✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts Co-owner)

Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts Co-owner) biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts Co-owner) Biography: Age, Career, Family and Mо

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 4, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1993

Age32 Years (as of 2025)

BirthplaceKishanganj, Bihar, India

ProfessionEntrepreneur

NationalityIndian

Marital statusUnmarried

Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts Co-owner) Biography

Azhar Iqubal is an Indian entrepreneur best known as a co‑founder of the news app Inshorts. Born in 1993 in Kishanganj, Bihar, he left IIT Delhi to focuson

Early life and background

Azhar Iqubal was born in 1993 in Kishanganj, Bihar, and later made New Delhi his hometown. He enrolled at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi in 2009 to study computer science engineering but left the program in 2012 to pursue an entrepreneurial path. During his student years he developed an interest in current affairs and reading, a habit he says strengthened after launching his business.

Career

While at IIT Delhi, Azhar and two classmates, Deepit Purkayastha and Anunay Pandey, started a Facebook page called News In Shorts to share concise summaries of news items. The concept grew out of their observation that many peers avoided long articles and had limited time for news. The page focused on short, 60‑word summaries intended to be read in under a minute.

Encouraged by early traction, the trio formalized the idea and launched a mobile app for Android users on 4 September 2013. The app delivered free, bite‑sized news and initially published between 80 and 100 items a day; that number rose over time. After securing initial funding during interactions with TLabs, part of the Times Internet group, the founders left campus to build the company. Azhar has described working long hours during this phase to grow the product and scale the team.

In 2014 and 2015 the startup attracted additional rounds of investment. The product was rebranded as Inshorts and expanded to iPhone users in 2015. The company introduced a Hindi edition in April 2016 to reach audiences beyond major metropolitan areas. Over successive funding rounds Inshorts raised significant capital; by 2021 the company had secured $60 million, and by 2023 it had raised $119 million across six rounds from eight investors. By 2023 the app had been downloaded more than 10 million times on Google Play and the business was reported to have an estimated valuation of Rs. 3,700 crore.

Beyond Inshorts, Azhar has held directorships in related ventures. He was named a director of Locvid Services Private Limited in November 2019, a company offering accounting, market research and business consultancy services. On 10 January 2020 he became a director at Inshorts India Advertising And Services Private Limited. Alongside his co‑founders, he later helped launch a location‑based social app called Public; that product also attracted investor interest and reported substantial downloads and funding, including reported investment of Rs. 300 crore and more than 100 million downloads for the Public app by October 2023.

Public profile

Azhar has been recognised with several industry honours over the years. His awards and listings include inclusion on Fortune India’s 40 Under 40 and Business World’s 40 Under 40, placements on Forbes India and Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 lists, and other entrepreneurial awards. In October 2023 he joined the television programme Shark Tank India as one of the show’s judges, expanding his visibility beyond the startup ecosystem.

He maintains a public persona as a travel and adventure enthusiast, and has been photographed participating in activities such as skydiving and scuba diving. Azhar has also discussed reading as a personal hobby and credits the launch of his news product with encouraging his own reading habit.

Latest updates

As of 2023, Inshorts had continued to grow its user base and funding profile, and Azhar remained involved with the company and related ventures. The Public app reported widespread adoption, and Azhar’s role on Shark Tank India further increased his exposure among entrepreneurs and the general public.

Personal notes

Azhar is reported to be unmarried. He has an interest in simple home‑style food and cites a personal favourite as dal chawal. He has also been noted to collect cars, with models such as the MINI Cooper, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon and Porsche 718 Boxster mentioned among his possessions. He often references a pragmatic life outlook and has quoted the line attributed to Bill Gates: “Life is not fair, get used to it.”
◈

Recent Work

Inshorts (co‑founder)

Co‑founded the news summarization app (originally News In Shorts), led product expansion, funding rounds and launch of Hindi edition; app reached over 10 million downloads and raised multiple funding rounds through 2023.

2013–2023
Public (co‑founder)

Co‑founded the location‑based social app Public, which reported substantial downloads and funding by 2023.

2020s
Shark Tank India (Judge)

Joined the business reality television show as one of the investors/judges in 2023.

2023
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Co‑founded Inshorts (originally News In Shorts) in 2013
  2. Rebranded and expanded Inshorts to iOS and Hindi; scaled daily content output
  3. Included in Forbes India and Forbes Asia 30 Under 30 lists
  4. Part of funding raises that took Inshorts to multi‑million dollar investment totals
  5. Joined Shark Tank India as a judge in 2023
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts Co-owner) born?

1993

What is Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts Co-owner) known for?

Entrepreneur

What is Azhar Iqubal (Inshorts Co-owner)’s marital status?

Unmarried