Zomato

India’s online food delivery industry continued to demonstrate strong momentum in the third quarter, with major platforms reporting consistent growth in orders, restaurant partnerships, and user engagement. Companies including Swiggy, Zomato, and magicpin highlighted rising demand for app-based food services across metropolitan as well as emerging urban markets. The expansion reflects changing consumer habits, increasing digital penetration, and the growing influence of convenience-driven consumption.

Deepinder Goyal, founder and CEO of Zomato, has emerged as one of India’s most closely watched technology entrepreneurs as he steers the food delivery platform through profitability pressures, regulatory scrutiny and intensifying competition. Under his leadership, Zomato has transitioned from a discount-driven growth model to a capital-disciplined, margin-focused enterprise. The company’s evolution reflects broader shifts in India’s consumer internet economy, where scale alone no longer guarantees investor confidence.

In a move that signals growing interest among Indian entrepreneurs in strategic technologies, Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal has acquired a stake in a defence-focused robotics startup. The acquisition marks Goyal’s entry into a sector far removed from consumer internet platforms, reflecting broader investor appetite for deep-tech and national security-linked innovation. While financial details were not publicly disclosed, the transaction underscores rising confidence in India’s defence manufacturing and robotics ecosystem.

Food delivery majors Zomato and Swiggy have raised payouts and incentives for delivery partners following coordinated strikes that disrupted services across several Indian cities. The protests, driven by concerns over declining earnings and rising operating costs, forced platforms to respond swiftly to stabilize operations and restore service levels. While the enhanced payouts are positioned as temporary measures, they highlight deeper structural tensions within the gig economy.

Grammy-winning composer Ricky Kej has alleged that a food delivery executive associated with Zomato stole items from his residence, triggering a public discussion around customer safety, platform accountability and last-mile delivery protocols. The allegation, shared publicly, has drawn attention to the growing trust consumers place in app-based service providers and the safeguards governing doorstep access.

Zomato’s proposed initiative to share customer contact information and order data with its partner restaurants is instigating a heated debate across the food-tech ecosystem. Although the company suggests the mechanism would operate on an opt-in basis, restaurant associations argue it could transform how they engage with diners, offering personalised marketing and repeat-business potential. Critics, however, warn of regulatory risk, citing possible misuse or preferential treatment.

India’s restaurant industry is pushing for a fairer revenue-sharing model with food delivery aggregators such as Swiggy and Zomato, citing unsustainable commission rates that squeeze profit margins. The National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) is reportedly in discussions with the platforms to establish a new framework that ensures greater transparency, equitable treatment, and long-term sustainability for both parties.

Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal has pledged $25 million to fund cutting-edge longevity research, marking a significant step in the exploration of age-related health interventions. The investment aims to advance scientific understanding of human aging, promote breakthroughs in regenerative medicine, and develop therapeutics that extend healthy lifespan. Goyal’s initiative will support collaborative research projects, technology-driven experiments, and clinical studies globally.

Eternal, the parent company of India’s leading food delivery platform Zomato, has announced the granting of stock options to its employees, underscoring a strategic push to retain talent and align employee incentives with long-term growth objectives. The move comes as the company focuses on scaling operations, expanding services, and sustaining its competitive edge in the rapidly evolving foodtech and delivery market.

Zomato, in collaboration with HDFC Pension, has launched the ‘NPS Platform Workers Model’ to provide its delivery partners with access to formal retirement benefits under India’s National Pension System (NPS). Unveiled on October 1, 2025, by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during NPS Diwas, the initiative targets financial security for gig economy workers. The model allows small, regular contributions, portability of benefits, and seamless digital onboarding through eKYC.