Humans of Bombay

What Humans of Bombay does

Humans of Bombay is a Mumbai-based storytelling platform and media company that documents and publishes human-interest stories of ordinary individuals, operating under the legal entity Humans of Bombay Stories Pvt. Ltd. Founded in 2014 by Karishma Mehta as a Facebook page, the company has built a community of over 6 million people across Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and has documented more than 6,000 stories spanning themes such as resilience, Partition, disability, entrepreneurship, and grief. Its core technology is a storytelling platform with a proprietary content management system for curating and publishing stories, augmented by an embedded crowdfunding mechanism that has channeled funds (ranging from ₹10 lakhs to ₹25 lakhs per campaign) to featured individuals in distress.

The company's product portfolio spans multiple surfaces: a long-form podcast on YouTube (@humansofbombay2801), an editorial blog at humansofbombay.in/blog, an e-commerce storefront on Shopify selling the book 'Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories' at ₹749, a 'Learn with HOB' online courses platform at courses.humansofbombay.in, and a lifestyle sub-brand called 'Realign Live.' Revenue is generated through a diversified mix of one-time book sales, sponsored story-based content for brands (e.g., Flipkart), CSR-driven impact partnerships (e.g., SpiceJet), and monetization opportunities on podcast and course platforms. Payment processing is handled via Stripe, PayPal, Klarna, Paystack, and Mollie.

The customer base is predominantly horizontal consumer — general audiences in India and the Indian diaspora seeking emotionally resonant storytelling — with a secondary B2B segment of brands commissioning story-based marketing and CSR content. Operating with 11–50 employees, the company remains privately held with no disclosed institutional funding, parent company, or external investment rounds. As of January 2025, the company celebrated its 11th anniversary and continues to expand its product ecosystem around the core storytelling IP.

Name

Humans of Bombay

Legal name

Humans of Bombay Stories Pvt. Ltd.

Website

https://humansofbombay.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Humans of Bombay is a Mumbai-based storytelling platform that documents and publishes human-interest stories from ordinary individuals, serving a community of over 6 million across social media, podcasts, books, and online courses.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Digital Storytelling & Content Publishing

NAICS

Independent Artists, Writers, and Performers (7115), Broadcasting and Content Providers (516)

akta.pro primary industry

Motivational/Inspirational Talks (MPAGACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Digital Comics, Manga & Serialized Reading Platforms (BPAMAJAJ)

Keywords

• Human interest storytelling
• Digital content publishing
• Social media storytelling
• Inspirational content media
• Online community platform

Headquarters

HQ city

Mumbai

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: Sale of the published book 'Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories' at ₹749 (discounted from ₹999) via the company's Shopify e-commerce storefront and physical retail channels.
2. Story-based Crowdfunding: The platform facilitates fundraising for individuals featured in stories, raising amounts ranging from Rs 10 lakhs to Rs 25 lakhs per campaign. These campaigns generate community goodwill and platform visibility.
3. Podcast Production: Long-form podcast episodes (e.g., a 7-hour interview with Lalit Modi) produced for YouTube and distributed via the podcast channel, potentially monetized through sponsorships or brand deals.
4. Sponsored Story Content: Brands commission Humans of Bombay to produce story-based content, such as the Flipkart story series featured on the blog, creating branded storytelling campaigns.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Humans of Bombay is a human-interest storytelling platform that documents, curates, and publishes stories of ordinary people across social media, a blog, a YouTube podcast, and an e-commerce storefront. It monetizes a decade-deep archive of 6,000+ stories through book sales, online courses under 'Learn with HOB', branded storytelling for corporate clients, and a unique embedded crowdfunding mechanism that channels community support directly to featured individuals.

