DEEPINDER GOYAL

Deepinder Goyal (born January 26, 1983) is an Indian entrepreneur and investor, renowned as the co-founder, CEO, and managing director of Zomato, an Indian multinational restaurant aggregator and food delivery company. Goyal was honored with the Economic Times Startup of the Year award in 2014 and was a finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023.

Early Life and Education

Goyal was born on January 26, 1983, in Muktsar, Punjab, India. He pursued higher education at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, where he earned an M.Tech. in Mathematics and Computing in 2005.

Career

After completing his studies at IIT Delhi, Goyal started his career as a senior associate consultant at Bain and Company in January 2006. It was during his tenure at Bain that Goyal, along with his colleague Pankaj, conceptualized Zomato. The idea stemmed from the frustration of queuing for food orders, leading them to create a food ordering website for Bain employees, which eventually evolved into Zomato in 2008.

Initially named Foodiebay, Zomato is now a global platform connecting customers with restaurant partners and delivery partners. The company provides extensive restaurant information, including menus, pricing, and reviews, and operates in about 22 countries. Under Goyal's leadership, Zomato has grown significantly through strategic acquisitions such as Gastronauci in Poland, Cibando in Italy, and Blinkit (formerly Grofers) in India.

Besides his role at Zomato, Goyal has invested in numerous startups, including Mainstreet, Gabit, Therado, Shiprocket, Blinkit, Bira 91, HyperTrack, TerraDo, ChefKart, SquadStack, and Unacademy. He also appeared as a shark on Shark Tank India Season 3, which premiered on January 22, 2024.

Awards and Recognitions

  • 2011: Economic Times Startup of the Year Award

  • 2012: Business Today Young Business Leader Award

  • 2018: Distinguished Alumni Award from IIT Delhi

  • 2019: GQ Men of the Year Award

  • 2020: Listed on the Fortune India 40 Under 40 List

  • 2023: Finalist for the EY Entrepreneur of the Year

Personal Life

Deepinder Goyal is married to Kanchan Joshi, whom he met during his time at IIT Delhi. They have a daughter named Siara