Deepinder Goyal comes from Muktsar, a small town in the state of Punjab, India. He began his career at Bain & Company after earning an engineering degree.

During his lunch breaks, he noticed that his colleagues and he were wasting a lot of time searching for local restaurant menus to order their meals. The hours lost looking for these menus gave him the idea to create a platform that would centralize restaurant menus and make them accessible to users. In 2008, together with his colleague Pankaj Chaddah, they began collecting menus from local restaurants in Delhi and publishing them online on a site called Foodiebay. This online directory quickly gained popularity, as it met an unsatisfied need in New Delhi.

With growing demand in New Delhi, “Foodiebay” expanded to other major Indian cities like Mumbai and Bangalore. The Foodiebay team ensured that these menus were kept up to date and started integrating user reviews and ratings. This shift towards a more comprehensive approach, combining information, menus, and user feedbacks, allowed Foodiebay to establish itself as a leading source of information.

In 2010, in order to manage this rapid growth, Deepinder Goyal decided to open up the company to external investors such as InfoEdge or Ant Financial, which invested $1M in Foodiebay. This allowed Goyal to structure his team, improve the platform, and continue expanding into other Indian cities and internationally. With his strategic vision, he quickly realized that he needed to go beyond India’s borders to facilitate international growth. Foodiebay became Zomato and acquired companies in foreign countries such as New Zealand, United States and South Africa. He demonstrated to both the international and Indian markets that an Indian startup could compete with globally recognized companies. Always staying ahead of the curve, Goyal quickly realized that simply offering menus and reviews was no longer sufficient in the era of online ordering.

In 2015, he pivoted the company towards a food delivery model. Thanks to Deepinder’s innovative vision, the company quickly focused on innovation and technology to improve user experience through AI, build sophisticated algorithms to manage the entire ordering process, and foster customer loyalty. This enabled Zomato to become a leader in the industry.

In 2021, Zomato became the first Indian startup to be listed on the Bombay and national Stock Exchange (BSE & NSE). It showed that Indian startups could raise significant funds in public markets and achieve multi-billion-dollar valuations. The IPO also demonstrated the maturity of the Indian startup market, highlighting that tech companies could now attract institutional and retail investors in addition to venture capitalists. Beyond its commercial success, this marked a key milestone in the maturation of India’s digital economy.

Deepinder Goyal is also known for his commitment to his employees and partners. He established a relief fund to support delivery drivers and employees affected by COVID, introduced contactless delivery services, and implemented strict safety protocols for delivery personnel. He prioritized the well-being of delivery drivers, who are vital to Zomato’s business model, particularly in terms of insurance coverage and welfare initiatives.

He also established a hunger relief program in India, «Zomato Feeding India» which distributes food to vulnerable populations in India and reduces food waste by facilitating the redistribution of surplus food from restaurants and events.

Deepinder Goyal’s leadership is characterized by a combination of strategic vision, constant innovation, resilience in the face of challenges, and empathy towards his teams and society.

Goyal is often described as a humble and collaborative leader. Despite his success, he has maintained an authentic approach and has frequently shared his personal and professional challenges with his team and the public.