According to reports, the National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) has granted Zomato relief. NCLT rejected an insolvency petition brought by B2B maker Nona Lifestyle against the foodtech giant for an alleged INR 1.64 Cr in unpaid debts. According to a media report, a panel consisting of Technical Member Reena Sinha Puri and Judicial Member Ashok Kumar Bharadwaj denied Nona Lifestyle’s petition on March 3 to reinstate an insolvency claim that the company had made the previous year. The petition was submitted without the required notice under section 8 of the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC). Hence, in the absence of these documents, the court determined that it was not maintainable in and of itself.
Claims Made by Petitioner Nona Lifestyle
The petitioner (Nona Lifestyle) claimed that the Deepinder Goyal-led company had fallen behind on payments. Owing to this issue, Nona filed an insolvency plea in October 2024 and asked the NCLT to restore it. Days later, the insolvency case was dismissed. The issue began in 2023 when, in preparation for the ICC World Cup, Nona Lifestyle secured large orders from Zomato. This order was for t-shirts and pants for Zomato’s staff and delivery partners. According to Nona Lifestyle, the business refused to take orders later. In October 2024, Nona Lifestyle first approached the NCLT to begin insolvency proceedings against Zomato; however, the plea was denied on the grounds of non-prosecution. To reinstate the insolvency procedures, the petitioner submitted a second request to the NCLT a month later.
However, according to the outlined agreement, the petitioner claimed to have fulfilled its promise to manufacture and deliver the articles in parts. But according to Zomato, the manufacturer changed it “unilaterally” and missed deadlines, creating “substantial reputational and goodwill damage” to the business and endangering its World Cup campaign. A B2B platform for procurement as a service, Nona Lifestyle connects manufacturers and suppliers to acquire and deliver industrial goods for a range of industries, including logistics, hospitality, and fast-moving consumer goods. Zomato must be feeling somewhat relieved by the decision, but it still faces additional difficulties.
Zomato’s Sluggish Growth
The company’s food delivery division has been growing slowly over the past two quarters of the fiscal year, which ended on March 31, 2024–2025 (FY25). In the second quarter of FY25, Zomato’s gross order value (GOV) for the food delivery company increased by barely 4% on a quarter-over-quarter (QoQ) basis to INR 9,690 Cr. In contrast, the GOV only climbed by 2.3% to INR 9,913 Cr in Q3 of FY25. Additionally, during the assessment period, the company’s transacting user base grew slowly. Its transactional user base increased by only 2% QoQ to 20.7 million in Q2 FY25, while it subsequently decreased by 0.9% to 20.5 million in Q3 FY25. The company’s bottom line was affected by this downturn. Its consolidated net profit fell 57.2% to INR 59 Cr in Q3 FY25 from INR 138 Cr in the same period last year.
A former Zomato employee claims in a widely shared Reddit post that the firm unexpectedly and without warning fired over 300 employees, sparking uproar. According to the former worker, who says he was one of those affected, the decision was made based on an “average lateness” of only 28 minutes over three months—and this after he had demonstrated good performance and a solid track record. The post claims that Zomato failed to notify the staff of this significant change or provide them with an opportunity to address or resolve their attendance problems. They were astonished when they were unceremoniously terminated instead. The user blasted the corporation for treating employees like “disposable” and called this “a cold termination.”
A Post on Reddit Quickly Gained Popularity
Outrage over job security and business ethics in India’s startup sector was sparked by the post, which soon gained popularity. Similar tales were recounted by numerous Reddit users, who questioned the justice of such sudden dismissals. One poster, who claimed to be a current Zomato employee, detailed how quickly the terminations occurred, including how Slack accounts were disabled, access was refused, and staff members were let go without being given a chance to explain themselves. A lawyer encouraged impacted employees to take action and not take this lying down while offering legal support. Employees are being encouraged by users to “fight for the compensation” they are entitled to. Another ex-Zomato employee claimed they were let go for an unclear cause and that they were not informed that differences in login times would be considered non-compliance.
Lack of Job Security in Indian Startup Sector
Despite early indications of a market rebound, the 2024 Indian startup scene was characterised by large personnel cutbacks due to a number of causes. Notably, in order to adapt to the new business reality, some well-known companies were forced to announce significant layoffs, including Ola Electric, Paytm, Byju’s, Swiggy, and Flipkart. 11,250 positions were cut in the first half of the year alone, which had a significant effect on the labour dynamics of the industry while being less than in the past. Each company saw a different number of layoffs; for example, Byju’s reduced about 500 employees, Flipkart reduced 1,100 to 1,500, Ola Electric reduced 300 to 500, and Ola Cabs reduced 200 roles. Additionally, Paytm Payments Bank reported a notable layoff of about 555 workers, or 20% of its total staff.
The need for profitability, restructuring initiatives, previous overhiring during expansion times, changes in market dynamics, strategic business changes, and regulatory obstacles affecting particular industries were some of the factors that led to this wave of layoffs. Beyond the immediate loss of jobs, these layoffs have an impact on the Indian startup ecosystem’s short- and long-term prospects. Innovation may be slowed down in the near future as a result of talent loss and low staff morale. On the other hand, these changes might eventually make Indian startups more competitive and sustainable. How businesses adjust and how the larger ecosystem reacts to these changes will determine the overall impact.
“Foodiebay” or “Zomato” as we now call it, was a startup founded in Delhi, now headquartered in Gurgaon, in July 2008. A website, Foodiebay.com,which initially started as a food review website containing the menus from popular restaurants nearby and gradually turned into the best food delivery service in operation in India, has certainly had a dream run!
Did you know that the founders, Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, were working with Bain & Company in Delhi when they looked at the long queue of employees lined up to order their food and came up with the idea of Foodiebay, which later led to Zomato?
However, if you are curious to learn about the key marketing strategies of Zomato that propelled the brand to achieve the success that it now boasts of, then you have landed on the right page.
If we look at the statistics of the traffic from different sources and channels, we can see that Zomato derives major chunks of traffic from its searches and directly, being 53.63% and 43.34%, respectively, when compared to referrals, social media, or other paid marketing campaigns and other sources.
The marketing strategy of Zomato is a mixed marketing strategy that has successfully kept the traffic coming, thereby driving sales. The brand has always focused on innovation and agility.
Though it was one of the first brands to start with the food delivery service, companies came pouring in, and Zomato needed to ensure that they outpaced them in the long run. This was done with the help of a unique mix of innovative ideas, offering products and services at affordable rates and acquiring other companies.
Besides, the company has always believed in hard work, which was always there right from the first. In fact, Deepinder Goyal, one of the co-founders, also mentioned in one of his interviews that if something does not go as planned, then the core team of Zomato is always ready to pick it up and go through the same afresh, making the necessary changes. This kind of dedication always pays off!
SEO strategy has no other alternative, and Zomato uses it to the fullest extent, as we have already seen most of its traffic (53.63%) comes from searches made online. This proves that Zomato is fueled by a foolproof SEO strategy, along with working hard enough to keep the brand soaring in the Google organic SERP results.
Now, you are definitely interested in learning the SEO strategy of Zomato, aren’t you?
