What Zomato CEO's Father Told Him When He Pitched Startup Idea

Deepinder Goyal, the CEO of Zomato, reminiscing about a memory from nearly two decades ago, recalled his father's response when he initially pitched the idea of launching his food-delivery startup.

Mr Goyal recounted this story while attending Vishesh Sampark, an event hosted by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri. The event saw many innovators, startup leaders, IT professionals etc from across the country coming together to talk about the "country's digital transformation and future potential" under Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Mr Goyal said that he started Zomato 16 years ago in 2008. He said, "My dad at that time told me, 'Janta hai tera baap kaun hai? (Do you know who your father is?)'" He explained that his father's point was, "'You can't do a startup.' I come from a small town in Punjab, that's the background."

The CEO then discussed how the perception around startups has changed in the last few years and shared his opinion on how the government has helped bring about that change.

The video was shared on X by the Union Minister under the hashtag: "Tech leaders with NaMo". The caption read, "This government and their initiatives enabled a small-town boy like me to build something like Zomato, which employs lakhs of people today!"

Deepinder Goyal, Zomato

When I started Zomato in 2008, my father used to say “tu janta hai tera baap kaun hai” as my dad thought I could never do a start up given our humble background. This government and their initiatives enabled a small town boy like me to build something… pic.twitter.com/vogdM6v8oT

— Hardeep Singh Puri (मोदी का परिवार) (@HardeepSPuri) May 20, 2024

A user praised Mr Goyal, saying, “Incredible how @deepigoyal transformed his humble beginnings into the success of @zomato, employing lakhs. This government's policies make such journeys possible. Let's celebrate our tech leaders!”

Incredible how @deepigoyal transformed his humble beginnings into the success of @zomato, employing lakhs. This government's policies make such journeys possible.

Let's celebrate our tech leaders! #TechLeadersWithNamo #Visheshsampark

— Pranav Verma (@PravavVerma) May 21, 2024

Another comment read, “Grateful for the opportunities created by #ModiGovernment. Proving that a humble background can't stop you from achieving greatness. @zomato's success story is a testament to that!”

Grateful for the opportunities created by #ModiGovernment. Proving that a humble background can't stop you from achieving greatness. @zomato's success story is a testament to that!

#TechLeadersWithNamo #Visheshsampark

— Praveen Bhardwaj (@PraveenBha88) May 21, 2024

The event was also attended by prominent figures like Urban Company founder Abhiraj Singh Bhal, Peak XV Partners' MD Rajan Anandan, Map My India CEO Rohan Verma, Indian Cellular Association's chairman Pankaj Mohindroo, Mamaearth co-founder Varun Alagh and Gaurav Chaudhary (Technical Guruji), a popular YouTuber.