Product overview

Humans of Bombay is a storytelling platform and media company operating as a unified content ecosystem with multiple distribution channels. The core offerings include a podcast (Humans of Bombay Podcast), an editorial blog featuring human interest stories, a YouTube channel, and an e-commerce shop selling the published book 'Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories'. Supporting products include educational courses (Learn with HOB) and lifestyle content (Realign Live). The platform is centered on documenting and sharing inspirational stories of everyday people, with the founder Karishma Mehta serving as the public face of podcasts and content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ordinary People, Extraordinary Stories (Book) A published print book authored by Founder & CEO Karishma Mehta, compiling the best human-interest stories documented over ten years since Humans of Bombay was founded in 2014. Sold directly via the company's Shopify storefront at ₹749 (discounted from ₹999) and through physical retail channels. Targeted at general readers and the Indian diaspora seeking inspirational content.
• Learn with HOB (Online Courses) Online educational courses platform hosted at courses.humansofbombay.in under the 'Learn With HOB' brand, offering storytelling-focused learning content to individuals seeking to develop storytelling and content skills.
• Branded Storytelling Content A commissioned content service where brands engage Humans of Bombay to produce authentic, story-based branded content for marketing, cause-marketing, or CSR campaigns. Example deliverables include the Flipkart story series on the Humans of Bombay blog.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rs 10 lakhs raised for Suman to secure housing, education, and pursue her dream of becoming a doctor
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered notable, flagship and core.

• SpiceJetnotableOthersAfter Humans of Bombay featured Subhan's story — a boy who dropped out of school and sold chai after his mother lost her job during COVID — SpiceJet stepped in to sponsor his pilot training, enabling him to pursue his dream career.
• ForbesflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerForbes published two dedicated profile articles about Humans of Bombay (April 2016 and May 2021), providing high-credibility earned media coverage that significantly boosted brand visibility and trust.
• Hindustan TimescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMultiple features in Hindustan Times covering viral Humans of Bombay stories, including coverage of Saroj Didi's kitchen and Anupam Kher's tribute to his mother via the platform.
• Indian ExpresscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerIndian Express has covered multiple Humans of Bombay stories, including features on Rani Rampal, Partition narratives, and a Chennai model's story about skin-color bullying.
• NDTVcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerNDTV covered multiple Humans of Bombay stories including an IAF pilot's inspiring journey and COVID heroes feeding over 100 people daily during lockdown.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Humans of New York: The original and globally recognized photoblog that founded the 'Humans of...' format. Direct comparable in product (street-interview style storytelling), distribution model (Instagram and Facebook-led), and brand storytelling monetization playbook.
• The Better India: India's largest impact storytelling platform documenting positive stories from across India. Directly comparable in audience (Indian English-speaking digital consumers), format (human-interest stories), and impact narrative positioning.
• YourStory: India's leading media platform for startup and entrepreneur storytelling. Comparable in audience demographic, content format (long-form Indian human stories), and revenue mix (sponsored content, events, courses).
• Narratively: Premium digital storytelling platform publishing long-form, human-interest stories. Comparable in long-form editorial storytelling focus, premium audience, and content-as-product positioning.

Regional players

• POPxo: India's largest digital community for women, covering lifestyle, relationships, and personal stories. Comparable in reaching young Indian female digital consumers and operating an e-commerce and content monetization stack in the same geography.
• ScoopWhoop: Indian digital media company producing viral storytelling and lifestyle content. Comparable in social-first distribution, Indian English-speaking audience, and reliance on advertising and branded content as core revenue streams.
• Brut India: Indian arm of the global short-form video news media company. Comparable in social-first video distribution, young Indian audience demographic, and brand-sponsored storytelling as a key revenue stream.
• Storypick: Indian digital storytelling platform focused on women's lifestyle, relationships, and personal narratives. Comparable in audience demographic, format, and social-first distribution approach.
• Humans of Amsterdam: Direct franchise derivative of the Humans of New York format, operating in Amsterdam. Comparable as a city-specific 'Humans of...' storytelling brand using the same street-portrait and interview model in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• BBC StoryWorks: The branded content studio of the BBC producing purpose-driven, human-interest storytelling for global brands. Comparable as a brand storytelling partner offering authentic narrative content for corporate clients at scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@humansofbombay2801
• Xx.com/HumansOfBombay
• Facebookfacebook.com/humansofbombay
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/humans-of-bombay

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Humans of Bombay