Latest news with #techunicorns
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BT CEO hails telecom networks as 'UK's real digital backbone'
Allison Kirkby, CEO of UK telecommunications company BT (BT-A.L), highlighted how the firm is playing a key role in developing the infrastructure that acts as the "UK's real digital backbone". Kirkby was speaking at the UK Department for Business and Trade's (DBT) "Innovate and Elevate" event, hosted by Yahoo Finance UK, on Tuesday during London Tech Week. In her keynote address at the event, which was a global masterclass for entrepreneurs, Kirkby said that during her career she has "seen what makes a great tech ecosystems and ... [the UK has] the right ingredients". Kirkby was appointed as BT's CEO in February last year, having served as a non-executive director on its board since March 2019. Prior to taking the helm at BT last year, Kirkby had been president and CEO of Swedish telecommunications company Telia ( since May 2020. She also previously held the top roles at Danish telco TDC Group and Swedish mobile network provider Tele2 ( among other executive positions. "The UK is a phenomenal place to build something that really matters," she said on Tuesday. "We're Europe's number one destination for tech unicorns." BT is the world's oldest telecommunications company (telco), with a 180-year legacy. "We, despite being 180 years old, continue to play a pivotal role in the UK's growth and prosperity, building the digital foundations and connecting people and businesses across the country to the latest tech and a world of opportunity," Kirkby said. Kirkby pointed out that BT is currently the FTSE's (^FTSE) largest investor into the UK, putting in £5bn of capital every year. Read more: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls UK 'perfect' place for 'AI takeoff' "We're racing to complete the nationwide rollout of full-fibre broadband and 5G connectivity and we're personally developing the next generation of cybersecurity and AI solutions," Kirkby said. "This infrastructure, the UK's real digital backbone, will be the basis for our future tech-led economy," she added. "For AI and new technologies to work, you need a great network." Kirkby's comments echoed those made by Jensen Huang, CEO of chipmaking giant Nvidia (NVDA), in a panel discussion with UK prime minister Keir Starmer and on Monday at the start of London Tech Week. Huang said that the UK has "one of the richest AI communities anywhere on the planet", adding that it has the "best universities ... amazing start-ups ... and incredible thinkers in computer science." In addition, Huang said the UK has the "third largest AI venture capital (VC) investment anywhere in the world". And so between these two ideas that you're rich with computer scientists, it's a fantastic place for VCs to invest, the ecosystem is really perfect for takeoff." Read more: UK economy shrinks by 0.3% in April However, Huang added: "It's just missing one thing: it is surprising this is the largest AI ecosystem in the world without its own infrastructure, which is the reason why we're talking about it so much, which is the reason why the prime minister's announcement of investing in ... 20 times more computing is such a big deal." In a speech prior to the panel, opening London Tech Week, Starmer said that the government was committing an extra £1bn of funding to scale up the UK's computing power by 20 times. Huang said: "The ability to build these AI supercomputers here in the UK will naturally attract more startups. It will naturally enable all of the rich ecosystem of researchers here to be able to do their life's work and I think it's just such an incredible, incredible place to invest: I'm gonna invest here." In addition to ramping up the UK's computing capacity, Starmer unveiled a government partnership with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million workers in AI by 2030. Kirkby said in her keynote speech at Tuesday's event that BT was "proud to be an anchor partner" in supporting this goal. Read more: The UK's rental boom is over What you need to know about UK's private stock market Pisces Stocks to watch this week: TSMC, Adobe, Tesco, Bellway and InditexSign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
BT CEO hails telecom networks as 'UK's real digital backbone'
