know what was happening without reading lengthy reports every time.
Inshorts turned this behaviour into its biggest product advantage by making news quick, clear and easy to consume.
The 60-word format eventually became the identity of the brand.
Building a Company, Not Just an App
Turning a clever idea into a large business was far harder than creating the first version of the app.
The team had to build technology, editorial systems and a business model capable of handling millions of users.
They also had to earn user trust while covering everything from politics and business to sports and entertainment.
For Azhar, the real challenge was proving that simplicity could become a sustainable business.
The Birth of Public App
After Inshorts, Azhar saw another gap in the way Indians consumed information.
People could easily find national news, but finding reliable updates about their own neighbourhood was much harder.
This led to Public App, launched in 2019 as a location-based platform for local news, videos and community updates.
The idea was to bring the internet closer to people’s everyday lives.
Giving Local India a Digital Voice
Public App focused heavily on information coming from towns, cities and local communities.
Users could share happenings around them, including local events, civic issues and breaking developments.
The platform also expanded across several Indian languages, helping it reach audiences beyond traditional English-speaking users.
By 2024, Public had reported around 70 million active users, showing the scale of its growth.
The Funding That Changed the Scale
Investors began backing the company as both Inshorts and Public continued to grow.
In 2020, Inshorts raised $35 million, followed by a $60 million round led by Vy Capital in 2021.
The 2021 round reportedly valued the company at around $550 million, a major jump from its earlier valuation.
The capital helped the company continue investing in Public, technology and expansion.
Growth Came With Its Own Challenges
Building a digital media company in India has never been easy, especially when user behaviour changes quickly.
Inshorts had to balance growth with the difficult economics of digital advertising and content businesses.
Its financial journey has included periods of significant losses despite strong revenue and user numbers.
But instead of chasing growth at any cost, the company continued to adjust its strategy and operations.
Eleven Years at the Helm
Azhar led Inshorts as CEO for around 11 years, taking the company from a small Facebook experiment to a recognised consumer internet brand.
In April 2024, he stepped down as CEO and became Chairman of the company.
Co-founder Deepit Purkayastha took over as CEO and assumed responsibility for the next phase of growth.
Azhar, however, remained involved with the company’s larger vision.
From Entrepreneur to Shark Tank Investor
Azhar’s story reached an even wider audience when he joined Shark Tank India as an investor.
The show gave him an opportunity to sit across from founders who were standing where he once stood, with an idea and a big ambition.
His own journey of leaving IIT and building a company made his perspective especially relatable to young entrepreneurs.
He became known not only for investing, but also for sharing practical lessons from his startup journey.
Inshorts’ Business and Scale
Inshorts has grown far beyond the small experiment that began in 2013.
By 2024, the company reported more than 12 million active users and partnerships with over 1,500 brands.
Its FY24 operating revenue was reported at around Rs 181 crore, while losses stood at approximately Rs 228 crore.
These numbers show both the scale of the business and the challenges of building a large digital media platform.
Azhar Iqubal’s Estimated Net Worth
Azhar Iqubal’s personal net worth has been estimated by various media reports at around Rs 500 crore, or roughly $60 million.
However, such figures are estimates because the company is privately held and his exact ownership is not publicly disclosed.
His wealth is largely connected to his entrepreneurial journey and the value created through Inshorts and Public.
For Azhar, the bigger achievement remains building these businesses from ideas that once looked very small.
The Rs 3,700 Crore Valuation Story
Inshorts has often been reported in Indian media as a company valued at more than Rs 3,700 crore.
This figure is broadly linked to the company’s reported valuation of around $550 million following its 2021 funding round.
However, because private-company valuations can change over time, it is better to present this as a reported valuation rather than a current confirmed figure.
The bigger story is how far the company travelled from a simple Facebook page.
Recognition Along the Way
Azhar’s work has earned recognition from some of India and Asia’s leading business platforms.
He has been featured in Forbes India 30 Under 30 and Forbes Asia 30 Under 30, among other entrepreneur lists.
His recognition reflects the impact of Inshorts on India’s changing digital news habits.
But his strongest recognition has come from millions of users who made the products part of their everyday routine.
The Vision Behind Both Companies
Although Inshorts and Public look like very different products, they were built around one common idea: make information easier to access.
Inshorts made national and global news shorter, while Public brought local information closer to communities.
Azhar understood that technology becomes powerful when it fits naturally into people’s daily lives.
That user-first thinking has remained central to his entrepreneurial journey.
What Entrepreneurs Can Learn From Azhar
Azhar’s story teaches that a startup does not always begin with a complicated invention.
Sometimes, it begins by noticing something ordinary that people struggle with every day.
His decision to leave IIT shows the importance of conviction, while Inshorts shows the value of simplicity and focus.
Most importantly, his journey proves that building a company requires patience long after the original idea stops being exciting.
From IIT Dropout to Building India’s Digital Future
Azhar Iqubal’s journey cannot be reduced to the headline of an IIT dropout becoming successful.
The real story is about a young founder who noticed changing behaviour and had the courage to build around it.
A Facebook page became Inshorts, Inshorts expanded into Public, and the founder eventually became an investor helping others build their own companies.
He did not simply leave the traditional path, he created a new one for himself.
