People’s attention span is decreasing day by day. The reason is the availability of bit-sized information in the form of quick headlines, short reels, or stories. One of the visionaries changed the news landscape by turning this short attention span into a business idea for his news app Inshorts.
Azhar Iqubal is a rising name in the news content industry. He is an IIT dropout who became the CEO of the Inshorts app. The app focuses on providing news in just 60 words. Azhar Iqubal launched the Inshorts app in the year 2013. This business reaches a larger audience due to its easy-to-use features. As a result, Azhar Iqubal net worth increased many folds. His entrepreneurial skills, knowledge, and his net worth paved the way for him to land in Shark Tank, India. He was invited as a Judge in season.
When we talk about Azhar Iqubal Shark Tank India, the one thing that inspires all is his will to become a huge name in the industry at such a young age. Azhar Iqubal knows technology and digital marketing, which allows him to spot the gaps in the specific sector. His mission is to become an example for others and guide young entrepreneurs.
This blog focuses on Azhar Iqubal biography. From his education and foundation to his net worth. Let’s find out how Azhar Iqubal continues to inspire young minds.
Azhar Iqubal’s Background and Education
Now who is Azhar Iqubal? Azhar Iqubal was born in Kishanganj located in Bihar in India. Hailing from a lower middle-class family, he always had a dream of achieving something and wanted to gain knowledge. He secured around 600th rank in the JEE exam and got placed in the top engineering college, IIT Delhi.
Azhar Iqubal education was an integral part that directed his way of becoming an entrepreneurial person. He pursued a Bachelor of Technology degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi. It was at IIT that Azhar Iqubal started to nurture his interest in technology and innovation. Here’s a glimpse of how his education helped him execute the whole idea of developing a news app like Inshorts:
- Through his engineering knowledge, Azhar took up the technological part of the platform and made it work smoothly and easily for the users.
- Azhar Iqubal education helped him acquire solid technical skills, which were useful in building Inshorts.
- In addition, his stay at IIT was filled with an environment where innovative ideas and entrepreneurship were dominant. This allowed him to explore his ambitions as an entrepreneur. Within this competitive environment, he developed his entrepreneurial spirit to grab new opportunities and solve issues.
- From its inception, Azhar Iqubal’s business trajectory propelled the establishment of Inshorts. He realised that the world needed in-depth, quick, and easy-to-digest information for the digital age. This realization was the beginning of Inshorts.
- At IIT, Azhar tried different technology pursuits to get all the necessary knowledge and ideas.
Azhar Iqubal’s educationand his entrepreneurial spirit eventually resulted in the foundation and entrepreneurial success of Inshorts.
Inshorts: Revolutionising News Consumption
The birth and rise of Inshorts under Azhar Iqubal’s business representation innovativeness, persistence, and flexibility of digital media. Azhar Iqubal, along with his two classmates, Anunay Arunav and Deepit Purkayastha, turned towards the startup world and began a Facebook page in 2013. The page started gaining popularity among students of IIT and in local circles. News in Shorts was the first startup idea by Azhar Iqubal and his friends, where they summarized news stories in just 60 words. Later, it was developed into an app with the name “Inshorts”. It was designed to respond to the increasing need for short and mobile-friendly news updates. The team was determined to polish their product so as to satisfy the needs of their users.
The platform’s easy-to-use interface made it popular with users, which led to increased engagement and retention. Inshorts uses algorithms to personalize news content based on users’ interests and reading habits. Azhar Iqubal Inshorts equalizes access to news by giving a variety of sources and topics in one platform. Users are presented with diverse options of perspectives, and remain knowledgeable of multiple problems.
Inshorts has become the largest news platform, with over 500 million users. As of October 2023, its valuation was Rs 3700 crores. As Inshorts’ popularity grew, Azhar Iqubal’s business made partnerships with various reputable companies to make a profit. Due to Azhar Iqubal business model and constant product development, Inshorts became a major player in the digital news sector.