Here are some of the key insights into the Zomato’s SEO strategy:
Keyword Targeted
Zomato targets over 900K keywords for their SEO purposes. Targeting these many keywords and further optimizing them organically always has an upper hand in SEO, which is why it has obtained a dominant position in search results.
Zomato is equipped with a colossal directory of food and restaurants, and this is a boon in disguise for their SEO. From the names of the restaurants to the names of the dishes, places, and more, everything happens to be keywords that boost the SEO of the brand. Even phrases like “restaurants near me,” “bars to dine in,” etc., also serve as useful long-tail keywords for the brand.
Pages on website
Zomato has over 1.4 Million listed restaurants, and each has its own pages, which are maintained regularly. This shoots the total number of pages on Zomato to over several million, which has its own advantages for the SEO of the website. We all know that the more pages on a website, the more the authority of the website, and the higher the possibilities of gaining crucial ranks on the search engines.
Linking of the URLs
Zomato boosts its domain authority by getting backlinks from countless websites that include high authority websites, including websites from .gov and .edu domains. The website currently has high authority backlinks from over 12.48 Million domains.
As we all know, the common SEO strategy is to link specific URLs relevant to the keywords. This helps search engines recognize our web pages and show relevant search results for the users, which also passively betters the ranks of the keywords.
The same thing happens with Zomato but on a larger scale, where the brand targets an overwhelming number of keywords and key phrases to link in their URLs.
Social Media Strategy of Zomato | Zomato Digital Marketing Strategy
Zomato Marketing Strategies – Social Media
Zomato’s target audience is usually between 18-35 years old, and therefore it is imperative for the brand to work hard in its social media marketing Zomato puts in the extra effort on creating unique social media ads and other engaging posts to stay connected.
As most of our social media platforms remain full of memes, if not with anything else, Zomato has wielded the meme marketing strategy successfully to its benefit.
It posts funny content that amuses the audience and drives them to order food at the same time.
Zomato’s push notification marketing approach is centered on sending individualized and relevant messages to its subscribers at the appropriate moment. The corporation segments its users and sends them personalized communications based on various data elements, including their location, previous orders, and preferences. For example, the company might use humor, pop culture references, or even personalized emojis in its notifications.
Zomato’s influencer marketing strategy involves collaborating with food bloggers, vloggers, and social media influencers to generate talk about its brand and offerings. The organization collaborates with a wide range of influencers, from macro-influencers with millions of followers to micro-influencers with smaller but more engaged followings. Zomato also collaborates with influencers to organize events and contests.
The company, for example, may collaborate with an influencer to host a food-tasting event or to provide a free lunch to a lucky follower.
Paid Advertising Campaigns
Zomato Marketing Strategy – Paid Advertising
Though paid advertising is a temporary marketing strategy that a brand might opt for, it contributes a major part to keeping the engagement up. Effective paid advertising, along with organic optimization, significantly improves the search results of a brand, and Zomato never fails to do just that! The Zomato advertising strategy focuses on retaining its audience.
The food delivery giant runs Google ads to target specific customers, which are displayed along with its organic results, and together, they help the brand target a wide range of keywords, which was impossible otherwise. Zomato Marketing Campaigns are generally paid advertisements that help them to engage with their audience.
Zomato Email Marketing
Zomato Marketing Strategy – Email Marketing
We are all connected via our emails and thus, email marketing strategy forms an important part of the marketing of a company. Zomato knows how to utilize this effective tool optimally.
Many brands use email marketing strategies to their benefit, but only a few can emerge with as witty and compelling email marketing strategies as Zomato does. To maintain its brand loyalty, Zomato combines compelling one-liners for the subjects and a fitting call to action to conclude them.
In one of its email marketing campaigns, Zomato themed its email on Mirzapur season 2, one of the most popular Amazon Prime Video series, to ride the hype that the series enjoys.
“Munna Bhaiya invited you to a weekend,” mentioned Zomato once.
At the start of another weekend, Zomato exclaimed, “Enjoy a weekend to guddu to be true.”
Furthermore, on another occasion, Zomato further used its email marketing strategy to create a resume for the all-favorite biryani. Here, the brand typically used phrases related to the food, like “curryculum Vitae of Biryani,” and replaced “hire now” with “order now” to form tempting email templates that ensured a roaring success!
Visual Advertising of Zomato
Zomato’s visual advertising is as appealing as its other marketing strategies. The brand, in fact, come up with some of the best visual adverts ever since it came into prominence. Regardless of whether it is their video advertisements or billboards, Zomato always comes up with impressive content ideas to score well.
Zomato has been a leader in a food delivery service. Achievements they can easily boast of, but all of these boil down to the unique marketing strategies that Zomato has developed. Here are some of Zomato’s marketing strategies that made it big:
Hitting overseas sooner than later
Though Zomato was set up first in India, in Delhi, it didn’t hesitate to take the risk of trying abroad. The company, which was founded in 2008, had already set up shops in 2012 in Dubai, the Philippines, Qatar, the UK, and other countries.
Making Major Acquisitions
As we have already mentioned, Zomato had a strong belief in acquiring companies and innovating themselves, i.e., their products and services. In this process, they successfully acquired a list of companies like Urbanspoon, Uber Eats, TongueStun, Fitso, Mekanist, MapleGraph, Cibando, Nextable, Blinkit, and more such companies that were showing quite potential.
Though these acquisitions cost the company a fortune at the same time, they helped add the necessary momentum to the brand time and again.
Along with offering a satisfactory food delivery service, Zomato brainstorms other additions the company offers its users now and again.
Zomato Gold was launched in November 2017 and serves as a premium service that provides matchless offers and discounts for users against a monthly subscription fee.
Furthermore, Zomato also started Hyperpure as an initiative that promises hygienic and high-quality supplies to restaurants in August 2018, which further expanded the list of the company’s offerings and for good!
The company also started Zomato Pro,a subscription service that offers unlimited free delivery on orders over a certain amount, as well as other benefits such as early access to new restaurants and exclusive discounts.
Unique Take on Twitter
Good communication always acts as a ladder that helps a business climb to success, and it is something that serves as an asset for every brand. Effective communication not only helps in sustaining a business but is also deemed an incredibly powerful tool to boost overall engagement. In Zomato’s case, it did just that!
Along with being engaging, Zomato’s voice on its social media handles turned out to be quite eccentric, which helped set the brand apart from its rivals.
For example, it was only in December 2020 that the brand started a marketing campaign on Twitter, which asked Twitteratis to come up with the most creative restaurant name that they could think of. This unique campaign started to bring in comments and replies like anything. Being active on this platform is Zomato’s major marketing strategy.
Along with other marketing strategies and acquisitions, it is campaigns like this that powered Zomato. Twitter had even declared Zomato as the Best Brand Voice in 2020.
Zomato Social Media Marketing – Twitter
Another classic example of Zomato’s unique voice on Twitter and other social media platforms is when the brand posted the groundbreaking Tweet that said:
“Guys, kabhi kabhi ghar ka khana bhi kha lena chaiye”
Traditional marketers would quickly stand against such a stance, but Zomato used reverse psychology to its benefit, which garnered a loud and unique response from all. The timing that the brand chose for the tweet was bang on because it was during ICC World Cup 2019 when it was customary for most of us to order food from restaurants.
