Interview
Interview: Deepinder Goyal
Deepinder Goyal is the founder of one of the largest food aggregators in the world – Zomato. Under his leadership, the startup that began as a platform for restaurant review and discovery in Delhi-NCR has grown into a company synonymous with food in over 500+ cities in India. Over 70 million people use Zomato to decide where to eat through 1.5 million listed restaurants across 24 countries around the world.
Prior to founding Zomato in 2008, he worked as a management consultant with Bain & Company.
He has been felicitated with the Distinguished Alumni Award, 2020, under the category of Entrepreneurship.
He talks to Dr Vanita Srivastava of the Communication Cell about his journey from IIT Delhi to Zomato.
Edited excerpts:
The environment at IIT Delhi fosters an entrepreneurial mindset. It was at this institute that I realized that your life is entirely of your own making. You alone have the power to design your life as you want it to be.
How and when did you get the idea for Zomato? What were the main challenges and how could you brave them?
I started a food delivery company right out of IIT, in 2005. It was too early to do it then. In 2009, after a very enriching stint at Bain and Co., I restarted the business with scanned menus and reviews instead of digital ordering solutions which we finally introduced within Zomato in 2015.
What does this award mean to you?
IIT Delhi helped me become the person I am today. I am honoured to receive this recognition and hope to live up to this for the times to come.
What would you like to convey to the young students of IIT Delhi?
Never give up. Play to stay in the game – that is the only way to win the game, because most people give up while playing the game.
What was the most important takeway from your stay at IIT Delhi?
How did the institute help in shaping your personality and career?