Apart from Inshorts, Azhar Iqubal has contributed to many entrepreneurial efforts and activities. Although Inshorts is his main project, Azhar Iqubal has also expanded his entrepreneurship to other areas.
In 2019, he started another venture called Public App. This app focuses on delivering hyperlocal news in the form of videos and has more than 100 million users. The main motive of this app was to bring all the local communities of India together on a digital platform. Public App has raised 300 crores of funds from A91 partners in 2021. These funds will be utilised for the improvement of technology infrastructure and content development. The company has always shown keen interest in improving the engagement metrics. Public App is considered one of the largest location-based social networking sites in India.
Azhar Iqubal net worth is about Rs 500 Crore. It is primarily due to the success of his startup, Inshorts. Azhar Iqubal company has drawn praise by gaining the BusinessWorld Young Entrepreneur Award and the Leaders of Asia Award. The other awards received by Azhar Iqubal are listed below:
- Fortune 40 under 40 was awarded in 2016.
- Business World 40 under 40 received in 2018
- Forbes India 30 under 30 received in the year 2018
- Entrepreneur of the Year 2022 by Entrepreneur India Magazine
In 2019, Azhar Iqubal became the director of Locvid Services Private Limited, which provides services related to business and accountancy. So far, Azhar Iqubal Inshorts has raised $119 million from investors like Tiger Global and Times Internet. Azhar Iqubal company is recognised as a notable shareholder for gaining wealth from reputed investors.
Contributions and Appearances on Shark Tank India
Azhar Iqubal Shark Tank Indiawas invited as a Judge in Season 3. He got an opportunity to be a part of Shark Tank India season 3 due to his impressive achievements in the entrepreneurial world. Azhar Iqubal in Shark Tank India provides investments for innovators as well as makes sure to motivate them to become successful in their niche.
Azhar Iqubal in Shark Tank Indiabalanced his knowledge and experience in order to meet the global standard of business. He presented his insights and experiences on the show to highlight his spirit of innovation. Azhar Iqubal began his startup investment by investing in Quickpay.
- On the show, he invested in the idea of intelligent clothing endorsed by the brand TURMS with a deal of Rs 1.2 Crores for 4% Equity.
- Along with Peyush Bansal, he agreed to invest in the idea of Skin Care Products by the brand Mintree with an investment of Rs 90 Lakhs for 1.5% Equity.
- He also agreed to invest in the brand Chefling along with Peyush Bansal, Namitha Thaoar, and Amit Jain. The deal was closed with a Rs 40 lakh investment at a 16% valuation.
- Azhar Iqubal has also invested with Peyush Bansal, Anupam Mittal, and Amit Jain in a brand called Aroleap. They closed the deal with a Rs 1 crore investment for 5% equity.
In general, Azhar Iqubal, in Shark Tank India, presented himself as a great negotiator in the Indian startup businesses. Azhar Iqubal’s biography, from being an IIT dropout to a media giant, his story can inspire millions of youth who want to achieve in the business sector.
Azhar Iqubal’s Journey from IIT to Shark Tank India
Azhar Iqubal has contributed to the tech industry and media through his work in news aggregation with Inshorts. As the co-founder of Inshorts, Iqbal revolutionised the whole news digestion process by introducing concise, on-the-go summaries, especially for mobile users. His visionary approach to investment and mentorship has encouraged potential entrepreneurs to venture into areas where they can make a tremendous impact.
Azhar Iqbal’s future outlook is definitely to cover these aspects linked to innovations, entrepreneurship, and social impact. Azhar Iqubal in Shark Tank Indiaprovides indispensable knowledge in the field of entrepreneurship to aspiring youngsters. It makes him the right person to shape the entrepreneurial landscape in India further and beyond.
According to Iqbal, Azhar Iqubal’s next business step might include both national and foreign markets and diversifying its content to meet the growing demands of Iqubal’s users. Furthermore, he can utilise his experience and knowledge to introduce new businesses or projects.
