InMobi CEO Naveen Tewari Receives UP Gaurav Samman

The state of Uttar Pradesh has awarded the inaugural UP Gaurav Samman, its highest civilian honour, to Naveen Tewari, founder and CEO, InMobi Group. The award was presented to Tewari by the Hon’ble Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath during the UP-Foundation Day celebrations on January 24, 2024. The award recognises Tewari’s exceptional entrepreneurial vision and outstanding achievements as a tech entrepreneur and acknowledges the role he has played in putting the Indian start-up sector on the global map.

Tewari’s vision is to develop India as the next big hub for building tech products and consumer platforms for the world. He is the founder of InMobi, which became India’s first unicorn in 2011. Under Tewari’s leadership, InMobi has grown from an SMS based search service to an AI-led advertising technology giant, spread across Europe, North and Latin America, Asia, Middle East, and Australia. In 2019, Tewari founded his second unicorn Glance - a revolutionary AI-powered smart lock screen that has changed the way users engage with the internet. Over 230 million users across India, US, Japan, Indonesia, Latin America, etc. are now using Glance to discover the best in gaming, content, trends, and multiple other experiences without even unlocking their phones, directly from the lock screen of their Android phones.

Additionally, Tewari has served as an inspiration to an entire generation of entrepreneurs and has extended his entrepreneurial endeavours to include investments in over 30 start-ups. Notably, he co-founded iSPIRT, an organization dedicated to influencing government policies, fostering market catalysts, and advancing the development of product entrepreneurs, with the goal of positioning India as a focal point for cutting-edge software products.

"As a proud native of Kanpur, receiving Uttar Pradesh's highest civilian honour is an unimaginable source of pride for me. I extend my deepest gratitude to the state government, particularly to Honourable Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, for the UP Gaurav Samman Award," said Tewari.

"Having been raised on the IIT, Kanpur campus, surrounded by excellence, I was fuelled by a desire to showcase India's true potential for innovation, ingenuity, and entrepreneurial prowess on the global stage. I am proud to say that we have achieved this with InMobi. Now, with the launch of Glance worldwide, and especially in highly advanced markets like United States and Japan, I confidently assert that we have achieved this success yet again. It is our commitment to innovation that has not only placed us on the global map but has also led to this profound honour today," he added.

Tewari's family boasts a rich and esteemed connection with UP. His father, Dr. Sachchidanand, held a distinguished position as a professor in Electrical Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. His grandmother, Krishna Tewari, was a mathematics professor at the institute and held the distinction of being the first female professor across all IITs. Continuing the tradition of academic excellence, Tewari graduated from IIT Kanpur before pursuing an MBA from Harvard Business School, USA.

The UP Gaurav Samman serves to recognize significant contributions across diverse fields such as entrepreneurship, science and technology, arts and culture, social development, and more, specifically by individuals who are natives of Uttar Pradesh.

Other Notable Awards and Recognitions - Naveen Tewari

• 'Future Leaders Award’ presented by Hon’ble Prime Minister Narendra Modi, 2015
• Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Award 2019
• Outstanding Start-up Entrepreneur in Forbes Leadership Awards 2021

InMobi

• MIT Technology Review’s 50 Disruptive Companies List, 2013
• Fast Company’s “The world’s most innovative company” – 2016
• 2018 CNBC Disruptor List