This began to bring in waves of replies, comments, and tweets in return. Furthermore, Zomato’s tweet also brought in other brands, who joined in to support their unique post with their own creative taglines.
Segmentation-Targeting-Positioning (STP) of Zomato
Segmentation :
If we visit the demographic segmentation strategy of Zomato, we can discover that the brand targets the ages 18-35. Along with ordering food online, people also visit Zomato when they want to dine out or research the restaurants nearby. Zomato has also discovered a larger target segment in the working professionals because most of them want to dine out frequently or order food delivered to their doorstep.
Furthermore, Zomato also brings in experiential events via multi-city food and entertainment carnivals to spread positive and merry vibes around food. Zomaland is a food and entertainment carnival that gathers some of the best restaurants, musicians, DJs, comedians, interactive installations, and carnival games under one roof. It’s like an offline version of Zomato Collections, where it curates and puts together the greatest eateries in the city.
Besides, the brand also has further plans of launching new products and business lines associated with food both in the segments of food delivery and dining out.
Zomato’s Digital Marketing Strategy
Target:
To sum up, Zomato’s target audience is usually people aged between 18-35 years who love to dine out or have food delivered to their homes. It is the youth that the brand targets who often indulge in experiencing different food items with their friends and colleagues.
Zomato also caters to customers who refer to the ratings and reviews and then decide whether a place or a particular dish is good.
Positioning:
Over the years, Zomato has positioned itself quite well as a platform that brings restaurants, suppliers, users, food suppliers, and logistics partners together. It aims to create a world where the food producers and suppliers are bonded well with their consumers and work with mutual cooperation.
Zomato has earned a towering reputation not only among its target audiences but with others as well, where authentic reviews and recommendations from Zomato users are a must before deciding on a particular food item from a particular restaurant. It has truly become a go-to app for Indian youths.
Besides, with the launch of Zomato Gold, dining out has turned more pocket-friendly for its customers than it was ever before.
Overall, the STP analysis of Zomato is well-defined and targeted. The company has a clear understanding of its target customers and what they are looking for in a food delivery service. Zomato’s positioning is also strong and consistent with its target market.
Zomato has also led a bunch of awesome marketing campaigns along with its impressive marketing strategies. Zomato promotion strategy focuses on social media, influencer collaborations, and personalized offers to enhance user engagement and drive brand loyalty. Here’s a look at the brand’s most popular marketing campaigns and their famous advertising strategies:
Zomato Premier League
Zomato Marketing Campaigns – Zomato Premier League
Zomato has caught the Indians’ nerve for cricket very early in their game and has crafted tellable IPL marketing strategies, which include TV ads and irresistible offers throughout the years.
Zomato has introduced the Zomato Premier League, which is an exemplary attempt of the brand at gamification. Here, the brand has exhibited a huge list of deals and discounts that are offered by the participating restaurants for their customers. Moreover, the users also stand a chance to predict the winners of the matches and avail of further discounts that will be unlocked whenever they are right in their predictions.
The brand promoted this initiative with TV spots and on social media. ZPL witnessed a huge success even last year, which saw participation from over 4 million users!
Zomato Gold Membership Programme
The company launched Zomato Gold as a paid loyalty program for the users of Zomato, who can subscribe to the scheme with a monthly subscription that would help them avail themselves of irresistible discounts and complementary dishes.
This initiative turned out to be extremely profitable for the customers of Zomato. Though Zomato Gold attracted numerous controversies from the restaurant partners, which led to the spreading of a lot of negative vibes, it has contributed over 30% of the gross order value in the food delivery business.
On-time or free
Zomato Marketing Campaigns – Zomato On-time or Free
Zomato launched the “On-Time or Free” campaign in December 2019, which was modeled on Domino’s Pizza. However, here in Zomato, the users can avail of this lucrative offer on all of its deliveries and not just on pizza, as it was with Domino’s.
You can also avail of this simply by tapping on the “On-Time or Free” button on the Zomato app, which will get you a refund if Zomato is unable to deliver food on time.
Zomato used the usual route of TV creatives, online advertising, and social media platforms to spread the word about this marketing campaign.
Mother’s Day Campaign of Zomato
Zomato ideated the Mother’s Day campaign in 2019, which didn’t fail to strike a chord with all audiences. Through this campaign, Zomato made it easier for the kids to order their mother’s favorite food using the app. This campaign gives Zomato a terrific opportunity to target the kids living in their homes and those who live away, allowing them to gift their mom using the Zomato app.
Zomato vs Zomato Campaign
Zomato Marketing Campaigns – Zomato vs Zomato
The campaign began in April 2023 and includes a series of advertisements that play on how individuals pronounce the company name. The campaign also features a series of social media commercials in which people from many walks of life argue about pronouncing Zomato correctly. This advertising strategy of Zomato is amusing and cheerful, and the public has responded positively.
Zomato vs Zomato is a brilliant and inventive approach to promoting the brand. Zomato’s marketing strategy has gained a lot of success. It also reflects India’s rich culture and the many ways in which individuals speak and pronounce words.
Humans of Zomato Campaign
The Humans of Zomato campaign is a video series that tells the stories of Zomato’s delivery partners. The campaign began in June 2022 and is now in its second season. The Humans of Zomato campaign’s videos are all brief and touching. They highlight Zomato’s delivery partners’ problems and accomplishments and provide viewers with a behind-the-scenes look at the food delivery sector.
Some of the Humans of Zomato promotional videos show delivery partners who have overcome personal struggles to attain success. In one video, a delivery partner is a single mother who works two jobs to support her family. Another video shows a delivery partner who is differently abled and has never let his impairment prevent him from reaching his goals.
Zomato Failed Campaigns
Zomato often stands out with its unique marketing, but there have been instances where certain campaigns failed to resonate with audiences and faced backlash.
1. The Kachra Ad
Zomato attempted to use sarcasm by drawing parallels between the iconic character “Kachra” from Lagaan and World Environment Day.
However, the ad faced heavy backlash, as many viewers felt it was insensitive and mocked marginalized communities, particularly Dalits.
Following the criticism, Zomato took down the video and issued an apology.
Zomato Failed Campaigns – The Kachra Ad
2. Har Customer Hai Superstar
Featuring Katrina Kaif and Hrithik Roshan, this campaign aimed to encourage respectful behavior towards delivery agents while highlighting the tough conditions they work in.
However, soon after its release, the ad faced widespread criticism. Many viewers argued that instead of preaching to customers, Zomato should first focus on improving the basic pay and working conditions of its delivery agents.
Conclusion
As we conclude our analysis of the marketing strategies of Zomato, it’s evident that keeping up with the latest trends and techniques is crucial for success in the digital space. Continuous learning and adaptation are key to thriving in the ever-evolving digital marketing landscape. By understanding what works and what doesn’t, brands can craft impactful campaigns that truly resonate with their audience
Who knows? You might create the next big marketing strategy like Zomato!
FAQs
Who is the founder of Zomato?
Deepinder Goyal is the founder and CEO of Zomato.
What is the marketing strategy of Zomato?
Zomato’s marketing strategy focuses on reaching its target market through various channels, including online advertising, social media, and partnerships with restaurants and other businesses.
How much commission does Zomato charge from restaurants?
Zomato charges over 20-25% on order value from their restaurant partners.
What is Zomato target audience?