Allison Kirkby, CEO of UK telecommunications company BT (BT-A.L), highlighted how the firm is playing a key role in developing the infrastructure that acts as the "UK's real digital backbone". Kirkby was speaking at the UK Department for Business and Trade's (DBT) "Innovate and Elevate" event, hosted by Yahoo Finance UK, on Tuesday during London Tech Week. In her keynote address at the event, which was a global masterclass for entrepreneurs, Kirkby said that during her career she has "seen what makes a great tech ecosystems and ... [the UK has] the right ingredients". Kirkby was appointed as BT's CEO in February last year, having served as a non-executive director on its board since March 2019. Prior to taking the helm at BT last year, Kirkby had been president and CEO of Swedish telecommunications company Telia ( since May 2020. She also previously held the top roles at Danish telco TDC Group and Swedish mobile network provider Tele2 ( among other executive positions. "The UK is a phenomenal place to build something that really matters," she said on Tuesday. "We're Europe's number one destination for tech unicorns." BT is the world's oldest telecommunications company (telco), with a 180-year legacy. "We, despite being 180 years old, continue to play a pivotal role in the UK's growth and prosperity, building the digital foundations and connecting people and businesses across the country to the latest tech and a world of opportunity," Kirkby said. Kirkby pointed out that BT is currently the FTSE's (^FTSE) largest investor into the UK, putting in £5bn of capital every year. Read more: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls UK 'perfect' place for 'AI takeoff' "We're racing to complete the nationwide rollout of full-fibre broadband and 5G connectivity and we're personally developing the next generation of cybersecurity and AI solutions," Kirkby said. "This infrastructure, the UK's real digital backbone, will be the basis for our future tech-led economy," she added. "For AI and new technologies to work, you need a great network." Kirkby's comments echoed those made by Jensen Huang, CEO of chipmaking giant Nvidia (NVDA), in a panel discussion with UK prime minister Keir Starmer and on Monday at the start of London Tech Week. Huang said that the UK has "one of the richest AI communities anywhere on the planet", adding that it has the "best universities ... amazing start-ups ... and incredible thinkers in computer science." In addition, Huang said the UK has the "third largest AI venture capital (VC) investment anywhere in the world". And so between these two ideas that you're rich with computer scientists, it's a fantastic place for VCs to invest, the ecosystem is really perfect for takeoff." Read more: UK economy shrinks by 0.3% in April However, Huang added: "It's just missing one thing: it is surprising this is the largest AI ecosystem in the world without its own infrastructure, which is the reason why we're talking about it so much, which is the reason why the prime minister's announcement of investing in ... 20 times more computing is such a big deal." In a speech prior to the panel, opening London Tech Week, Starmer said that the government was committing an extra £1bn of funding to scale up the UK's computing power by 20 times. Huang said: "The ability to build these AI supercomputers here in the UK will naturally attract more startups. It will naturally enable all of the rich ecosystem of researchers here to be able to do their life's work and I think it's just such an incredible, incredible place to invest: I'm gonna invest here." In addition to ramping up the UK's computing capacity, Starmer unveiled a government partnership with 11 major companies to train 7.5 million workers in AI by 2030. Kirkby said in her keynote speech at Tuesday's event that BT was "proud to be an anchor partner" in supporting this goal. Read more: The UK's rental boom is over What you need to know about UK's private stock market Pisces Stocks to watch this week: TSMC, Adobe, Tesco, Bellway and InditexError in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Entrepreneur
18-05-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
From IIT Kanpur to Global Unicorns: Naveen Tewari's Relentless Pursuit of Creation
"It was not until Harvard Business School that the idea of creation began to crystallise, "They weren't interested in conversations about industries or markets. They were just obsessed with creation," Naveen Tewari, Founder of InMobi and Glance You're reading Entrepreneur India, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. From the quiet academic lanes of IIT Kanpur to the pulsating global corridors of big tech, Naveen Tewari's entrepreneurial journey is anything but conventional. Building not one, but two global tech unicorns—InMobi and Glance—Tewari's path has been driven less by a predefined plan and more by a deep, persistent curiosity and resolve to create. A young boy grew up surrounded not by entrepreneurs, but by equations. "My grandmother was a professor. My father, my uncle, my aunt — everyone at home spoke the language of research and learning." There was never talk of startups. The dining table wasn't cluttered with market forecasts or unicorn valuations — it was filled with conversations about the transformative power of education. And yet, something began to stir. "Are we not evolving as a country or a society?" he would wonder silently. "Is this really all there is — a repetition of the same lives lived by those before me?" The mid-90s India was restless, shifting. Liberalisation was in motion, and so were the minds of its