Darshan Shah's Vision for NewsReach Wins ET Entrepreneur of the Year

NewsReach co-founder Darshan Shah has been named Entrepreneur of the Year 2026 in the Media and Entertainment category. The PR-tech executive received the honor at the Economic Times Entrepreneur Awards 2026, hosted at the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai, where he was recognized alongside a group of prominent industry leaders.

Mumbai, May 18, 2026: During the third annual ET Entrepreneur Awards held on March 25, 2026, at Mumbai’s Sahara Star Hotel, NewsReach Co-Founder and CEO Darshan Shah received the Entrepreneur of the Year award for the Media & Entertainment sector.

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The NewsReach executive secured the top honor in the Media & Entertainment division at the third edition of the Economic Times Entrepreneur Awards 2026. The event at the Sahara Star Hotel brought together top Indian business leaders to recognize significant entrepreneurial milestones and industry innovations.

"Visibility is the new currency for businesses in the digital age. We built NewsReach to be the infrastructure layer through which brands, startups, and enterprises access every PR opportunity in India, and eventually across the Global South. " — Darshan Shah, Co-Founder & CEO, NewsReach Media Pvt. Ltd.

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The Journey Behind the Recognition

A first-generation entrepreneur from Gujarat, Shah launched NewsReach in partnership with co-founder Soniya Kundnani. Their collaborative vision and the company’s rapid early growth led to their inclusion on the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list for Media, Marketing & Advertising. Furthermore, the firm has secured backing from major industry players HT Media and Zee Media, underscoring strong institutional faith in their PR-tech business model.

Founder Snapshot

• Company: NewsReach Digital Pvt. Ltd.
• Award: ET Entrepreneur of the Year — Media & Entertainment
• Edition: ET Entrepreneur Awards 2026, Edition III
• Venue & Date: Sahara Star Hotel, Mumbai — March 25, 2026
• Previous Recognition: Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia 2022 (Media & Marketing)
• Strategic Investors: HT Media & Zee Media

What the ET Entrepreneur Awards Represent

Managed by the B2B division of Times Internet Limited, the Economic Times Entrepreneur Awards serve as a benchmark for entrepreneurial excellence across India. For the 2026 edition, the jury assessed nominees based on various criteria, including innovation in business models, revenue growth, market penetration, team development, and their overall impact on the entrepreneurial landscape.

Securing the Media & Entertainment category award is more than just a recent milestone; it validates the company’s unique structural approach. By transforming public relations from a fragmented service sector into a tech-driven infrastructure, the firm has built network effects, consistent revenue streams, and a competitive advantage supported by 18 months of visibility graph data.

NewsReach is currently entering what Shah characterizes as a scaling phase. The company is moving beyond its roots in PR distribution to serve as the primary visibility infrastructure for India’s 1 crore addressable SMBs. Looking ahead, the organization is preparing for international growth, with strategies to enter markets across the Global South, MENA, and APAC regions.

This recognition from the ET Entrepreneur Awards offers further external validation for a platform that is actively reshaping India’s media infrastructure, one visibility graph node at a time.

About the ET Entrepreneur Awards

Hosted by the B2B division of the Economic Times (Times Internet Limited), the ET Entrepreneur Awards celebrate exceptional entrepreneurial achievements across various sectors in India and the Asia-Pacific region. The 2026 ceremony (Edition III) was held on March 25, 2026, at the Sahara Star Hotel in Mumbai.

Full winners list: b2b.economictimes.indiatimes.com/entrepreneur-awards/winners-list

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2026 05:12 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).