Zomato’s target audience includes food lovers, frequent diners, and online food delivery users, mainly millennials and Gen Z.
Priyank Kharge, Karnataka’s IT minister, has alerted to take regulatory action against e-commerce and fast commerce platforms if they don’t enhance customer service and complaints. According to the minister, current technological solutions—like chatbots used by different platforms—cannot resolve client complaints, leaving people stuck in a never-ending circle of uncertainty. In a post on X, Kharge stated that although chatbots and intelligent prompts can manage certain problems, they are unable to address legitimate consumer or citizen complaints, frequently leaving people in a never-ending circle of uncertainty. Kharge’s remarks highlight the difficulties e-commerce and quick commerce platforms face in managing consumer complaints as more people turn to online platforms for the quick delivery of a wide range of goods rather than traditional retail.
Stern Warning to Improve Customer Service and Delivery Experience
The minister went on to say that Swiggy, Zomato, and other e-commerce and rapid commerce platforms need to enhance their delivery and customer service; if they don’t, governments may need to enact legislation to guarantee improved operation and service for the populace. As more people turn to online platforms for the speedy delivery of a wide range of items rather than traditional retail, Kharge’s remarks highlight the difficulties e-commerce and quick commerce platforms confront in managing client complaints. One of the main challenges has been the dependence on automated and digital systems that are not sophisticated enough to manage important customer concerns. As a result, customers frequently share their purchasing experiences and degree of satisfaction with a product or service on social media platforms.
Government Adding National Consumer Helpline and the e-Maap Portal
Crucially, the government launched AI-based programs in December of last year to improve consumer protection. These included the e-Maap portal and the National Consumer Helpline, which are designed to identify misleading marketing activities and strengthen the complaint resolution process. Among the companies that have embraced a safety promise to improve online consumer protection are Reliance Retail, Tata Sons, and Zomato.
The Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers Bill
The Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill was presented to the state cabinet on December 6 but was postponed, as one may remember. Because of the resistance from aggregators and other stakeholders, it has not yet been introduced in the legislature. Every transaction made on aggregator platforms like Zomato, Swiggy, Flipkart, Amazon, Ola, Uber, Urban Company (UC), and several others will be subject to a 1-2% tax, according to the bill. A welfare board will receive the money earned from these platforms and use it to implement social security policies for gig workers who provide delivery services.
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As we move forward in the world of modernization, we tend to scroll the screens of our mobile phones too often and for many reasons. We swipe our mobile screens to shop, learn, relax, and fulfill an endless list of requirements that we need them for. Using our mobile phones has surely been quite a help, they have literally made the world seem like an easily navigable space. Our daily needs and requirements are now nearer than ever with mobile phones. Today, we don’t need to go out and purchase our daily goods, grains, and veggies from the market. All we need is our mobile phone with an internet connection!
What is the first thing that comes to your mind while talking about ordering daily goods and groceries? Obviously, it is the list of fruits, vegetables, and grocery needs that you are going to order but soon after that, it is the application or the website that is to come up next in order!
There are numerous applications, websites, and companies now from where you can order, among which Grofers/Blinkit has been one of the most prominent names. This e-commerce company has offered us various daily goods that made our lives easy.
Softbank-backed online grocery delivery unicorn Grofers now Blinkit has been rebranded to Blinkit to keep up with its motto of delivering groceries in the blink of an eye. Blinkit currently stands acquired by Zomato after the foodtech unicorn bought the former in a $569 million (Rs 4,447 crore) deal on June 24, 2022.
Check this article to learn all the information about Blinkit, its founders and history, its startup story, net worth, business model, revenue model, funding and investors, challenges, competitors, and more.
The Gurugram-based Indian on-demand online grocery delivery service Grofers which is now known as Blinkit, was founded in the year 2013. This e-commerce startup platform provides a variety of daily needs products ranging from groceries, bakery items, baby care items, and many more to its customers.
From the mobile application of Blinkit, the customers can buy and order their products at a scheduled time and the Blinkit employees deliver these items to the customers. Currently, the company operates in over 23 cities in India as Blinkit.
How does Blinkit deliver its orders in 10 minutes?
In June 2021, Blinkit announced that it had already revamped its delivery service, which will make the deliveries within 10 minutes of the order being placed online. The popular online grocery marketplace also assured that in cities where Blinkit is present, the company will make sure to deliver the orders in under 10 minutes within the next 45 days. This promise of 10-minute delivery has received huge criticism from people all around the country, who have accused Grofers of “exploiting” their workforce to make such a promise a reality.
The hate that the company has received was fittingly replied by one of the founders of Grofers, Albinder Dhindsa, who said,
“It breaks my heart that instead of celebrating innovation coming from India, some of us stay cynical of people who are trying to break the status quo.”
While clarifying how Blinkit makes its 10-minute delivery possible, Dhindsa mentioned that the company has its partner stores within 2 km of the customers, which is a big plus. The company has more than 60 partner stores in Delhi and has grown to over 30 partner stores in Gurgaon already, along with an adequate number of partner stores also in other serviceable cities like Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, etc.
Dhindsa further pointed out in his Twitter post that the stores are so densely located that 90% of the orders can be delivered byBlinkit easily within 15 minutes even if the drivers drove at 10 km/hr. Moreover, the in-store planning and management of Blinkit, empowered by the advanced technologies, are so organized now that they can pack their orders within 3 minutes of receiving the order. Also, the riders of Blinkit are “not (dis)incentivised to deliver orders fast. They do it at their own pace and rhythm”, said Dhindsa. The founder concluded by citing the last 2 months’ data since they started the 10-minute grocery delivery process and claimed that Grofers has seen no reported rider accidents.
Here’s what the founder has posted via his Twitter handle on August 28, 2021:
I want to chime in about the hate we are getting for delivering groceries in 10 minutes… pic.twitter.com/RNhFvd6ojV
Now as Blinkit, Grofers is doubly geared up to deliver groceries in the blink of an eye. Albinder Dhindsa, Co-founder and CEO of Blinkit on being asked why the keen focus on quick commerce, said that the 10-minute delivery that Blinkit promises should not just be possible but a must in the fast-paced life that people are living now. This will help them save time for more important things.
Zomato Acquired Blinkit, which is now a Zomato Subsidiary!
Zomato acquired Blinkit after months of talks and discussions, loans, and what’s now. The board of the popular Deepinder Goyal-led foodtech company finally approved the Blinkit acquisition on June 24, 2022, when the online grocery delivery company was acquired by Zomato in an all-stock deal worth $568 mn. The board of the latter the acquisition of up to 33,018 equity shares of Blink Commerce Pvt Ltd from its shareholders. This was nodded to for a total purchase consideration, which amounted to Rs 4,447.48 crore ($569 mn), as per the BSE disclosure of the company. Blinkit’s earlier valuation of $1 bn received a haircut of 43%. The deal also mentioned about Zomato Hyperpure, the B2B arm of the company, acquiring BlinkIt’s B2B business Hands on Trade Private Limited (HOTPL) warehousing and ancillary services business for Rs 60.7 crore, as per the accessed filings.
Blinkit – Founders and Team
Grofers was founded by two IIT Graduates Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar.
