InMobi Success Story: Indian Startup Became a Global Advertising Leader

December 8, 2025
Rohit
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InMobi stands as one of India’s most influential technology success stories. Long before the term “unicorn” became popular, InMobi had already proven that an Indian startup could build world class products, operate globally, and compete with Silicon Valley giants. From its humble beginnings as an SMS based service to becoming one of the world’s leading mobile advertising and marketing platforms, InMobi’s journey is a powerful example of innovation, resilience, and strategic reinvention.

This in depth article traces the complete success story of InMobi, the founders, key milestones, business evolution, funding rounds, product innovations, challenges, global expansion, and how the company became a pioneer in the mobile advertising industry.

Table of Contents

The Origin Story: From mKhoj to InMobi

InMobi did not start as the advertising powerhouse it is today. The foundation was laid in 2007 with the name mKhoj, a mobile search product built by four entrepreneurs:

Naveen Tewari
Abhay Singhal
Amit Gupta
Mohit Saxena

At that time, smartphones were not widely used. India was still in the early stages of mobile adoption. The founders initially believed SMS based search would solve discovery problems for users who did not have internet access.

However, within a short time, the team realized that mobile search through SMS had limited scalability. They pivoted the idea toward a mobile advertising network because they saw a larger long term opportunity in helping businesses reach mobile users.

This pivot from mKhoj to mobile advertising became the turning point that shaped the company’s future. In 2008, the brand name was officially changed to InMobi.

Early Funding and Strategic Growth

InMobi bootstrapped during its earliest phase and slowly built traction. In 2008, the company received its first major funding from Kleiner Perkins Caufield and Byers (KPCB) and Ram Shriram’s Sherpalo Ventures. This investment validated InMobi’s vision and helped the company scale its technology infrastructure.

But the game changing moment came in September 2011 when SoftBank invested 200 million USD in InMobi. At that time, this was one of the largest single investments in an Indian technology startup. The SoftBank partnership helped InMobi expand across Asia, the United States, and Europe.

By 2014, InMobi had grown into one of the largest independent mobile advertising networks globally, competing directly with Google and Facebook in certain markets.

InMobi’s Business Model: How It Works

InMobi operates at the intersection of mobile marketing, app monetization, and user engagement. The company helps brands deliver personalized advertisements to mobile users and enables app developers to earn revenue through smart ad placements.

Key components of the InMobi business model include:

1. Mobile Advertising Platform

Brands use InMobi to run targeted ad campaigns across a global network of mobile apps and mobile websites.

2. App Monetization

App developers integrate InMobi’s SDK to display personalized ads and earn revenue.

3. InMobi Audience Intelligence

Using data and AI, the company provides audience profiling, consumer insights, and behavioral analytics.

4. Glance

In 2019, InMobi launched Glance, a lock screen content platform that became one of the most successful spin offs. Glance delivers news, entertainment, shopping, and gaming content directly on smartphone lock screens. It quickly scaled to more than 200 million users and later received investment from Google and Jio Platforms.

5. TruFactor

InMobi also created TruFactor, a secure data platform used by enterprises to understand consumer behavior while maintaining privacy compliance.

Global Expansion and Market Leadership

InMobi expanded rapidly after 2011, setting up offices in the United States, China, Europe, and Southeast Asia. The company understood early that mobile was going to be the future of advertising worldwide, not just in India.

A few important milestones:

In 2012, InMobi was recognized as one of the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.
By 2014, InMobi became the largest independent mobile advertising network in the world.
The company grew to serve billions of ad impressions every single day.
InMobi signed partnerships with top global brands, gaming companies, and app developers.

This global expansion helped InMobi establish itself as a serious competitor to giants like Google AdMob and Facebook Audience Network.

The Rise of Glance: InMobi’s Billion Dollar Spin Off

Glance is often considered one of InMobi’s smartest product innovations. Instead of building another app, InMobi focused on the lock screen, an area where users spend considerable time without realizing.

Why Glance became a massive success:

Zero app installation
Instant content consumption
Highly engaging short form content
Strategic partnerships with smartphone manufacturers

Glance quickly became a viral consumer product. In December 2020, Google and Jio Platforms invested in Glance, which helped the company scale across Asia. Today, Glance is valued at over a billion dollars and remains one of the biggest lock screen content platforms globally.

Turning Challenges Into Growth Opportunities

InMobi’s journey has not been free of challenges. The company faced:

1. Competition from global giants

Google and Facebook controlled a significant share of the mobile advertising market. InMobi had to innovate constantly to stay relevant.

2. Privacy regulations

As countries introduced strong data privacy laws, InMobi had to redesign its data systems and ensure compliance.

3. Market maturity

Mobile advertising evolved rapidly, forcing InMobi to shift from ad networks to a complete marketing ecosystem.

Despite these challenges, InMobi stayed ahead through innovation, strong leadership, and a fearless approach to global expansion.

Key Factors Behind InMobi’s Success

1. Ability to pivot early

The shift from SMS search to mobile advertising was a visionary move.

2. Deep focus on technology

The company built advanced ad targeting, AI, and data platforms years before they became standard in the industry.

3. Global mindset

From the beginning, the founders wanted to build a global company, not just an Indian startup.

4. Strong leadership

Naveen Tewari and the founding team combined both technical expertise and long term strategic thinking.

5. Bold product innovations

The creation of Glance proved InMobi could succeed in both B2B and B2C spaces.

Timeline of InMobi’s Growth

Year	Milestone
2007	mKhoj founded as SMS based search service
2008	Pivot to mobile advertising, rebranded as InMobi
2008	First funding from KPCB and Sherpalo Ventures
2011	SoftBank invests 200 million USD
2012	Ranked among Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company
2014	Becomes largest independent mobile advertising network
2019	Launch of Glance
2020	Google and Jio invest in Glance
2022	InMobi expands strong presence in the US and Southeast Asia
2023	Glance crosses 230 million active users

InMobi Impact on the Indian Startup Ecosystem

InMobi was India’s first unicorn and proved that a global technology company could be built out of India. It inspired an entire generation of Indian founders to think beyond local markets. InMobi also played a significant role in creating world class engineering talent in India.

The company showed that:

Indian startups can attract global investors
Indian products can scale worldwide
Indian technology can compete with Silicon Valley

Today, InMobi stands as a symbol of India’s capabilities in building global tech platforms.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. Who founded InMobi?

InMobi was founded by Naveen Tewari, Abhay Singhal, Amit Gupta, and Mohit Saxena in 2007.

Q2. What was InMobi originally called?

InMobi began as mKhoj, an SMS based search service.

Q3. How does InMobi make money?

InMobi earns revenue through mobile advertising, app monetization, audience intelligence, and its products like Glance and TruFactor.

Q4. Is Glance part of InMobi?

Yes, Glance was created by InMobi as a lock screen content platform and is one of its most successful spin offs.

Q5. Who invested in InMobi?

InMobi has received investments from KPCB, Sherpalo Ventures, SoftBank, Google, and Jio Platforms.

Q6. Why is InMobi considered a pioneer?

InMobi became India’s first unicorn and one of the earliest companies to build a global mobile advertising network from India.

Conclusion:

The InMobi success story is a powerful example of what determined founders, strategic pivots, and a strong product vision can achieve. From a small Indian startup to a global leader in mobile advertising and consumer platforms, InMobi has rewritten the rules of global entrepreneurship.

Its journey highlights the future possibilities for Indian startups and continues to inspire founders across the world to aim higher, innovate boldly, and build without limitations.

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