Naveen Tewari, founder and CEO of InMobi, who built the company into a global digital advertising technology business and India's first unicorn.
Naveen Tewari founded InMobi and built Glance into a major consumer technology business. Explore his career, funding, growth and entrepreneurial journey.
Written by TFN Research Desk | covering startups, technology, venture capital, and business strategy.
Table of Contents
- Who is Naveen Tewari?
- Early Life and Education
- Career Before InMobi
- How InMobi Started
- Funding History
- Revenue Growth and Recent Developments
- InMobi and Glance
- InMobi vs Competitors
- Investor Perspective
- Founder Timeline
- Key Takeaways
- FAQs
- The Take Nobody In The Industry Wants To Say Out Loud
- Sources
- SEO Metadata Block
Who is Naveen Tewari?
Naveen Tewari is the Founder and CEO of InMobi and Glance. He founded InMobi in 2007 and led the company to become India’s first unicorn in 2011. He later built Glance, expanding his focus from mobile advertising into consumer technology, content, commerce and digital experiences.
Early Life and Education
Naveen Tewari studied at IIT Kanpur and later earned an MBA from Harvard Business School. He was also recognised with IIT Kanpur’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013.
His education combined engineering and business management, providing a foundation for his later work in technology and entrepreneurship.
Career Before InMobi
Before founding InMobi, Tewari worked at McKinsey & Company.
His consulting experience exposed him to business strategy and different industries before he moved into entrepreneurship. He eventually identified an opportunity around the rapidly growing mobile internet market and began building what would become InMobi.
How InMobi Started
Tewari founded InMobi in 2007. The company initially focused on mobile advertising at a time when smartphones and mobile internet were changing how consumers accessed digital services.
The company built technology around mobile advertising and gradually expanded its international presence.
In 2011, InMobi became India’s first unicorn, marking an important moment for the country’s technology startup ecosystem.
The company later evolved beyond its original advertising business. Tewari expanded his focus toward consumer technology through Glance, creating a broader ecosystem around content, commerce and digital experiences.
Funding History
| Round | Year | Amount | Lead Investors |
|---|---|---|---|
| Series A | 2008 | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
| Series B | 2011 | Not publicly disclosed | SoftBank |
| Later funding | Various | Not publicly disclosed | Various investors |
InMobi attracted international investment as its mobile advertising business expanded. The company became a major example of an Indian technology startup building a global business from India.
A complete cumulative funding figure is not publicly disclosed in the information provided.
Revenue Growth and Recent Developments
| Fiscal Year | Revenue | Net Profit/Loss |
|---|---|---|
| Latest consolidated figure | Not publicly disclosed | Not publicly disclosed |
InMobi is privately held, and current consolidated financial figures are not publicly disclosed in the information provided.
The company has evolved into a broader consumer technology group, with Glance playing an important role in its strategy.
Glance focuses on AI-powered content, commerce and consumer experiences, extending Tewari’s original mobile technology focus into a wider consumer platform.
InMobi and Glance
Glance represents a major shift in Tewari’s entrepreneurial journey.
While InMobi was built around mobile advertising, Glance focuses on the consumer experience itself, bringing content and commerce closer to users through mobile technology.
According to InMobi, building Glance made Tewari the first Indian entrepreneur to build two unicorns.
The combination of InMobi and Glance gives the group exposure to both advertising technology and consumer-facing digital experiences.
InMobi vs Competitors
| Company | Founded | Positioning |
|---|---|---|
| InMobi | 2007 | Mobile advertising and consumer technology |
| Google Ads | 2000 | Digital advertising |
| Meta | 2004 | Social platforms and digital advertising |
| AppLovin | 2012 | Mobile advertising and app monetisation |
InMobi’s original strength came from focusing on mobile advertising rather than competing directly with traditional desktop advertising platforms.
Its evolution toward consumer technology gives the group a broader opportunity, although it also places the company in competition with much larger global technology businesses.
Investor Perspective
Tewari’s strongest qualification is his track record of building a global technology company from India. InMobi’s unicorn status in 2011 demonstrated that Indian startups could attract significant international capital and compete in global technology markets.
Glance provides another opportunity by targeting consumer attention through content and commerce.
The main opportunity lies in the continued growth of mobile and AI-driven consumer experiences. If Glance can combine content, commerce and technology effectively, it can create additional value beyond advertising.
The risks include competition from global technology platforms, rapidly changing consumer behaviour and the difficulty of building sustainable consumer businesses at scale.
Tewari’s challenge is to ensure that the transition from advertising technology to a broader consumer technology group produces durable businesses rather than simply expanding the company’s footprint.
Founder Timeline
- Before 2007: Works at McKinsey & Company.
- 2007: Founds InMobi.
- 2011: InMobi becomes India’s first unicorn.
- 2013: Receives IIT Kanpur Distinguished Alumnus Award.
- Later years: Builds Glance as a consumer technology platform.
- 2026: Continues as Founder and CEO of InMobi and Glance.
Key Takeaways
- Naveen Tewari founded InMobi in 2007.
- He currently serves as Founder and CEO of InMobi and Glance.
- InMobi became India’s first unicorn in 2011.
- Tewari later built Glance as a consumer technology company.
- His career spans consulting, advertising technology and consumer technology.
FAQs
Who founded InMobi?
Naveen Tewari founded InMobi in 2007.
What is Naveen Tewari’s current role?
He is Founder and CEO of InMobi and Glance.
When was InMobi founded?
InMobi was founded in 2007.
Where did Naveen Tewari study?
He studied at IIT Kanpur and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Where did Naveen Tewari work before InMobi?
He worked at McKinsey & Company.
What is InMobi known for?
InMobi began as a mobile advertising company and later evolved into a broader consumer technology group.
What is Glance?
Glance is a consumer technology platform focused on AI-powered content, commerce and consumer experiences.
Was InMobi India’s first unicorn?
Yes. InMobi became India’s first unicorn in 2011.
How much funding has InMobi raised?
A complete cumulative funding figure is not publicly disclosed in the information provided.
Is InMobi profitable?
Current consolidated revenue and profitability figures are not publicly disclosed in the information provided.
What is Naveen Tewari’s net worth?
His current personal net worth is not publicly disclosed.
What awards has Naveen Tewari received?
He received IIT Kanpur’s Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2013.
The Take Nobody In The Industry Wants To Say Out Loud
Our editors weigh in.
Naveen Tewari has already cleared one of the hardest hurdles in Indian technology, building a globally recognised company from India. InMobi’s early success showed that Indian founders could compete in mobile advertising well before the country’s current startup boom. But the next phase is less straightforward. Moving from advertising technology into consumer technology through Glance puts Tewari in a much broader competitive field, where global platforms have enormous distribution and resources. The opportunity is significant, particularly as AI changes how people consume content and interact with digital services. But attention is not automatically a business moat. Glance will need to prove that its consumer ecosystem can create durable engagement and economics. Tewari’s reputation opens doors, but execution will determine whether the second chapter matches the significance of the first.
Sources
- InMobi, Official Website
https://www.inmobi.com/ - InMobi, Leadership Information
https://www.inmobi.com/company/leadership/ - Naveen Tewari, LinkedIn
https://in.linkedin.com/in/naveentewari - IIT Kanpur, Alumni Information
https://www.iitk.ac.in/ - Harvard Business School, Alumni Information
https://www.hbs.edu/ - Economic Times, InMobi Coverage
https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/ - Forbes India, Naveen Tewari Coverage
https://www.forbesindia.com/ - TechCrunch, InMobi and Glance Coverage
https://techcrunch.com/
© The Founder Nation | All rights reserved | Written by TFN Research Desk
