Business Remedies | Rajshree Upadhyaya | May 09,2025 | Deepinder Goyal’s journey from the small town of Muktsar in Punjab to becoming one of India’s most influential tech entrepreneurs is a story of vision, resilience, and relentless innovation. Born on January 26, 1983, into a middle-class family, Goyal grew up in an environment that valued education and hard work. After completing his early education in Chandigarh, he went on to study Mathematics and Computing at IIT Delhi, graduating in 2005. He began his career at Bain & Company, where a simple office observation sparked the idea that would eventually disrupt India’s food industry.
While working at Bain, Goyal noticed the inefficiency caused by employees waiting for physical restaurant menus during lunch hours. This sparked the idea of digitizing menus, which led to the launch of FoodieBay in 2008 along with colleague, Pankaj Chaddah. What began as a small website for browsing restaurant menus quickly gained popularity. In 2010, the duo rebranded the venture as Zomato, a name born out of necessity when “tomato.com” wasn’t available. With a clever twist, Goyal swapped the ‘T’ with a ‘Z’, and the quirky name stuck.
Zomato initially served as a restaurant discovery platform, offering menus, reviews, and ratings. Its user-friendly interface and strong focus on local content helped it scale rapidly. As the Indian food tech ecosystem matured, Zomato expanded into food delivery in 2011 and soon after began acquiring regional competitors. Its ambitions weren’t limited to India. The company ventured into international markets, starting with the UAE, and steadily expanded its global footprint. In 2017, it achieved unicorn status, cementing Goyal’s position as a formidable player in the startup world.
The defining moment for Zomato came in July 2021 when it went public. The IPO was a resounding success, oversubscribed 35 times, and it marked a historic chapter in India’s digital economy. Goyal’s leadership was widely praised for navigating the company through intense competition, especially against rivals like Swiggy and Uber Eats. In the years that followed, Zomato diversified beyond food delivery. It acquired quick-commerce platform Blinkit in 2022, launched Hyperpure to supply fresh ingredients to restaurants, and integrated Feeding India, a nonprofit, aimed at reducing hunger and food waste.
Recognizing the company’s evolution into a broader tech ecosystem, Goyal recently restructured the business under a new parent brand called Eternal. This new identity now houses Zomato, Blinkit, Hyperpure, and a live events vertical called District. Goyal’s vision for Eternal is to build a multi-dimensional platform that touches everyday aspects of urban life, food, groceries, entertainment, and logistics.
Apart from running Zomato, Goyal has become an active angel investor, backing startups like Shiprocket, Mainstreet, and Allo Health. His calm yet sharp presence as a judge on Shark Tank India Season 3 earned him both praise and scrutiny. One controversial episode involved a Rs. 10,000 fee for applicants to a Zomato leadership program, which he defended as a filter for serious candidates. Off-screen, Goyal’s life recently took a personal turn when he married Mexican model and entrepreneur Grecia Munoz. In a light-hearted television appearance, the couple revealed how some of Zomato’s quirky app notifications were originally private messages he sent to her.
Financially, Goyal’s success is evident, his estimated net worth now exceeds Rs. 15,300 crore. Under his leadership, Zomato posted its first quarterly profit in 2024 after years of losses, signaling a shift towards long-term sustainability. From a simple idea born in an office cafeteria to leading a tech conglomerate influencing millions, Deepinder Goyal has come a long way. His story isn’t just about building a startup, it’s about reshaping how India eats, shops, and lives in the digital age.
Written & Edited By:
Rajshree Upadhyaya
