MUMBAI : Get ready for the most anticipated return of Shark Tank India, back with a bang for its third season exclusively on Sony LIV, starting January 22. This season boasts an even grander spectacle with a panel of 12 Sharks, each a titan in their respective industries. Among them, adding a fresh perspective to the tank, is Azhar Iqubal, the Co-founder and CEO of Inshorts. And here is a fascinating tidbit about the Shark – for almost a decade, people from Azhar’s hometown, a small village in Bihar, were not much aware of his successful entrepreneurial journey.

In his own words, Azhar Iqubal recently revealed, "For the past 10 years, people in my village were unaware of my work. The details about me remained a mystery to most of them. It wasn't until the release of the first picture and shark reveal video for Shark Tank India 3 that my entire village discovered me and my work. When I called my mom after the promo went live, she was in joy and uttered, "People hardly knew about you before but after today, everyone knows you.” She added her phone kept ringing for over 24 hours after the promo went live with wishes pouring in from every corner. People were proud that a boy from a small village in Bihar could dream big and disrupt the Indian digital media landscape. It was truly a touching moment for me.

This season’s powerhouse panel is a stellar lineup of business luminaries, ready to dissect, invest, and mentor the next wave of Indian entrepreneurs. Joining Azhar Iqubal are Aman Gupta (Co-Founder and CMO of boAt), Amit Jain (CEO and Co-founder of CarDekho Group, InsuranceDekho.com), Anupam Mittal (Founder and CEO of Shaadi.com – People Group), Namita Thapar (Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals LTD), Vineeta Singh (Co-Founder and CEO of SUGAR Cosmetics), Peyush Bansal (Co-founder and CEO of Lenskart.com), Ritesh Agarwal (Founder and CEO of OYO Rooms), Deepinder Goyal (Founder and CEO of Zomato), Radhika Gupta (MD & CEO of Edelweiss Mutual Fund), Varun Dua (Founder and CEO of Acko), and Ronnie Screwvala (Co-Founder & Chairperson of UpGrad).

Don’t forget to tune in to Shark Tank India 3, starting 22nd January from 10 pm onwards only on Sony LIV!