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Last co-founder Akash Dongre exits Indus Appstore

What they do

Indus Appstore is a homegrown alternative to Google Play supporting 12 Indian languages

Akash Dongre stepped down as the final co-founder after over ten years with the company

Priya Narasimhan takes over leadership as Indus moves forward

PhonePe is preparing for an IPO with a timeline pushed to June 2026.
Leadership changes often accompany major corporate milestones like public listings or restructuring.

Indus OS was founded in 2013 by Dongre, Deshmukh, and Bangarambandi.
The original focus was a smartphone operating system for regional languages and local content.
Indus OS became the second largest mobile OS by shipments in India in 2016.
Partnerships included major brands like Micromax, Samsung, Karbonn, Motorola, and Alcatel.
The company pivoted to a third-party app store model in 2019.
Indus Appstore charges zero listing fees for developers to join the platform.
It supports 12 Indian languages alongside English for a diverse user base.
The Xiaomi deal involves pre-loading the app store on new devices in India.
Indus Appstore positions itself as a domestic alternative to the Google Play Store.
The platform has crossed 150 million users across its ecosystem.

Priya Narasimhan will lead the company as it approaches potential IPO activities.
PhonePe aims to proceed with its IPO timeline starting June 2026.

PhonePe (buyer) — Walmart-owned digital payments company that acquired Indus for $90 million in July 2022.