Albinder Dhindsa is one of the founders and the CEO of Blinkit (ex- Grofers). Dhindsa is an alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, after which he completed his MBA from the Columbia Business School. Dhindsa first started his career as a Transportation Analyst at URS Corporation, after which he worked with Cambridge Systematics and UBS Investment Bank as an Associate and Senior Associate. Dhindsa then joined Zomato where he worked for more than 2.5 years as the Head of International Operations. He eventually left the company to co-found Grofers (now Blinkit) in December 2013.
Saurabh Kumar
Saurabh had been another founder of Grofers. He was a B.Tech, Civil Engineering student of IIT Bombay. He eventually went for an MS, in Transportation Engineering that he completed from The University of Texas at Austin. Saurabh also worked with Cambridge Systematics where he first met Albinder. Kumar left the company to work as an Associate and a COO in two different companies – Opera Solutions and Rasilant Technologies Pvt Ltd., finally founding Grofers/Blinkit with Albinder, which came live with its app in December 2014. Saurabh had left Grofers on June 18, 2021. Kumar next founded Warpli, an e-commerce platform that is often tagged as the “e-commerce of future” in September 2021. As per the latest news, Kumar’s newly founded startup is planning to expand quick commerce into the turf of Amazon, Nykaa, and their likes.
Jacob Singh was the CTO of Grofers (Blinkit), who stepped down from the company and his position in July 2020. He largely contributed to the design, launch, and scaling of Grofers’ paid loyalty program. A Berkeley City College graduate, Singh worked with Acquia as a Country Head before joining Grofers now Blinkit and is now serving as a CTO in residence at Sequoia Capital.
Blinkit raised Rishi Arora to the Co-founder position two months before the acquisition deal came through in June 2022, as revealed by sources close to the company on July 12, 2022. Arora has stuck with Blinkit for 8+ years and served as the Senior Vice President of Operation before he received his promotion.
Furthermore, it was also reported that the company has also appointed Sajal Gupta, who is a Zomato executive as the CTO of the company. Gupta was with Zomato for 5+ years before he moved to Blinkit in January 2022, as goes his LinkedIn profile. These promotions were reportedly revealed on the company’s internal communication platform, Slack, according to the sources.
Blinkit housed somewhere around 1,001 – 5,000 employees.
Blinkit – Startup Story | How it started?
Albinder, after his graduation, worked as a transportation analyst at URS Company in the USA. While working he met Saurabh Kumar and kept in touch with him with absolutely no intentions of any entrepreneurial motives.
Both Albinder and Saurabh found that there was a huge gap in the delivery industry. They both thought to tap the opportunity as it was a time when many startups were emerging. They felt the need to sort the unorganized hyperlocal space in the transaction made between merchants and consumers.
That is when they started to build a base for their startup. Their idea was to provide a one-stop solution for the customers’ local delivery needs by having on-demand pickup and drop services. This was to facilitate the logistics from the shops around their locality like grocery stores, medical stores, and restaurants for the consumers. Initially, both of them also facilitated the delivery of groceries for customers from the neighbourhood stores and supermarkets.
Blinkit is the new name of Grofers after the completion of its rebranding attempt on December 13, 2021. The coinage of the new name of Grofers is in line with the aim of the company to deliver groceries in an instant, i.e., in the blink of an eye.
“Lets Blink it” or #letsblinkit is the tagline of Blinkit.
Blinkit Logo
The previous name of Blinkit was Grofers, which was a portmanteau of two words – Grocery and Gophers, which particularly meant a person who runs errands. The tagline of Grofers is ‘We get it’ which was initiated with an online advertisement campaign.
Blinkit – Mission and Vision
Blinkit, which was earlier called Grofers, now has a new mission statement that reads “instant commerce indistinguishable from magic.” Blinkit solely believes in serving its customers with instant grocery deliveries within 10 minutes. Prospering in the quick commerce space is what Blinkit currently envisions.
Blinkit – Business Model
Blinkit work on a marketplace business model and might also be referred to as the hyperLocal on-demand logistics system. It aims to replace the need for consumers to travel to the local shops to buy consumer goods rather than wanting them to order online. This startup does not own any grocery stores or warehouses.
It just partners with the local grocery shops in the city and then sends its delivery boys to pick up the items ordered by the consumers from these stores. They accept orders from their mobile application or the website. This tie-up system helps the local grocery shop owners get more orders and also Blinkit make a profit from these orders as the company charges some commission.
Here are some major insights into the inventory-based Blinkit business model:
Key Partners
Grofers, or Blinkit, as it is now called, partners with local merchants and brands, logistics partners, payment providers, investors and its acquisitions.
Key Activities
Some of the major activities that Blinkit is involved in include:
It delivers groceries
Does warehousing
Manages supply chain
Maintains its platform and technology
Takes care of shipping
Manages logistics
Develops innovative software and products
Services customers
Key Resources
Blinkit uses a bunch of resources that include:
Cutting-edge technology
Intellectual properties
Advanced IT and communications infrastructure
Streamlined channels of delivery
A network of local merchants
Funding rounds
Customer Segments
Blinkit assumes all of the individuals, who are residing in India as its customers, including the local merchants.
Advertising Channels
Grofers or Blinkit markets through blogs, and social media channels and also relies heavily on the word of mouth marketing.
Blinkit – Revenue Model
The revenue model of Blinkit is similar to the commission-based revenue model. Blinkit has tied up with the local shop owners and merchants for grocery and daily needs goods in the local areas. Blinkit charges these merchants some commission on these orders. The commission ranges from 8% to 15% when the orders are below 700 and charges 12% to 15% when the orders are below 1000. Blinkit also charge a delivery fee when the order is below the amount of INR 250.
Blinkit has been quite fortunate when it comes to its investors and funding. To date, Blinkit has raised a total of around $1 billion in funds. The recent fundraising round was led by Zomato on March 11, 2022, where the foodtech major infused $100 mn into Blinkit. The quick commerce unicorn has also confirmed that the $100 mn fundraise is the first tranche of a $400 mn funding round and that it will see more funds coming throughout next week. However, the foodtech giant extended a $150 mn loan in its stead.
The online grocery delivery service startup raised $100 million from the Indian food delivery giant, Zomato, which was approved on August 16, 2021. This helped the online grocery delivery major to reach a valuation of more than $1 billion and join the unicorn club. Blinkit was last valued at $1.01 billion after the August 2021 round. The quick commerce unicorn is looking to raise funds close to $500 million from its existing investor and owner, Zomato via a fresh round of funding, which acquired the Dhindsa-led company on 24th June 2022.
