Naveen Tewari’s trajectory, from the hallowed halls of IIT Kanpur to the cutting edge of global tech, is a masterclass in unconventional entrepreneurship. He didn’t follow a meticulously crafted plan; instead, a profound, persistent curiosity and an unshakeable resolve to create paved the way for not one, but two global tech unicorns: InMobi and Glance.

Growing up amidst equations and research rather than market forecasts, the idea of entrepreneurship was a foreign concept. Yet, a silent question echoed in young Naveen’s mind: “Are we not evolving as a country or a society? Is this really all there is – a repetition of the same lives lived by those before me?” This early stirring of discontent, coupled with India’s mid-90s liberalization, set him on a path divergent from the typical academic pursuits.

His stint at McKinsey offered a glimpse into scale, but it was at Harvard Business School that the concept of “creation” truly crystallized. Surrounded by a unique tribe of entrepreneurs—quirky, detached, yet deeply committed—he realized that building wasn’t about pedigree or capital, but about pure will. “They weren’t smarter than me. They had the same fears, the same doubts. But they acted anyway.” This profound insight didn’t make the entrepreneurial leap easy, but it made it inevitable.

The initial years were a relentless struggle. “Every day I thought of quitting,” he admits, grappling with debt, failed ventures, and self-doubt. While his peers embraced comfort, he wrestled with the chaos of creation. Yet, he persevered.

Then came InMobi, a testament to sheer persistence. “You stay long enough in the game, and things start breaking your way.” And break they did. Slowly, the pieces aligned – a market, a team, a viable model. InMobi’s global expansion, defying conventional wisdom, cemented its status as one of India’s first unicorns.

But success only amplified the hunger. “Can we go bigger? Can we touch the consumer directly? Can we build something that feels like the future?” This relentless questioning birthed Glance. Unlike InMobi, which operated behind the scenes, Glance was built to be front and center, envisioning an internet that lived on the lock screen, powered by AI-driven, visual-first experiences. The revolutionary fashion agent within Glance, a product of real-time image generation and Gemini-powered recommendations, epitomizes this vision: a shopping experience as personal as a fashion magazine, with the user as the cover model.

While product innovation fuels his passion, people are Naveen’s true power. His unconventional approach to culture – “No performance management system. No leave policy. No timesheets. Just trust” – is a testament to his belief in empowering his team. “Why punish the 99% for the 1% who game the system?” This philosophy has cultivated unparalleled loyalty, with over 75% of his top 50 leaders staying for eight years or more. Their shared journey is one of building, bleeding, and believing together.

Reflecting on his journey, Naveen humbly attributes his success to five core principles:

“You don’t need clarity to build. You need conviction.” This mantra encapsulates his entrepreneurial spirit.

Today, Glance and InMobi are not merely Indian companies; they are global platforms, impacting users across Brazil, Southeast Asia, the U.S., and Japan. The strategic partnership with Google and Gemini marks another exciting chapter. Naveen firmly believes that while India might not lead in AI infrastructure due to capital intensity, it will surprise the world in AI applications. He envisions a future where even a one-person AI startup can achieve unicorn status, as the cost of building a startup plummets and the playing field between startups and corporations levels.

However, he offers a pragmatic caution: “The barrier to technology has dropped. The challenge now is distribution. Ten companies will build similar tech. The one that cracks user acquisition will win.”

Naveen Tewari’s story, from IIT Kanpur to an AI fashion agent reshaping commerce, is not about a perfect roadmap. It’s about heeding your unrest, holding on when all seems lost, and choosing to build relentlessly—because sometimes, the only true plan is to “Stay in the game. Stay crazy. Dream irrationally. Trust deeply. Build relentlessly.”