InMobi secures $100M in debt funding to boost AI-based consumer apps

Advertising technology startup InMobi has secured $100 million in debt financing from Mars Growth Capital, a joint venture between MUFG and Liquidity Group. The new funding will enable InMobi to accelerate its advances in artificial intelligence (AI), both through organic growth and strategic acquisitions.

In an interview with CNBC-TV18, CEO Naveen Tewari stressed that the funding will primarily go towards improving the company’s AI-powered consumer applications rather than infrastructure-based developments.

Tewari highlighted InMobi’s focus on leveraging AI at the application layer, saying, “A lot of this fundraising is essentially to enhance our consumer application, all the consumer elements that we have to be geared towards generative AI.”

Rather than diving into the infrastructure race, InMobi aims to harness the transformative power of AI at the consumer level, driving more personalized and intuitive experiences.

Asked about potential acquisitions to support the company’s AI vision, Tewari noted that the AI ​​landscape is still dominated by small but smart companies.

“There aren’t a lot of big AI companies. The ones that do exist are small but very smart. We don’t have any specific companies in mind to acquire right now, but we’re certainly looking for people with incredible skills,” he said.

InMobi’s strategy is to target startups that have proven concepts and cutting-edge talent to help accelerate the company’s technical growth in the coming years.

In addition to ramping up investments in AI, InMobi is gearing up for an initial public offering. Tewari revealed that both InMobi and Glance, its subsidiary, are slated for potential public listings. While InMobi is expected to go public soon, he mentioned that Glance is likely to go public in fiscal 2026.

In a separate development, GoKwik, an e-commerce facilitator known for improving the shopping experience, has taken a major step by acquiring Return Prime, a global returns management app in the Shopify ecosystem.

The acquisition, valued at several million dollars, is a combination of cash and equity, which will be distributed over the next two years. This strategic deal marks GoKwik’s entry into key international markets such as the UK, Europe and the US, where it aims to onboard over 10,000 new merchants in the next 6-12 months.

Chirag Taneja, Co-Founder and CEO of GoKwik, highlighted the importance of addressing the growing issue of returns in e-commerce. He said, “I think returns are a very deep problem in e-commerce. It’s quite pervasive. As e-commerce gets deeper, it will always be there, it will get deeper.” Taneja highlighted that the returns process plays a pivotal role in driving consumer loyalty and repeat purchases. By improving the post-purchase experience, GoKwik is focused on helping merchants optimize customer retention.

Return Prime serves 6,000 merchants across 50 countries and processes over $100 million in return GMV annually. This global scale made it the ideal fit for GoKwik’s mission to “democratize the shopping experience” and provide a seamless Amazon-like experience for non-Amazon retailers. “It had scale, global presence, and fit into our suite of solutions to democratize shopping experiences,” Taneja added.

The acquisition is expected to add value to GoKwik, improving both margins and profits.

Additionally, Vikas Choudhury, Founder of Playbook Partners, shared insights on the successful first close of the firm’s first fund, raising over $130 million from global investors across Europe, the US, the Middle East and India.

The fund, with the potential to grow to $250 million through a green incentive option, is designed to support growth-stage technology companies in high-potential and expanding markets. Playbook Partners aims to partner with companies operating in large potential markets, offering strategic support and capital to fuel their next phase of growth.

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