New judge Azhar Iqubal discusses the learning and innovation he found on the third season of Shark Tank
Azhar Iqubal
Learning never ceases, regardless of the life stage you are at. This is what Azhar Iqubal, the co-founder and CEO of Inshorts, who is the latest addition and youngest shark on SonyLIV’s Shark Tank season 3, believes in. Hailing from a small town, Iqubal shares that he didn’t have the traditional entrepreneurial background. It started with a simple idea when he was 20—delivering news in 60 words or less, catering to the fast-paced lifestyle of today. Inshorts, the result of this vision, now has over 10 million subscribers. “When I started out, I didn’t know much about revenue or business. Most people in my family hold government jobs. The one thing I have learnt in the last eight to 10 years is that any service or product you sell, as long as it fits the needs of a consumer, it will work,” says the shark, adding that this is what he looked for when he joined the panel.
While the decision of investment relies heavily on the profit margin for any shark on the show, this was not the case for Iqubal. “I am ready to wait 10 to 20 years to finally get returns. What appealed to me was the idea of being able to meet new people and experience their journey while learning something,” he says. Sharing the panel with established founders, including Aman Gupta (co-founder and CMO of boAt), Anupam Mittal (founder and CEO of Shaadi.com—People Group), Namita Thapar (executive director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals), Vineeta Singh (co-founder and CEO of Sugar Cosmetics), and Peyush Bansal (founder and CEO of Lenskart.com), was an enriching experience for him. “I had a ball of a time. All the sharks on the panel are more experienced in business and on Shark Tank. I looked at this opportunity [as a means] to only learn from them. I wanted to see what I could incorporate into my business,” says Iqubal.
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Even before he was asked to come on board, Iqubal had been a fan of the show. He explains, “I had watched both previous seasons at least twice. It opened my mind to infinite possibilities. Even when on the show, [my decision of investment] was based on how well an entrepreneur could explain his service or product to me in layman language. That was the litmus test.” Among all the entries, the one that caught his eye was non-smelly socks—a solution to a common problem among bachelors. “I believe life would be so much easier with that,” he smiles.
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