ShareChat IPO: Homegrown Social Media Platform Eyes Public Listing in 12-18 Months
Homegrown social media platform ShareChat is preparing to go public within the next 12-18 months, its Co-Founder and CEO Ankush Sachdeva told CNBC-TV18 in an exclusive interaction.
The company, which was last valued at around $1.5 billion after a correction from its $5-billion peak in 2022, said valuations will ultimately be discovered closer to the IPO.
Key Milestones Achieved
ShareChat has achieved key milestones, including cash flow positivity and EBITDA breakeven, and now has better predictability in the business. The company has been cash flow-positive for the last nine months and expects FY26 revenue to come in at around ₹1,000 crore, implying 38% YoY growth.
At the same time, EBITDA losses are set to shrink sharply to below ₹200 crore from about ₹800 crore in FY25. Sachdeva added that April 2026 is likely to mark the company’s first month of being EBITDA-positive, PAT-positive, and cash flow-positive simultaneously.
Valuations to be Market-Driven
On valuations, Sachdeva acknowledged the sharp correction from peak levels but emphasized that the company remains focused on execution rather than short-term market benchmarks. He said ShareChat continues to grow its user base, scale revenues, and diversify monetization beyond advertising, including through microtransactions and subscriptions.
Backed by investors such as Google, Temasek, and Lightspeed Venture Partners, the company has raised about $1.2 billion to date. However, with cash flow now turning positive, Sachdeva said the company effectively has “perpetual runway” and is no longer reliant on external funding ahead of its IPO.
Founded in 2015
Founded in 2015, ShareChat emerged as an early mover in India’s vernacular content space, targeting users beyond metro cities. The platform saw a major inflection point following the TikTok ban in India, when it launched short-video app Moj within 30 hours to capture the sudden vacuum in the market.
Today, ShareChat and Moj together have around 200 million monthly active users, even as competition from global platforms remains intense.
Regulatory Framework
The company has also undergone a major reset over the past two years, moving from a high cash-burn phase, where annual losses exceeded ₹1,000 crore, to a more disciplined cost structure. A key lever in this transition was reducing infrastructure costs, including cloud and server expenses, which helped improve unit economics.
On the regulatory front, Sachdeva said the company views evolving norms not as a hurdle but as a necessary framework to build a safer platform, particularly given its strong user base in tier 2 and tier 3 markets with diverse cultural sensitivities.
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Conclusion
In conclusion, ShareChat’s decision to go public within the next 12-18 months is a significant development in the Indian startup ecosystem. With its strong user base, diversified monetization, and disciplined cost structure, the company is well-positioned to navigate the regulatory framework and achieve long-term, sustainable expansion.