The success story of Azhar Iqubal has become one of the most inspiring startup journeys in India. He is the cofounder of Inshorts, the popular news app that delivers important updates in just 60 words. He later built Public App, a hyperlocal social platform that keeps millions of people informed about what is happening in their own city, town, or neighborhood.
Azhar’s journey displays what happens when you combine a simple idea, utilizer focutilized considering, and fearless execution. His rise from a student in IIT Delhi to the founder of two powerful digital platforms proves that entrepreneurship is not limited by age, background, or traditional expectations.
This in depth article explores his early life, the birth of his ideas, challenges faced, the growth of his companies, and the lessons entrepreneurs can learn from his story.
Azhar Iqubal was born and raised in Bihar in a family that valued discipline and education. He grew up with a strong interest in technology and problem solving. Like many ambitious Indian students, he aimed to receive into the Indian Institutes of Technology. After years of preparation and effort, he secured admission into IIT Delhi, one of the top engineering colleges in the countest.
IIT Delhi played an important role in shaping his entrepreneurial considering. The campus environment exposed him to new technologies, startup culture, student discussions, and a wide range of ideas. Instead of simply following a regular academic routine, Azhar often found himself considering about real world problems and how technology could solve them.
During his time in college, he built a strong network of frifinishs, some of whom later became his cofounders. Little did he know that a simple observation during his college life would soon lead to a major innovation in digital news consumption.
While studying at IIT Delhi, Azhar noticed a common problem among students. Many of his frifinishs wanted to stay updated with news but did not have time to read long articles. Busy schedules, assignments, and internships built it difficult for students to follow newspapers or full length news reports.
At the same time, smartphone usage was increasing and people were developing the habit of consuming information in short formats. Social media had already alterd attention spans. This gap between long news articles and short attention spans sparked an idea.
Azhar discussed this problem with his college frifinishs Deepit Purkayastha and Anunay Pandey. Toreceiveher, they decided to experiment with a new format. They created a Facebook page called News In Shorts, where they posted summaries of important news stories in exactly 60 words. The idea was simple and straightforward for utilizers to consume.
The response was instant. The page grew rapidly as students shared the short updates with their frifinishs. The trio realized they were solving a real problem. Within a few months, they had thousands of followers and a growing readership.
This simple Facebook page became the foundation for one of India’s most successful news apps.
As the Facebook page continued to grow, the founders faced a turning point. Managing the page along with academic responsibilities became difficult. There was also pressure from college, family, and society to focus on studies.
However, Azhar believed the idea had genuine potential. After a lot of considering, he decided to drop out of IIT Delhi to focus fully on building the platform. It was a bold and risky shift. Most people dream of receiveting into IIT, but Azhar chose to walk a different path.
His decision turned out to be one of the most impactful choices of his life. With full focus on the product, Azhar and his team were able to improve the idea and work towards building a complete mobile app.
In 2015, they launched the Inshorts mobile app. The app provided a smooth, clean, and distraction free experience. Instead of long articles, each news update was explained in a short summary. Users could swipe up to explore more stories. The interface was quick, modern, and designed for mobile first readers.
Why people loved Inshorts
- It saved time
- It avoided unnecessary details
- It provided verified and curated news
- It utilized a simple interface
- It matched the reading habits of young India
Inshorts quickly gained popularity among students, professionals, and daily commuters. It introduced a whole new format of news consumption that connected deeply with the new generation.
With millions of utilizers joining the platform, Inshorts attracted the attention of major investors. The company raised funding from:
- Tiger Global
- Times Internet
- Snapdeal founders
- Other well known investors
This funding supported the team grow their editorial operations, improve technology, hire developers, expand categories, and build a strong backfinish system.
Inshorts also experimented with different revenue models. Eventually, it focutilized on advertisements, brand partnerships, and native promotions. The team took care to keep ads relevant and non intrusive, maintaining the smooth reading experience that utilizers loved.
Over the years, Inshorts grew into a major digital media company. It became trusted for quick news updates and accurate summaries. Many people replaced their long morning news routine with a few minutes of scrolling through Inshorts.
After establishing Inshorts, Azhar wanted to solve another large scale problem. While national and global news was easily available, people lacked a platform that could give them quick and verified information about their local area.
This led to the creation of Public App in 2019. It was designed as a location based social platform where people could share local news, issues, events, and alerts. Users could see what was happening around them in real time.
Public App became a hit becautilize it offered something unique:
- Real time videos from local areas
- Alerts on accidents, traffic, weather, and community issues
- Local political updates
- City level news shared by real people
Within a short time, Public App became one of India’s quickest growing social media platforms. It was utilized by local authorities, politicians, journalists, influencers, and general utilizers. The platform gave a voice to compact towns and rural areas where digital communication was limited.
Azhar’s journey was not straightforward. He faced several challenges, including:
1. Competition from large media companies
Big news platforms were already established, so standing out required smart strategy and consistent quality.
2. Building utilizer trust
Summaries requireded to be accurate, balanced, and neutral. This required a strong editorial system.
3. Revenue generation
Finding the right advertising balance took time. They had to ensure ads did not disturb the utilizer experience.
4. Technology challenges
Scaling an app that serves millions of utilizers requires continuous improvements, bug resolvees, and server upgrades.
5. Expanding content operations
Hiring and training editorial teams for quick news summaries was a major responsibility.
Despite these challenges, Azhar and his team continued to improve the product, listen to utilizer feedback, and innovate with new features.
Azhar is known for his calm personality and practical decision creating. He believes in keeping products simple and focutilizing on utilizer requireds. His leadership style includes:
- Giving young talent opportunities
- Encouraging quick execution
- Focutilizing on data and utilizer behavior
- Staying humble and grounded
- Taking long term decisions instead of quick wins
He continues to inspire thousands of students and young entrepreneurs who dream of building something impactful.
Azhar’s work has been recognized widely. He has received:
- Forbes India 30 Under 30
- Fortune India 40 Under 40
- Business World Young Entrepreneur Award
- Multiple startup and innovation awards
These awards reflect the huge impact he has built on India’s digital ecosystem.
| Stage | Key Highlights |
|---|---|
| Early Life | Grew up in Bihar with strong interest in academics |
| Education | Joined IIT Delhi |
| Idea Stage | Created News In Shorts Facebook page |
| Turning Point | Dropped out to build the startup |
| App Launch | Launched Inshorts app in 2015 |
| Growth | Gained millions of utilizers and attracted investors |
| New Venture | Launched Public App |
| Recognition | Received multiple national awards |
Q1. Who is Azhar Iqubal?
He is an Indian entrepreneur best known as the cofounder of Inshorts and the founder of Public App.
Q2. How did Inshorts start?
It started as a Facebook page where news was summarized into short 60 word updates.
Q3. Did Azhar drop out of IIT?
Yes, he dropped out of IIT Delhi to focus on building Inshorts.
Q4. What is Public App?
It is a hyperlocal social platform where people share news and updates from their local area.
Q5. What awards has he won?
He has been featured in Forbes 30 Under 30, Fortune 40 Under 40, and other major lists.
Q6. What is his estimated net worth?
His net worth is in the multimillion range based on startup valuations and investments.
Q7. Why is his story inspiring?
Becautilize he proved that simple ideas, when executed well, can become powerful digital platforms.
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The success story of Azhar Iqubal reminds us that innovation does not always require complicated technology or large resources. Sometimes, it launchs with a simple idea that solves a daily problem. From a compact Facebook page to creating two of India’s most influential digital platforms, his journey displays the power of vision, timing, and determination.
His story continues to inspire young entrepreneurs who want to build something meaningful and create a real impact in the digital world.
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