To deepen AI capability and product offerings across markets for Glance and Roposo
Bengaluru, NFAPost: Glance, the world’s leading lock screen platform, announced that it has closed a $145 million investment round from Google and existing investor Mithril Capital. Glance is a subsidiary of InMobi Group and owner of the fast-growing video-sharing social media platform Roposo.
Glance delivers AI-driven personalised content in multiple languages including English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Bahasa on the lock screen of Android smartphones. With more than 115 million daily active users that spend 25 minutes per day, Glance is one of the largest digital consumer platforms in the world.
Roposo is India’s leading short-form video platform with more than 33 million monthly active users who spend 20 minutes daily consuming content across multiple genres in more than 10 languages. The Roposo app has been downloaded more than 100 million times on the Google Play Store.
Glance will use the new investment to deepen its AI capability across Glance and Roposo, expand its technology team, launch services on the platform, further strengthen the brand and drive expansion in global markets.
“Glance is a great example of innovation solving for mobile-first and mobile-only consumption, serving content across many of India’s local languages,” said Caesar Sengupta, VP, Google.
Caesar Sengupta also said still too many Indians have trouble finding content to read or services they can use confidently, in their own language.
“And this significantly limits the value of the internet for them, particularly at a time like this when the internet is the lifeline of so many people. This investment underlines our strong belief in working with India’s innovative startups towards the shared goal of building a truly inclusive digital economy that will benefit everyone,” said Caesar Sengupta.
Glance delivers trending content across entertainment, sports, fashion, news, and other content categories in a rich, visual format that is easy to consume with just a tap on the lock screen. It leverages its strategic partnership with world’s leading Android smartphone brands to deliver this native user experience to consumers.
“Glance, the world’s largest screen zero platform, is a powerful innovation to democratize content on the mobile Internet,” said Ajay Royan, Managing General Partner and Co-founder of Mithril Capital.
Ajay Royan said it has been fantastic working with the Glance leadership team in realizing Glance’s global vision of breaking through technical and linguistic barriers to deliver frictionless and engaging experiences across cultures and languages.
Glance and InMobi Group Founder and CEO Naveen Tewari said Glance is reimagining the future of digital consumption on smartphones.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Google as a strategic investor in Glance and Roposo. With two of the largest digital content platforms in the country, we have taken the lead in making the digital economy accessible for the next billion users in India and globally,” said Naveen Tewari.
Glance is creating breakthrough ways for consumers to experience the internet and connect with each other. Glance is the world’s first screen zero platform, enabling consumers to experience the best of the internet on screen zero of their smartphones and other connected devices.
Glance’s AI-powered personalization enables consumers to enjoy content, products, and services of their choice, all delivered in an intuitive and visually stunning format. With more than 115 million daily active users, Glance is the world’s largest lock screen content platform.
InMobi Group’s mission is to power intelligent, mobile-first experiences for enterprises and consumers. Its businesses across advertising, marketing, data, and content platforms are shaping consumer experience in a world of connected devices.
The group’s portfolio companies include InMobi Marketing Cloud and Glance, the world’s first and largest screen zero platform, which also owns Roposo. InMobi Group has been recognised on both the 2018 and 2019 CNBC Disruptor 50 list and as one of Fast Company’s 2018 World’s Most Innovative Companies.