Here are the Blinkit’s Funding Details to date-
Date
Amount
Round
Lead Investors
March 16, 2022
$150 Million
Debt Financing
Zomato
March 11, 2022
$100 Million
–
Zomato
September 29, 2021
$16.7 Million
–
KTB Ventures
August 17, 2021
$100 Million
–
Zomato
November 13, 2020
$55 Million
Venture Round
SoftBank Vision Fund (SVF) and other existing investors
December 31, 2019
–
–
–
November 18, 2019
$43.04 Million
Corporate Round
Grofers International Pte Ltd
October 29, 2019
$18.83 Million
Series F
Bennett Coleman and Co Ltd
August 19, 2019
$70 Million
Series F
Softbank Vision Fund
July 15, 2019
$10 Million
Series F
Abu Dhabi Capital Group
May 15, 2019
$220 Million
Series F
Softbank Vision Fund
May 16, 2018
$53.81 Million
Series E
Softbank Vision Fund
October 25, 2017
$12.91 Million
Series D
Grofers International
September 1, 2017
$839K
Debt Financing
Trifecta Capital Advisors
November 2015
$120 Million
Series D
Cyriac Roeding – Roeding Ventures, Softbank, Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global
April 2015
$35 Million
Series C
Sequoia Capital
February 2015
$10 Million
Series B
Sequoia Capital and Tiger Global
December 2014
$500k
Seed Round/Series A
Sequoia Capital, Deepinder Goyal
Blinkit – Shareholding
Blinkit Shareholders
Percentage
Albinder Dhindsa
–
Fund
–
Brand Capital
–
Zomato
100.0%
Other People
–
Other Investors
< 0.1%
Total
100.0%
Blinkit Shareholding
Blinkit – Revenue and Growth
Q4 FY24
Q4 FY23
YoY Change
Orders
65.3 million
39.2 million
66% Growth
Average Order Value
INR 617
INR 522
18% Growth
Monthly Transacting Customers
6.4 million
3.9 million
65% Growth
Monthly Active Riders
89,0000
43,0000
106% Growth
GOV Per Day, Per Store
INR 920
INR 625
47% Growth
No. Of Stores
526
377
40% Growth
In Q4 FY24, Blinkit’s orders reached 65.3 million, marking a 66% increase compared to Q4 FY23. The average order value rose by 18% to INR 617. Monthly transacting customers grew by 65% to 6.4 million, while monthly active riders more than doubled, increasing by 106% to 89,000. The gross order value (GOV) per day, per store, saw a 47% growth, reaching INR 920. Additionally, the number of stores expanded by 40%, totaling 526.
With over 7,000+ products assorted on its website, which are ready for home delivery in as fast as 10 minutes, Blinkit is already one of the largest e-grocery companies in India and has witnessed quite a growth all along the way.
Blinkit – Financials
In Q2 FY25, Blinkit reported a revenue of INR 1,156 crore, more than doubling from INR 505 crore in the same period last year. However, its adjusted EBITDA loss increased to INR 8 crore, up from an INR 3 crore loss in the June quarter. Additionally, Blinkit’s gross order value (GOV) surged by 122% year-on-year to INR 6,132 crore.
Blinkit’s revenue has grown significantly from FY20 to FY24, but losses have also widened. Expenses have risen sharply, reflecting increased operational costs.
Particulars
FY24
FY23
FY22
FY21
FY20
Revenue
INR 1,934 crore
INR 747 crore
INR 242.5 crore
INR 203.9 crore
INR 177.5 crore
Expenses
INR 2,579 crore
INR 1,939 crore
INR 1,262.6 crore
INR 585.7 crore
INR 856.5 crore
Profit/Loss
-INR 645 crore)
-INR 1,192 crore
-INR 1,020.1 crore
-INR 381.7 crore
-INR 679 crore
Blinkit’s Key FY24 Metrics
In Q4 FY24, Blinkit reached a Gross Order Value (GOV) of INR 4,027, with revenue of INR 769 and an adjusted EBITDA of -37. This shows steady progress compared to earlier quarters, with GOV and revenue increasing and losses slowly decreasing.
Blinkit’s revenue grew significantly from INR 747 crore in FY23 to INR 1,934 crore in FY24. However, expenses also increased, though losses have reduced from INR 1,192 crore to INR 645 crore, indicating an improvement in financial performance.
Blinkit Revenue:
Revenue grew significantly from INR 747 crore in FY23 to INR 1,934 crore in FY24, driven by strong growth in operations.
Particulars
FY24
FY23
Total Revenue
INR 1,934 crore
INR 747 crore
Revenue from Operations
INR 1,881 crore
INR 724 crore
Other Income
INR 53 crore
INR 23 crore
Revenue grew by 159% in FY24 compared to FY23, with a major boost from operational revenue.
blinkit – Financials
Blinkit Expenses:
Expenses surged from INR 1,939 crore in FY23 to INR 2,579 crore in FY24, mainly due to employee costs and operational expenses.
Particulars
FY24
FY23
Total Expenses
INR 2,579 crore
INR 1,939 crore
Employee Costs
INR 456 crore
INR 311 crore
Finance Costs
INR 32 crore
INR 185 crore
Depreciation
INR 138 crore
INR 110 crore
Other Expenses
INR 1,953 crore
INR 1,333 crore
Expenses increased by 33% in FY24 compared to FY23, driven by higher operational and employee costs.
Blinkit Profit/Loss:
Losses were reduced from INR 1,192 crore in FY23 to INR 645 crore in FY24, showing an improvement in profitability.
Particulars
FY24
FY23
Profit Before Tax
-INR 645 crore
-INR 1,192 crore
Net Profit/Loss
-INR 645 crore
-INR 1,192 crore
Losses have reduced by 46% in FY24 compared to FY23, showing signs of operational improvement.
Quick Summary:
Revenue Growth: 159% increase in FY24 compared to FY23.
Expense Rise: 33% increase in expenses, mainly due to employee and operational costs.
Loss Reduction: Losses decreased by 46%, indicating improved financial health.
EBITDA
The financial performance of Blinkit changed significantly between FY22 and FY23. The EBITDA margin increased from -398.23% in FY22 to -119.79% in FY23 as a result of lower expenses as a percentage of operational revenue, but the Return on Capital Employed (ROCE) remained negative, despite a minor improvement. Despite the fact that ROCE is still an issue for the organization, these data point to ongoing efforts to improve operational efficiency and cut losses. This is how Blinkit’s story shows its strong growth in revenue and orders, but it still needs to work on reducing its losses.
Blinkit FY22 -FY23
FY22
FY23
EBITDA Margin
-398.23%
-119.79%
Expense/₹ of Op Revenue
₹5.25
₹2.52
ROCE
-1732.70%
-213.59%
Blinkit – Products and Service
Silent Store
Blinkit company has announced the opening of its first “silent” store in Laxmi Nagar in East Delhi in October 2022. This store is unique since it is run by 20 people with special needs who are unable to hear or talk. The startup’s goal in making this change is to make its systems more “inclusive and accessible.”
Print Delivery Store
In a few parts of Delhi-NCR in August 2022, Blinkit began offering printed services at your door in just 11 minutes. For black and white printouts, there will be a fee of Rs 9, and for colorful copies, there will be a fee of Rs 19.
Blinkit – Startup Challenges and Controversies
While in just a few years Blinkit has had a lot of success in the market, it had to face many challenges and hiccups too. Whether it was their delayed service or quality issues of the products, Blinkit has seen many hurdles in its journey.
Also, due to its unsuccessful operations, it had to shut down its operations in major cities like Bhopal, Visakhapatnam, Kochi, and so on. One of their initial challenges was also to find the right people in their team who would align with the vision that the company aimed to have and work on it.
Blinkit company has been facing numerous backlashes from critics since the start of the New Year 2022. Blinkit sacked its employees across some of the major cities including Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Kolkata on March 14, 2022. This firing exercise has reportedly impacted around 5% of its total workforce. Blinkit has also been reported to be delaying its vendor payments lately.
