Applications
InMobi gets $200 million backing from Softbank
MUMBAI: Independent mobile ad firm InMobi has raised $200 million from Japan‘s Softbank Corp, as the start-up plans deeper penetration and acquisitions across the mobile ad value chain.
The investment will help InMobi create value across the mobile ecosystem globally through better advertising, mobile payments using SmartPay(TM), and HTML5 rich media production and distribution using the recently acquired Sprout(TM) platform.
Softbank joins existing investors Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers and Sherpalo Ventures, who invested about $15 million. The partnership will make Softbank the number one Internet company in Asia, chief executive officer (CEO) Masayoshi Son said.
InMobi, founded in 2007, claims to be the largest independent mobile advertising network with the ability to reach 340 million customers in over 165 countries, through more than 47 billion mobile ad impressions monthly.
The partnership will help Softbank become the number one Internet company in Asia, chief executive officer Masayoshi Son said.
After buying Vodafone Group PLC‘s Japan operations in 2006, Softbank was able to transform itself from an Internet provider into one of the Japan‘s fastest-growing cellphone carriers.
The importance of mobile ad companies is augmenting as they provide various efficiencies such as locating customers and serving targeted ads. Limited screen sizes and privacy issues, however, remain major concerns.
The mobile ad sector rose to prominence after Google Inc acquired AdMob in 2009, and Apple Inc bought out Quattro Wireless for a whopping $275 million.
Applications
With 57 per cent single new users, Ashley Madison rebrands as discreet dating platform
Platform says majority of new members now identify as single
INDIA: Ashley Madison is shedding the “married-dating” label that defined it for two decades, repositioning itself as a platform for discreet dating in what it calls the post-social media age.
The rebrand, unveiled in India on 27 February, 2026, marks a structural shift in business model and identity. Once synonymous with married dating, the company now describes itself as the “premier destination for discreet dating” under a new tagline: Where Desire Meets Discretion.
The pivot is data-driven. Internal figures show that 57 per cent of global sign-ups between 1 January and 31 December, 2025 identified as single: a notable departure from the platform’s married core. The company argues that its community has already evolved beyond its original positioning.
“In an age where our lives have been constantly put on public display, privacy has become the new luxury,” said Ashley Madison chief strategy officer Paul Keable. He framed the platform’s offering as “ethical discretion” for singles, separated, divorced and non-monogamous users seeking private connections.
The shift also taps into wider digital fatigue. A global survey conducted by YouGov for Ashley Madison, covering 13,071 adults across Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, India, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Switzerland, the UK and the US, found mounting discomfort with hyper-public online lives.
Among dating app users, 30 per cent cited constant swiping and messaging as a source of fatigue, while 24 per cent pointed to pressure to curate public-facing profiles and early personal disclosure. Some 27 per cent said fears of screenshots or information being shared contributed to exhaustion; an equal share cited unwanted attention.
The retreat from oversharing appears broader. According to the survey, 46 per cent of adults actively try to keep most aspects of their life private online. Only 8 per cent feel comfortable sharing most aspects publicly, while 35 per cent say they are becoming more selective about what they disclose.
Ashley Madison is betting that this cultural recalibration towards controlled visibility can be monetised. By doubling down on privacy infrastructure and reframing itself around discretion rather than infidelity, the company is attempting to convert reputational baggage into a premium proposition.
