Deepinder Goyal Age, Wife, Family, Biography

Some Lesser Known Facts About Deepinder Goyal

• Deepinder Goyal is an Indian entrepreneur who is known for being the founder and CEO of Zomato, a restaurant aggregator and food delivery company.

• He grew up in a humble, middle-class family in Muktsar, Punjab.
  

  Deepinder Goyal in childhood

• During his school years, he exhibited below-average academic performance, facing difficulties in passing his classes up until the eighth grade.

• Reportedly, while he was in his sixth-grade year, his examination results were subpar, nearly leading to failure. However, due to his father’s request, the school principal advanced him to the next grade.

• When Deepinder was studying in eighth grade, a teacher came forward with a solved answer sheet to aid him in the first semester exams, resulting in Deepinder achieving the third position in his class for the first time. Inspired by the recognition he garnered from his teachers and parents, Deepinder resolved to excel in all of his examinations. In an interviewing, while talking about the same, Deepinder said,
  

  In the last exam of class VIII, a teacher gave me all the answers. And I topped. It gave me false confidence. Once you are on top, you don’t want to go back to the 25th spot. I started taking myself very seriously.”

• As the upcoming semester examination drew near, Deepinder attempted to obtain the question papers in advance, hoping to achieve better results. However, he was unable to do so. Recognizing that shortcuts wouldn’t lead to success, Deepinder dedicated a day to intense studying right before the exam. Consequently, he secured the fifth position in the second semester, marking a pivotal moment in his life. While talking about the same in an interview, Deepinder said,
  

  That’s what gave me some confidence that I can do something if I want to. Life has been a treadmill ever since.”

• The phase of improved academic achievements continued for two years. Subsequently, his parents decided to send him to Chandigarh for his eleventh and twelfth-grade studies. He enrolled at DAV College as a science student. However, during this period, he encountered another setback, experiencing another failure in his eleventh-grade class. In an interview, while talking about his failure, Deepinder said,
  

  In Muktsar, I was topping among 25 students. In Chandigarh, I had 500 other kids as good as me. I got disillusioned.”

• Despite the obstacles encountered throughout his school years, he remarkably cleared the Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Joint Entrance Examination on his first attempt. This achievement led him to enroll in Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi.

• During his time at IIT Delhi, Deepinder crossed paths with Kanchan, who was also a student pursuing her education there. Deepinder’s affection for her blossomed instantly, leading to his profound feelings of love. When discussing this experience in an interview, Deepinder mentioned that he pursued her for a span of six months.

• After completing his degree in 2005, Goyal established a delivery startup named Foodlet. Unfortunately, the startup did not thrive.

• In January 2006, Deepinder Goyal embarked on his journey with Bain and Company, a business management consulting firm located in Gurgaon, Haryana, where he assumed the role of an Associate Consultant. Despite his initial belief that he would only spend about a year there, he ended up dedicating approximately three years to the company.

• During his tenure at Bain and Company, Deepinder noticed a significant demand for menu cards among his colleagues, which sparked the idea for Zomato. Towards the latter part of his stint at Bain, he took steps to reinvigorate his startup by opting for a reduced salary and scaling back his involvement with the consultancy.

• In July 2008, Deepinder, along with his colleague from Bain and Company, Pankaj Chaddah, initiated the creation of a restaurant listing and recommendation portal called Foodiebay, which eventually evolved into Zomato. He formally resigned from his position at Bain and Company in November 2009.

• In 2010, Zomato secured its first investment from Sanjeev Bikhchandani of InfoEdge. During its initial phases, Zomato primarily relied on an advertising-centric approach, allowing restaurants to promote their brands on the platform.
  

  Deepinder Goyal with his team in the office

• Later in 2015, Zomato expanded its offerings by introducing food ordering services on its platform. Following this move, the company shifted its focus towards bolstering its B2B technological solutions, with the aim of enhancing its transaction-oriented operations.
  

  Deepinder Goyal at an evening dinner hosted by Zomato

• In January 2020, Zomato successfully executed an all-stock acquisition of Uber Eats India, resulting in Uber acquiring a 9.99% ownership stake in Zomato.
  

  Deepinder Goyal enjoying a Pizza at his workplace

• In July 2023, Zomato achieved a significant milestone by recording its first profitable quarter, a remarkable achievement since its inception in 2008. Specifically, on 3 August, the company reported a net profit of ₹2 crore during the initial quarter of the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

• Beyond India, Zomato’s operations span across more than 24 countries, encompassing regions such as the UAE, Sri Lanka, Qatar, the UK, and Indonesia.

• Deepinder’s investment portfolio includes 16 startups, such as ChefKart and Unacademy.

• Up until March 2023, he maintained a position on the board of Urban Company. However, following the expansion of Blinkit, a company he acquired for $568 million in August 2022, into the home services sector, Deepinder relinquished his role at Urban Company.