In order to fulfill orders for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus within 10 minutes, Blinkit has partnered up with Apple Premium Reseller Unicorn on September, 22, 2023.
Xiaomi
Blinkit partnered with Xiaomi on November, 18, 2022 with this partnership blinkit will deliver the air purifier in 10 minutes.
Blinkit – Competitors
With no surprise as every other e-commerce platform flourishes with increasing speed, even the online grocery market has grown really big in India. Many big brands and supermarkets are now diverting their interests to selling online and all the existing players need to retain their brands and customers.
Similar is the case with Blinkit. Some of the biggest competitors of Blinkit are:
Since the inception of Grofers now Blinkit, it has been the investors’ favourite but it has tough competition in the e-commerce market. Also, with the entry of the e-commerce giant Amazon into the online grocery market, it is always a big threat to brands like Blinkit.
Blinkit owned by Zomato, plans to increase its number of dark stores to 2,000 by the end of 2026, according to the company’s financial report for Q1 FY25.
Blinkit earlier boasted of having around 13% of the total market share, thereby being the third-largest of the online grocery delivery platforms after Bigbasket and Amazon. Bigbasket is leading the market with around 37% of the total market shares, after which comes Amazon with its 15% shares.
As a Zomato subsidiary, Blinkit strives to be leading the Zomato arm for online delivery.
FAQs
What is Blinkit?
Blinkit is a quick commerce startup platform that provides a variety of daily needs products ranging from groceries, bakery items, baby care items, and many more to its customers.
Who are Grofers founders (Blinkit)?
Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar are Grofers founders.
Who owns Blinkit?
Blinkit was acquired by Zomato in 2022. Since then Zomato has been Blinkit owner.
How does Blinkit make money?
Revenue Model For Blinkit. The company provides a service to its users with its inventory-based model. In return, Blinkit takes a commission on every order, which can be anywhere from 8% to 15%.
Are Blinkit products good?
Blinkit is authentic. The product quality is good as well the price is less than compared to other online sites.
Can I sell on Blinkit?
You need to register with Blinkit and have a seller account with them. Blinkit seller registration will give you a credible platform and a huge customer base to sell your products.
What is Blinkit owner name?
Albinder Dhindsa is the Co-founder and CEO at blinkit.
How does Blinkit work?
Blinkit is an e-commerce marketplace for your daily shopping. It allows you to shop from your favorite store in your neighborhood and get delivery within 10 minutes. You can shop for Groceries, Fruits & Vegetables, Bakery items, Flowers, Meat, Pet Care, Baby Care, and Cosmetics products with just a few taps.
How long does Blinkit take to deliver?
Grofers rebranded as Blinkit aims to deliver orders within 10 minutes.
Is Grofers rebranded?
Yes, Grofers successfully completed a rebranding attempt on December 13, 2021, when the brand published its new name as “Blinkit”. Blinkit old name was Grofers.
Is Blinkit acquired?
Blinkit currently stands acquired by Zomato, which acquired the Albinder Dhindsa-led company in a deal worth $569 mn (Rs 4,447 crore) on June 24, 2022.
Who is Blinkit founder?
Blinkit (earlier Grofers) was founded by two IIT Graduates Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumar.
Which is Blinkit parent company?
The parent company of Blinkit is Zomato.
What is Blinkit net worth?
After being acquired by Zomato, Blinkit now has a valuation of $13 billion.
When was Blinkit launched or founded?
Grofers now Blinkit was launched in the year 2013.
What is Blinkit meaning?
Blinkit is an Indian e-commerce platform specializing in rapid delivery of groceries and daily essentials. The name “Blinkit” reflects its mission to deliver orders as fast as a blink.
Zomato has invested INR 4,300 crore into Blinkit since acquiring the online grocery delivery service, formerly known as Grofers, in an all-stock deal for INR 4,477 crore in August 2022. Zomato has been investing more in Blinkit, mostly to finance its rapid growth and offset operating losses in the fiercely competitive quick commerce market, according to reports published by various media houses. A media article indicates that Blinkit’s revenues sufficiently cover its operational needs; yet, the burn rate remains elevated due to aggressive expansion and rising marketing expenditures.
This necessitates more capital infusions to stimulate expansion. In a recent interview, Blinkit CEO Albinder Dhindsa expressed a similar perspective, stating that the majority of the company’s expenses arise from expansion efforts. Dhindsa stated that the expenses associated with expansion are inescapable, whether incurred through marketing or idle costs. Based on Blinkit’s growth trends, the company may have managed to offset its expansion expenses, but heightened marketing expenditures have impeded progress.
Funds Pouring in Amid Severe Competition
Blinkit’s primary competitors, Swiggy Instamart and Zepto, have been actively securing funding to broaden their operations. Swiggy secured INR 4,500 crore with its IPO in November 2024, while Zepto has accumulated almost $1.3 billion throughout many investment rounds in the past year. On February 21, Swiggy’s board approved an INR 1,000 crore investment in its supply chain division, Scootsy Logistics, which operates dark stores for Instamart.
Swiggy’s IPO prospectus revealed plans to invest an additional INR 1,300 crore in Scootsy to further expand its dark shop network. To strengthen its market position, Blinkit is adopting an aggressive growth strategy centred on its dark store architecture. As of December 2024, the corporation operated 1,007 dark stores, surpassing its growth target of 1,000 three months in advance. Blinkit has revised their expansion aim to achieve 2,000 dark stores by December 2025 instead of December 2026. Furthermore, Blinkit has broadened its product range to encompass high-value SKUs, such as televisions, laptops, and printers, to enhance the average order value.
Rapid Commerce Conflict
The rapid commerce industry has evolved into a high-cash-burn sector, with companies allocating billions towards expansion and client acquisition. Industry estimates indicate that the aggregate monthly cash burn of rapid commerce entities, including new entrants, ranges between INR 1,300 and 1,500 crore—more than double in recent months.
Despite nearing operational breakeven in Q2 FY25, Blinkit’s losses escalated in Q3 FY25, with operating losses rising to INR 103 crore from INR 8 crore in the preceding quarter. Swiggy reported a net loss of INR 799 crore, while Instamart had an adjusted EBITDA loss of INR 578 crore in Q3, compared to INR 358 crore in Q2. Zomato’s ability to continue investing in Blinkit stems from its financial stability. In November 2024, Zomato secured INR 8,500 crore in a qualified institutional placement (QIP) to enhance its balance sheet and finance its rapid commerce operations. As of December 31, 2024, Zomato possessed cash reserves amounting to INR 19,235 crore, providing adequate liquidity to support Blinkit’s expansion.
Zomato, a leading food delivery company, has introduced ‘Nugget’, an AI-driven customer support platform designed to help businesses enhance their customer service operations. This announcement was made by Zomato’s CEO, Deepinder Goyal, on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
Nugget is a no-code platform, meaning businesses can use it without any coding knowledge. It offers options for customisation and is very cost-effective. This eliminates the need for a dedicated development team. The platform automates customer support processes without relying on fixed workflows, allowing for smooth operations.
One of Nugget’s standout features is its ability to autonomously resolve up to 80% of customer queries. It continuously learns and adapts in real time, improving its responses over time. This ensures that customers receive timely and accurate assistance, enhancing their overall experience.
