Not so long ago, the F&B industry had seemed stagnant, dominated by existing restaurant brands and their monopoly over customers. 

Then came Zomato. An app that revolutionized the way Indians (and now the rest of the world too) related to their food. 

Deepinder Goyal, the founder of Zomato knew what he was doing when he came up with FoodieBay, the company that would later be rechristened to Zomato. 

Buoyed by Zomato’s promising ecosystem, several new restaurants and service providers entered the market, changing the entire landscape of the Food and Beverage industry in India. 

Deepinder Goyal was a man on a mission, and that is evident with Zomato finally earning the billion-dollar company status. 

But how did he get here? Was he born a visionary or did circumstances mould him to be so?  

Quiet Beginnings 

© Deepinder Goyal

Deepinder Goyal comes from humble beginnings, born in Muktsar in 1983, a small town in Punjab. His father taught at a government school.   

Real Fear 

© Deepinder Goyal

Deepinder isn't a name that commonly precedes the Goyal surname. It’s a traditionally Sikh name that stuck with him as his family used to live in fear of terrorists. 

His parents taught him to claim to be a Sikh as it would have been safer for a young Deepinder, even if his parents would have been killed. Such times can gravely impact an impressionable child.  

3. Schooling Years

© Deepinder Goyal

He moved to Chandigarh at the age of 15 to study for the final two years of school. Since he was living away from his parents, he ended up living in a hostel. 

Getting ragged became a part of his life, even though it was tough, he found a way to survive and not give up hope.  

4. Slow And Steady

© Deepinder Goyal

He was out of his depth, academically. His move to the new school had been difficult due to a higher standard of studying than he was used to. 

However, he stiffened up his upper lip, focused his best and managed to clear the IIT entrance examination. 

5. Entrepreneur Extraordinaire

© Deepinder Goyal

After graduating from IIT with a Mathematics and Computing Degree, he ended up joining Bani & Company. 

At Bain, he came up with the idea of an online restaurant information system after observing his colleague’s food habits. There would be menu cards flying around everywhere.  

6. FoodieBay to Zomato

In 2008, he left Bain to start Foodiebay. At that time, he used to work out of his apartment, focusing especially on strategy and product development. 

FoodieBay would later be renamed, Zomato. 

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Deepinder Goyal’s story is one of pure inspiration and hard work. It’s a tale where an ordinary Indian, the son of a school teacher goes on to forge an unimaginable legacy.  

The Zomato founder reminds us that success isn’t an overnight journey, but often a far-sighted vision.  

It’s on us to keep our eyes on the prize.

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