Inshorts
Inshorts is an India-based mobile news aggregator that uses AI to summarize articles from 30+ publishers into 60-word shorts, serving mass-market Indian consumers alongside its Public app for Tier 2/3 cities.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersNoida, India
- Headcount501–1,000
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Inshorts does
Inshorts Pte. Ltd. operates two consumer mobile products from its Singapore-incorporated holding entity, with operational headquarters in Noida, India. The flagship Inshorts app is a news aggregator that uses an AI-powered personalization engine to condense articles from 30+ global content partners into 60-word summaries in English and Hindi, delivered via a single personalized feed with category browsing and in-app polling. It holds a 4.6 Play Store rating—the highest among news apps—and has been featured in Apple's showcase and Google's Best Apps of 2015, with 3 billion shorts served cumulatively.
The company's secondary product, Public, is a location-based social network targeting Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian cities with local information, short videos, and community polls that have drawn over 400,000 respondents. Both apps are distributed exclusively through Google Play and Apple App Store, with a US beta program underway for the news app. The company is venture-backed (~$140 million in cumulative disclosed funding, last round $60M from Vy Capital in July 2021), employs 501-1,000 people, and was founded in 2013 by Azhar Iqubal, Deepit Purkayastha, and Anunay Pandey. Its only disclosed acquisition to date is Retention (October 2015).
Inshorts monetizes through advertising and sponsored content on a freemium model with no user fees. Its customer base is a long-tail of mass-market mobile consumers in India, with a beta cohort in the US; there are no enterprise customers, and revenue predictability is driven by aggregate ad inventory across both apps rather than any single account. Operational governance is anchored in Singapore law, and the company maintains active social, blog, and app-store channels as its primary marketing surfaces.
Inshorts firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Inshorts
- Legal name
- Inshorts Pte. Ltd.
- Website
- https://inshorts.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 501–1,000 employees
- Short description
- Inshorts is an India-based mobile news aggregator that uses AI to summarize articles from 30+ publishers into 60-word shorts, serving mass-market Indian consumers alongside its Public app for Tier 2/3 cities.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Inshorts industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Digital News Aggregation
- NAICS
- Newspaper Publishers (51311), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (5162), Media Streaming Distribution Services, Social Networks, and Other Media Networks and Content Providers (51621), Media Representatives (541840)
- SIC
- Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Short-Form Video for News, Sports & Highlights Platforms (MPACAHAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- News Streaming Platforms (MPACAAAF), Generalist Short-Form Video Social Platforms (MPACAHAA)
Keywords
Where Inshorts is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Noida
- HQ country
- India
- HQ region
- Asia
Offices2 records
Markets served
Inshorts business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Technology or R&D, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Operations
Revenue model
- Advertising: The platform generates revenue through sponsored content placements. The Terms and Conditions reference 'Sponsored Content' distinct from regular editorial content, indicating advertising is a primary revenue stream.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Freemium | Others | Free app with advertising |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels5 records
Inshorts product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Inshorts operates a mobile-first AI-powered news aggregation platform that condenses articles from 30+ global content partners into 60-word "shorts" in English and Hindi, delivered via a personalized feed. The company also runs the Public app, a location-based social network providing local news, short videos, and community polls targeted at Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India. Revenue is generated primarily through advertising and sponsored content placements within the apps.
Product overview
Inshorts Pte. Ltd. operates a dual-product portfolio consisting of the Inshorts news app and the Public social media platform. The Inshorts app is a news aggregation service that condenses articles from 30+ global content partners into 60-word shorts in English and Hindi, featuring AI-powered personalization for individual users. The Public app is a separate location-based social network targeting Indian users, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities, with a focus on local content, short videos, and community polls. Both products serve the Indian market and are available via the Google Play Store and Apple App Store, with the Inshorts app holding a 4.6 rating as the highest-rated news app on the Playstore.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Inshorts App A news aggregator mobile application that delivers 60-word news summaries ("shorts") in English and Hindi, sourced from 30+ global content partners. Users can browse categories, create personalized feeds via the AI-driven "My Feed," participate in polls, and read full articles within the app. Targeted at time-constrained mobile users.
