Glance: Turning the Lock Screen Into India’s Most Powerful Digital Canvas”

Author: Dev Patel | EQMint

Company History

Glance is an Indian consumer-tech company, part of the InMobi Group, founded in 2019. Its mission: to transform “screen zero” — the lock screen of a phone — into a powerful medium for content, commerce, and engagement.

From its early days, Glance positioned itself not as a conventional app but as a platform embedded into smartphones (especially with OEM partnerships), enabling users to view personalized content the moment they unlock their device.

Very early on, Glance made strategic acquisitions to bolster its content and commerce thrust. It acquired Roposo, a short-video social platform, in November 2019 to add vernacular video content and creator engagement to its offerings. Later, it also acquired Shop101, a social e-commerce platform, integrating commerce capabilities into content surfaces.

By late 2020, The company has raised USD 145 million from Google and Mithril Capital, pushing its valuation past US$1.2 billion, making it a unicorn. Over time, Glance expanded its portfolio of content formats (video, live, AI) and commerce integrations to deepen stickiness and monetization.

Today, it operates not just a lock-screen surface but multiple experiences: Glance AI (fashion / visual commerce), live content, game & entertainment through Nostra, short video via Roposo, and integrated commerce. In 2025, Glance promoted Mansi Jain to the role of COO as part of its intensifying push in AI-driven commerce.

Founders

The company was co-founded by:

- Naveen Tewari — also founder of InMobi; he plays a central leadership role in Glance.

- Abhay Singhal — co-founder, with prior involvement in InMobi and its technology trajectory.

- Mohit Saxena — co-founder & CTO, driving the technical side of the product and platform.

- Piyush Shah — co-founder and key executive linking InMobi / business operations to Glance’s strategy.

These founders leveraged their experience from InMobi’s ad / mobile ecosystem to conceptualize Glance as a content + commerce platform embedded deep in mobile hardware.

Business Model

Glance’s business model blends content, advertising, commerce, and AI — anchored around the lock screen (aka “screen zero”) and associated consumer surfaces. Some core elements:

Embedded partnerships with OEMs & telcos

- It is integrated into the lock screens of smartphones via tie-ups with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and is often bundled as a default experience.

- This gives it “first look” advantage — the content and ads you see before unlocking the phone.

Screen Zero Content & Personalization

- It pushes personalized content — short video, news, entertainment, visual stories — in multiple Indian languages to users.

- The content is optimized for glanceability, often with swipe, tap, or minimal interaction.

Advertising / Sponsorship Monetization

- Brands can place ads, sponsored content, shoppable overlays, and interactive formats on the lock screen surface.

- Because the placement is high visibility (first screen), it commands premium pricing.

- AI / data targeting helps match content and ads to user preferences, thereby increasing ad efficacy.

Commerce & Shoppable Experiences

- Through acquisitions like Shop101, Glance enables creators, influencers, and brands to sell directly via content surfaces.

- The platform blends content → discovery → purchase loops (visual commerce).

- Glance’s AI offering also helps users “style from a selfie” and discover looks across partner brands.

AI & Vision / Computer Vision Layer

- With Glance AI, the company uses computer vision and generative AI to help users visualize fashion / style choices, enabling personalization.

- This AI layer strengthens engagement and provides richer data to improve ad / commerce conversions.

Cross-product synergies

- It also runs Roposo (video / creator platform) and Nostra (gaming / live content) under its umbrella, enabling cross-distribution, content reuse, and ecosystem build.

- Insights and user behavior from one surface feed the personalization engine across the portfolio.

In short, the company monetizes by offering premium ad / content placement via deeply embedded channels, enriched by commerce flows and AI personalization.

Current Competitors

The company operates in a nexus of content, short video, creator platforms, social commerce, and mobile advertising. Some key competitors and analogous players:

- Hotstar / MX TakaTak / Moj / ShareChat / Chingari / Josh — regional short video / content platforms competing for user attention, especially after the ban of TikTok in India.

- Instagram Reels / YouTube Shorts — global video platforms that compete for user time and video consumption on mobile.

- Snack Video, TikTok alternatives — other apps trying to capture the same short-form video / creator attention space.

- In-app / native ad networks — companies offering mobile ad placements inside apps, seeking share of advertising budgets.

- Commerce / social commerce platforms (e.g. Meesho, Trell, etc.) — when content surfaces offer shoppable formats, these platforms overlap in commerce intent.

- Content aggregator / news apps — apps like Dailyhunt, Flipboard, Inshorts — though they don’t have the embedded lock-screen advantage.

- Phone OEMs’ preloaded alternatives — some smartphone makers try building their own content surfaces or lock screen widgets / news offers.

Glance’s embedded, zero-to-first-screen positioning gives it a distinct moat, but competitive pressure is high, especially from mobile-first video + social players.

Challenges & Risks

While the Glance model has promise, it faces several challenges:

- User annoyance & opt-out risk: Users may disable or avoid lock-screen content if it becomes intrusive or irrelevant.

- Ad fatigue & model saturation: Constant ad / sponsored content could lead to lower engagement or ad blindness.

- Privacy / data regulation risk: Handling personalization, user profiling, and AI requires compliance with privacy laws (e.g. India’s data / privacy norms).

- Monetization pressure: Converting high visibility into consistent revenue is nontrivial, especially in price-sensitive markets.

- Content moderation & quality: As content and creator contributions increase, ensuring quality, compliance, and brand safety becomes harder.

- Ecosystem dependency: Heavy reliance on OEM partnerships; if relationships weaken or OEMs develop their own lock-screen systems, Glance could lose distribution.

- Competition from global giants: Big players with deep pockets (Meta, Google) can integrate similar content surfaces or lock-screen experiments.

- Scaling AI / tech costs: Operating AI, vision models, recommendation engines, and commerce linking is computationally expensive and requires continuous investment.

Future Outlook & Strategic Focus

To succeed, Glance should emphasize:

- Deep personalization & engagement: Use AI to make each user’s lock screen feel uniquely tailored — better content, fewer irrelevant items.

- Creator + commerce ecosystem growth: Attract creators, brands, and influence networks to build content that seamlessly links to purchase.

- Quality & moderation discipline: Invest in content curation, brand safety, and user trust to prevent backlash or harmful content.

- New formats & formats beyond lock screen: Expand into TV (Glance TV), gaming (Nostra), or IoT surfaces to diversify touchpoints.

- Localization & regional expansion: Leverage multilingual content to grow in regional markets beyond metro cities.

- Stronger OEM & telco partnerships: Deepen insertion into phones, collaborate on distribution, share revenue.

- AI & computer vision differentiation: Continue innovating Glance AI so visual discovery and shopping are smoother and more compelling than alternatives.

- Monetization experimentation: Test subscription, premium ad-free, or branded content models in high-use segments.

If executed well, Glance can evolve from “lock screen content app” to a leading contender in content + commerce + AI surfaces — making every unlocked phone an opportunity for user delight and monetization.

Summary

Glance, born in 2019 as part of the InMobi stable, is reimagining what the lock screen can do. By taking over “screen zero” and layering content, ads, AI-driven visual commerce, and creator ecosystems, it is building a powerful embedded media + commerce platform. Backed by big funders and strengthened through acquisitions like Roposo and Shop101, Glance has both momentum and ambition. However, the tightrope is delicate — it must balance user experience, monetization, data ethics, and competition.

References

Disclaimer: This article is based on information available from public sources. It has not been reported by EQMint journalists. EQMint has compiled and presented the content for informational purposes only and does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness. Readers are advised to verify details independently before relying on them.