Azhar Iqubal co-founded Inshorts after leaving IIT Delhi and helped turn a simple idea for short news updates into a major digital media company.
Azhar Iqubal’s journey from an IIT Delhi student to the co-founder of Inshorts began with a simple observation. People wanted to stay informed, but they did not always have the time to read lengthy news reports.
In 2013, Iqubal, along with Anunay Arunav and Deepit Purkayastha, acted on that insight and created News in Shorts, which later became Inshorts.
The idea was straightforward. Condense important news into short, easy-to-read summaries so people could understand what was happening without spending too much time reading.
From IIT Delhi to Entrepreneurship
Iqubal studied Mathematics and Computer Science at IIT Delhi, but his career took an unexpected turn when he decided to leave the institute and pursue entrepreneurship.
The decision was not without uncertainty. Leaving one of India’s most prestigious engineering institutions to build an untested media startup meant giving up a conventional career path for an idea that had yet to prove itself.
The founders initially experimented with the concept through a Facebook page, where they shared short summaries of news stories.
The response showed them there was demand for a simpler way to consume information.
Turning News Into a Product
The Facebook experiment eventually became a dedicated app.
Inshorts built its identity around concise news summaries, giving users the essential information in a format designed for quick consumption.
That approach arrived at a time when smartphones and mobile internet were rapidly changing how Indians consumed content.
Instead of asking readers to spend more time with news, Inshorts built a product around the opposite idea. Give people the information they need and respect their limited attention.
That simple product philosophy helped the company attract a growing user base and investor interest.
By 2023, Inshorts had raised more than $119 million across multiple funding rounds, according to the figures cited in the company’s funding history.
Building Beyond Inshorts
Iqubal later expanded his ambitions beyond news.
In 2019, he launched Public, a location-based social networking platform focused on local information and communities.
The platform allowed users to discover and share updates connected to their cities and neighbourhoods, extending Iqubal’s focus from national news consumption to hyperlocal information.
The two businesses addressed different problems but shared a common idea. Make information more relevant to how people actually live and consume content.
Recognition and Shark Tank India
Iqubal’s entrepreneurial journey has earned him recognition from organisations including Forbes India, which named him to its 30 Under 30 list.
He also became widely known to a broader Indian audience through his appearance as a judge on Shark Tank India, where his direct questioning and business-focused approach attracted considerable attention.
His profile has since extended beyond Inshorts, with investments and involvement in other startups across sectors including apparel and personal care.
What Made the Inshorts Idea Work
The success of Inshorts was not simply about shortening news.
The founders identified a behavioural change. People were consuming more information than ever, but their available attention was shrinking.
Instead of trying to compete with traditional news organisations on the length or depth of reporting, Inshorts designed a product around speed and convenience.
That distinction helped turn a simple Facebook page into a recognised digital media company.
Azhar Iqubal’s journey is therefore less about dropping out of IIT Delhi and more about recognising a problem, testing a small idea and staying with it long enough to build a real business.
What began with 60-word news summaries eventually became a much larger attempt to change how millions of Indians discover and consume information.