- Public App A location-based social network mobile application providing local news, short videos, and community polls. Targeted at mobile-first consumers in Tier 2 and Tier 3 Indian cities, with features for opinion sharing and community engagement.
Quantifiable outcome
- 3 billion shorts served
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Inshorts
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments3 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Inshorts technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
AI capability2 records
Feature4 records
Inshorts partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Inshorts competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Dailyhunt: Indian news and short-video aggregator serving regional language content. Direct competitor to Inshorts in the Indian news aggregation space with similar ad-supported model and growing short-video ambitions.
- SmartNews: AI-powered news aggregator operating globally including the US market. Closely comparable to Inshorts in its use of machine learning for personalized short-form news delivery and mobile-first UX.
- Flipboard: Personalized news aggregation app that curates stories from multiple sources. Directly comparable to Inshorts in news aggregation, multi-source integration, and personalized feed delivery.
- ShareChat: Indian social platform with Moj short-video app. Direct competitor to Inshorts' Public app in the Tier 2/3 Indian short-video and local content space.
- NewsPoint: Indian mobile news aggregator offering short-form news across multiple languages. Direct competitor in the same Indian short-form news app category as Inshorts.
Broad incumbents
- Google News: Default news aggregation service embedded in Android and Search. Represents the largest competitive threat to Inshorts' mobile news model due to native distribution advantages.
- Apple News: iOS-native news aggregation platform bundled with Apple devices. Comparable in offering personalized short-form news delivery and represents a major competitive incumbent in the news aggregation market.
- Microsoft Start: Aggregated news and content platform from Microsoft replacing MSN. Comparable to Inshorts in news aggregation and content personalization across web and mobile surfaces.
- InShorts-style Aggregator: 1News (Oneindia): Indian digital news platform offering aggregated and curated news content. Adjacent competitor operating in the same Indian digital news ecosystem with comparable ad-supported distribution.
Emerging players
- Artifact (acquired by Yahoo): AI-powered news discovery app founded by Instagram co-founders. Comparable to Inshorts in its AI-driven personalization of news consumption, now operating within Yahoo's broader content portfolio.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Inshorts social profiles
Digital presenceInshorts financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Inshorts leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Inshorts funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds9 records
Investors9 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Inshorts M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Inshorts
What does Inshorts do?
Inshorts operates a mobile-first AI-powered news aggregation platform that condenses articles from 30+ global content partners into 60-word "shorts" in English and Hindi, delivered via a personalized feed. The company also runs the Public app, a location-based social network providing local news, short videos, and community polls targeted at Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India. Revenue is generated primarily through advertising and sponsored content placements within the apps.
Is Inshorts a public or private company?
Inshorts is a private company. It is classified as venture growth investor backed and is currently operating.
When was Inshorts founded?
Inshorts was founded in 2013. It employs 501 to 1,000 people.
Where is Inshorts based?
Inshorts is headquartered in Noida, India, in the Asia region.
How does Inshorts make money?
One revenue line is on record: advertising.
Who are Inshorts's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Dailyhunt, SmartNews, Flipboard, ShareChat and NewsPoint. Broad incumbents are Google News, Apple News, Microsoft Start and InShorts-style Aggregator: 1News (Oneindia). Artifact (acquired by Yahoo) is listed as an emerging player.
Does Inshorts have an API?
No public API is recorded for Inshorts.
What industry is Inshorts in?
Inshorts's product category is Digital News Aggregation. Its primary akta.pro industry code is MPACAHAJ, Short-Form Video for News, Sports & Highlights Platforms, with a secondary code of MPACAAAF, News Streaming Platforms. Its NAICS code is 51311 and its SIC code is 2721.