youth. Instead of following the familiar path of PhDs and fellowships, he stepped into McKinsey. It was there — in the mahogany offices and PowerPoint decks of corporate India — that he got his first glimpse of scale. But it was not until Harvard Business School that the idea of creation began to crystallise. "They weren't interested in conversations about industries or markets. They were just obsessed with creation." At HBS, surrounded by investment bankers, consultants, and a small, unbothered tribe of entrepreneurs — quirky, detached, but deeply committed — he saw it for the first time: building wasn't about pedigree, capital, or even clarity. It was about will. "They weren't smarter than me. They had the same fears, the same doubts. But they acted anyway." That insight didn't make the leap easier. It just made it inevitable. He came back. He jumped. And the fall was long. "The first two years — every day I thought of quitting. Every day I thought I made the wrong choice." While his peers were buying their first cars and planning getaways, he was buried in debt, tangled in failures, and choking on self-doubt. The early ventures didn't work. Co-founders came and went. Ideas collapsed under their own weight. But he stayed. The Company That Refused To Die Then came InMobi — not born out of certainty, but out of persistence. "You stay long enough in the game, and things start breaking your way." And break, they did. Slowly. The pieces came together — a market, a team, a model. He wasn't chasing exits. He was chasing endurance. "We went global when it wasn't fashionable." InMobi became one of India's first unicorns. But the hunger didn't fade. If anything, success only made the questions louder. "Can we go bigger? Can we touch the consumer directly? Can we build something that feels like the future?" That question gave birth to Glance — a company built not on safe bets but on a fresh, sweeping vision: that the internet could live on your lock screen, that AI could shape commerce before you even knew what you wanted. Vogue Becomes You It wasn't just about building a second company. It was about building differently. Where InMobi worked behind the scenes, Glance stood front and centre — where the user lived. "We wanted a platform where the internet came to you — AI-first, visual-first, and experience-first." The fashion agent inside Glance wasn't a gimmick. It was a glimpse of what was possible: real-time image generation, recommendations powered by Gemini, a shopping experience as personal as flipping through a Vogue magazine — except you were the cover model. "This phone is creating looks for me, trained on 20 years of fashion." And if you liked it? You could click, and it would search any platform in the world to deliver it. But if product was his passion, people were his power. "We don't have a performance management system. No leave policy. No timesheets. Just trust." Some call it crazy. He calls it culture. "Why punish the 99% for the 1% who game the system?" It's worked. Over 75% of his top 50 leaders have been with him for 8+ years. They've built together, bled together, and perhaps more than anything — believed together. "We don't just want to win. We want to win like a family." The Five That Mattered Looking back, Naveen doesn't boast. He reflects. When asked what he thinks he got right, his list is humble, but powerful: I persevered. I stayed in the game. I thought bold, even when I was terrified inside. I found great people and treated them right. I went global when it was hard. I made sure we kept winning. Over and over. "You don't need clarity to build. You need conviction." The Indian Dream, Rewritten Today, Glance and InMobi aren't just Indian companies — they are global platforms, with users across Brazil, Southeast Asia, the U.S., and Japan. The partnership with Google and Gemini? Just the next step in a journey that feels like it's still in its early chapters. "India might not lead in AI infrastructure. But in AI applications? We'll surprise the world." From IIT Kanpur to an AI fashion agent that reimagines commerce, Naveen's story isn't about a perfect roadmap. It's about following your unrest. Holding on when everything says let go. And choosing to build — even when it breaks you. Because sometimes, the only real plan is this: "Stay in the game. Stay crazy. Dream irrationally. Trust deeply. Build relentlessly." AI, Startups, And The New Normal Tewari's thoughts on the future of AI are sharp and pragmatic. "India won't lead in AI infrastructure — it's too capital-intensive. But we will excel in AI applications. That's our game." He envisions a future where even a one-person AI startup can become a unicorn. "The cost of building a startup has dropped drastically. You no longer need 500 people; 5 to 10 are enough. The playing field between startups and corporations has never been more level." However, he cautions against romanticising tech. "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."
