InMobi’s Strategic Buyback from SoftBank

Founding teams of InMobi, a company providing mobile advertising network software, have acquired roughly 25-30% of their equity back from the Japanese investor SoftBank. According to a report by ET, this agreement encompasses approximately 25–30% of the company’s shares, which places the company’s valuation at around $1 billion. SoftBank, having previously invested around $200-220 million in InMobi, is anticipated to receive $250 million from this transaction. Before this buyback, SoftBank possessed about 35% of the stake in InMobi; after the sale of a portion of shares to the founders, its stake has reduced to 5-7% of the company.

Recent Funding and Financial Developments

Earlier on Thursday, ET highlighted that InMobi secured $350 million in new funding sourced from Varde Partners, Elham Credit Partners, and SeaTown Holdings. This funding arrangement consists of two parts: a loan of $200 million allocated at the operating company level and another loan of $150 million at the holding company level, both secured against the founders’ shares.

About InMobi’s Offerings

Under the leadership of Naveen Tewari, InMobi provides a variety of products, such as mobile display ads, native advertisements, and app install campaigns. The company harnesses advanced machine learning and AI technologies to enhance ad performance. With a substantial footprint in more than 165 countries, InMobi aids businesses in connecting with their desired audiences across multiple mobile platforms and boosts user acquisition and engagement.

Global Presence and Previous Financing

Headquartered in Singapore, InMobi also maintains a significant presence in San Francisco along with operations worldwide. The last funding round saw InMobi raise $100 million in debt financing from MARS Growth Capital, a collaboration between MUFG and Liquidity Group. This event marks the second instance of a founder-led buyback occurring within a SoftBank-backed firm recently. In July, Peyush Bansal, co-founder and CEO of Lenskart, increased his stake through a series of secondary share purchases, during which the Japanese technology giant also participated.