• Additionally, since 7 June 2021, Goyal has held the role of designated partner at First Lap LLP.

• During an interview, Deepinder Goyal disclosed that during his upbringing, he did not have any friends due to his consistently low academic performance, which led parents to discourage their children from associating with him.

• On 6 August 2023, Deepinder Goyal posted several pictures of himself on a Royal Enfield motorcycle, clutching a collection of friendship bands adorned with the phrase ‘best food friends forever.’ Through X (formerly Twitter), Goyal made it known that he planned to distribute meals and friendship bracelets to delivery personnel, customers, and restaurant partners. He wrote,
  

  Going to deliver some food and friendship bands to our delivery partners, restaurant partners and customers. Best Sunday ever!!”

  

  Deepinder Goyal posing as a Zomato’s Food Delivering agent

• Earlier, on New Year’s Eve in 2022, he assumed the position of a Zomato delivery person. Opting to personally deliver a handful of orders placed through the app, he took to social media to mention that his inaugural delivery was to the Zomato office itself. In total, he conveyed that he completed a total of four deliveries.

• Curiously, his bio on X (formerly Twitter) states, “Zomato delivery guy and letsblinkit.”

• In July 2023, he provided a glimpse into his personal journey of fitness and weight loss. He took to Instagram, sharing a comparison between his earlier and current self by posting before-and-after photos from 2019 and 2023. Accompanying these images were two Post-it notes, one from 2019 and another from 2023, detailing his body weight, cholesterol level, and body fat percentage in both years. The notes revealed his transformation from 87 kg in 2019 to 72 kg in 2023. Notably, Goyal successfully managed to decrease his cholesterol and body fat percentage over the span of four years.
  

  Before and after pictures of Deepinder Goyal

• Deepinder resides in Gurgaon, Haryana.

• He is well-versed in three languages- English, Hindi, and Punjabi.

• During his childhood, Deepinder grappled with a stuttering issue that affected his speech. He still encounters occasional speech impediments while engaged in conversations.

• During an interview, Deepinder attributed his success entirely to his initial employer, stating,
  

  I would happily go back to Bain if I have to. Consulting is really good because it teaches you how to think, talk and communicate. Communication is the one thing that they just drill down into you, which is one of the most important things when you are leading a team or building a business. I couldn’t have gotten here if I didn’t have the training I got from Bain.”

• In an interview, a Zomato staff member disclosed that Deepinder usually occupied a workspace positioned at the corner of a sizable table within an open office setup. This workspace is shared with a minimum of four other colleagues.

• In an interview, Deepinder disclosed that he ventured into building a startup because he wanted to avoid direct competition. He stated,
  

  I built a startup because I didn’t want to be a part of the rat race. For me, it is about being able to chart my own path, where I don’t get compared to anyone. I think the comparison is a negative thing.”

• While in the process of choosing a name for their brand, Deepinder embarked on the domain search. He stumbled upon the name “Zomato” for a price of 10,000 dollars, while another option, “Forkwise,” was available for a mere 10 dollars. Deepinder initially leaned towards “Forkwise” and conveyed this preference to his investors, citing the perceived excessive cost of 10,000 dollars for a domain name. Despite this, with some encouragement from the investors, he ultimately opted for “Zomato” as the brand name.

• With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, he made a significant contribution by offering stocks worth Rs 700 crore to the Zomato Future Foundation. The act was intended to provide educational assistance to the children of his delivery partners.

• In the year 2023, he introduced a proposal to create ‘Rest Points,’ which would serve as dedicated infrastructure for gig economy workers. This initiative would extend beyond Zomato’s employees to encompass workers from a variety of other companies as well. Making the announcement of ‘The Shelter Project’ via a post on social media, he stated,
  

  We have started building public infrastructure (called Rest Points) to support the entire gig economy and delivery partners of various companies.”

  

  Deepinder Goyal standing with his delivery partners

• Reportedly, Blinkit’s founder Albinder Dhindsa happened to be Deepinder’s classmate. Dhindsa played a role in assisting Goyal with his studies, enabling him to successfully pass his board exams.

• In 2019, a Zomato customer named Amit Shukla declined to accept an order, citing the reason that the delivery partner was a non-Hindu driver. He requested the company to assign a Hindu rider for the re-delivery. However, the company rejected his unusual demand and posted on Twitter,
  

  Food doesn’t have a religion. It is a religion.”

  Later, Deepinder also took to Twitter from his personal handle and wrote,

  We are proud of the idea of India – and the diversity of our esteemed customers and partners. We aren’t sorry to lose any business that comes in the way of our values.”

• In October 2023, Deepinder Goyal was announced as one of the judges of the show ‘Shark Tank India’ Season 3.
  

  Deepinder Goyal (centre) with other judges of the show ‘Shark Tank India’ (Season 3)