India's food-delivery billionaire eyes health tech, aerospace

India's food-delivery billionaire eyes health tech, aerospace

Deepinder Goyal, the entrepreneur who co-founded Zomato in 2008 and helped define India's food delivery and instant delivery sectors, is pivoting toward high-risk experimentation in healthcare and aviation. This strategic shift follows his departure as chief executive of Zomato and its parent company, Eternal, in January, with the role transitioning to Albinder Dhindsa, who leads the Blinkit quick-commerce unit.

The most immediate expression of this new direction is Temple, a wearable startup focused on elite performance athletes. Goyal recently announced on X that Temple raised $54 million in a friends-and-family round, achieving a post-money valuation of about $190 million. The funding round was led by Goyal and followed by Steadview Capital, with participation from Peak XV Partners, InfoEdge Ventures, and Dharana Capital. Individual investors include Kunal Shah of CRED, Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath of Zerodha, and Vijay Shekhar Sharma of Paytm.

Temple is developing a bean-shaped device designed to be worn on the side of the forehead. Unlike existing wearables such as smartwatches and rings that use heart rate as an indirect indicator, Temple aims to measure metabolic rate directly by tracking cerebral blood flow. Goyal describes the device as a way to track a new biomarker called entropy, which he believes offers insights into meditation, exercise, sleep, recovery, and stress. While Goyal stated the product could launch within six months to a year and would be supported by peer-reviewed studies, the science behind the entropy metric has not yet been independently validated, and the device has not received medical regulatory approval.

The wearable is expected to be priced around $1,000, targeting executives, founders, and athletes rather than the general consumer market. To support this development, Goyal has launched a hiring push for experts in brain-computer interface engineering, computational neuroscience, and embedded systems.

Beyond wellness, Goyal is investing heavily in the aerospace sector through LAT Aerospace, a startup he co-founded with former Zomato executive Surobhi Das. The venture focuses on next-generation regional aviation solutions to link underserved Indian cities and towns. LAT Aerospace intends to build a network of high-frequency, low-cost flights utilizing compact air-stops — similar in size to parking lots — located near business and residential districts to bypass congested airports.

Goyal has invested $20 million of the $50 million raised by LAT Aerospace. The company is developing a model centered on rapid turnaround times and infrastructure suited for short distances. This venture has already expanded into defense technology through the acquisition of an early-stage firm called Sharang Shakti.

These moves are part of a broader pattern of investment in longevity and experimental technology. In October 2025, Goyal committed $25 million of his own capital to Continue Research, a venture exploring methods to extend the human lifespan. He has also previously backed Ultrahuman, an India-based wearable manufacturer.

With a net worth of $1.3 billion, much of which remains tied to his stake in Eternal, Goyal is moving away from the consumer internet playbook that built Zomato. He has characterized this current phase as a move toward higher-risk exploration and experimentation.