From In-House Tool to Global Solution
Originally developed as an internal tool, Nugget has been in use for over three years within Zomato. It currently manages more than 15 million customer interactions each month across Zomato’s services, including Blinkit and Hyperpure. Given its success, Zomato is now offering Nugget to businesses worldwide. According to Goyal, 90% of companies that have experienced the Nugget platform have chosen to adopt it.
Nugget is the inaugural product from Zomato Labs, the company’s innovation hub focused on developing in-house solutions. This move signifies Zomato’s commitment to utilising technology to improve business operations and customer satisfaction.
Enhancing Customer Support for Businesses
For businesses looking to enhance their customer support without any major investment in technology or personnel, Nugget presents a great solution. Its user-friendly interface, combined with powerful AI capabilities, allows companies to scale their support operations efficiently and effectively.
In summary, Zomato’s launch of Nugget marks a significant advancement in AI-driven customer support solutions. By making this platform available globally, Zomato is enabling businesses of all sizes to improve their customer service operations. This will ultimately lead to better customer experiences and operational efficiency.
On February 17, the foodtech juggernaut Zomato introduced Nugget, an AI-powered customer service tool. Deepinder Goyal, the founder, shared the news on the social media site X. “With its high degree of customisation, low cost, and lack of a development team, Nugget helps businesses scale support with ease.” “Smooth automation, no strict workflows,” the post stated.
Developed as an internal tool more than three years ago, the AI-native no-code customer care platform presently facilitates over 15 million support interactions per month for Hyperpure, Blinkit, and Zomato, according to the business. According to Goyals, the tool exhibits a 20% increase in agent efficiency and can answer up to 80% of queries on its own. According to Goyal, 90% of corporations that have seen Nugget have signed up, and the startup is offering it out to enterprises globally.
Eagerness of Goyal with AI
Executives that see AI as an extension of their own brain are the ones that Zomato‘s Deepinder Goyal is targeting for collaboration. Zomato CEO and co-founder Deepinder Goyal stated in a post on X that he is interested in working with product and business leaders who have already begun utilising AI as their second brain. It’s not the first time Goyal has requested applications on X. He posted a vacancy for the position of chief of staff in November of last year, and more than 10,000 people applied. In addition to a provision (since removed) requiring a donation of INR 20 lakh to the company’s Feeding India effort, the position came with no compensation for the first year. Zomato’s AI policy is different from that of its counterpart Swiggy, which outlawed the use of AI-generated graphics in restaurant menus and promotional materials last year.
What Swiggy is Offering?
Neural search technology was introduced by Swiggy in November 2023, enabling customers to place orders using conversational searches. Accessibility for a wide range of Indian demographics is promised by this invention and promises for voice-based searches in regional languages. By examining traffic patterns and driver availability, AI also improves delivery logistics, cutting down on delivery times and expenses. Swiggy’s incorporation of chatbots driven by GPT-4 further optimises customer service and raises customer satisfaction levels.
For India’s food business, artificial intelligence is no longer a sci-fi idea; rather, it is a revolutionary force that is boosting productivity, sustainability, and consumer happiness. India is on the verge of a food revolution that will shape the future of the sector both domestically and internationally as AI usage spreads throughout agriculture, production, retail, and delivery. India can tackle issues like food security, waste, and supply chain inefficiencies by adopting AI technologies. AI positions India as a global leader in AI-driven food innovation by improving operational efficiencies and promoting the sustainability and inclusivity of the food ecosystem.
Zomato is one of India’s leading food delivery companies, making it easy to get your favourite meals to your doorstep. But Zomato is more than just a food delivery app, it has grown into a powerhouse by acquiring several businesses.
The Deepinder Goyal-led company now offers services like quick grocery delivery through Blinkit and entertainment ticketing after acquiring Paytm’s entertainment ticketing business. These moves have helped Zomato stay ahead in the competitive market.
In this article, we’ll explore all the companies owned by Zomato and its key acquisitions. So, without any further ado, let’s get right into exploring companies under Zomato and see how they contribute to the company’s success.
The key to making acquisitions is being ready because you really never know when the right big one is going to come along. – James McNerneyGoyal
About Zomato
Zomato, founded in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, is a leading Indian food delivery and restaurant discovery platform headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana. Initially known as Foodiebay, Zomato has expanded its services to include food delivery, table reservations, and more.
In February 2025, Zomato rebranded as “Eternal” to reflect its broader business scope, which now includes:
Zomato: Food delivery services.
Blinkit: Quick-commerce unit.
District: Live events business.
Hyperpure: Kitchen supplies unit.
This rebranding aligns with Zomato’s strategic focus on quick-commerce growth, particularly through its Blinkit acquisition.
Zomato’s mission is to “ensure nobody has a bad meal,” reflecting its commitment to enhancing dining experiences through technology and innovation.
Paytm Insider is one of India’s largest platforms to discover and find tickets to exciting live events and experiences in the country. Starting out in 2014 with tickets to Bacardi NH7 Weekender and Russell Peter’s early India tours, it has emerged as a leading entertainment ticketing platform. Zomato acquired Paytm’s entertainment ticketing business, Paytm Insider in August 2024 for INR 2,048 crore.
Blinkit
When we talk about the companies under Zomato, the first name that comes to mind is Blinkit. Blinkit, formerly Grofers, is an Indian quick-commerce platform that delivers groceries and essentials to customers’ doorsteps. Founded in December 2013 by Albinder Dhindsa and Saurabh Kumarand based in Gurugram, it promises delivery within 10 minutes. In June 2022, Zomato acquired Blinkit for approximately $568 million (INR 4,447 crore).
Hyperpure is Zomato’s B2B food supply platform, acquired in August 2018 through the takeover of Bengaluru-based startup WOTU. It provides restaurants with fresh, high-quality ingredients like fruits, vegetables, dairy, poultry, and grains. Hyperpure helps eateries maintain food safety and consistency by sourcing directly from farmers and producers. It has expanded across multiple cities, becoming one of the most important parts of Zomato’s supply chain ecosystem.
Feeding India
Feeding India is a non-profit organisation that fights hunger and food waste in India. Zomato acquired it in July 2019 to support its mission. Feeding India collects extra food from restaurants, events, and homes, then gives it to people in need. After the acquisition, Zomato helped expand its efforts, making food more accessible to underprivileged communities.
Fitso
In January 2021, Zomato acquired Fitso, a sports facilities provider, for approximately INR 80-100 crore. Fitso offers access to various sports activities like swimming, basketball, and tennis through a subscription model. Later, in November 2021, Zomato sold Fitso to Cult.fit for about $50 million.
Menu Mania was a restaurant discovery service, through which one could discover local places where they could eat. It was founded in the year 2006, and its headquarters were situated in Auckland, New Zealand.
In July 2014, Zomato acquired Menu Mania for an undisclosed amount. This acquisition marked Zomato’s first entry into the New Zealand market and its first acquisition in the Internet Software and Services sector.
Following the acquisition, Menu Mania’s website was integrated into Zomato’s platform as Zomato.co.nz. However, later on, Zomato stopped operations in New Zealand but continues to offer dine-in restaurant exploration and food delivery services in India and the UAE.
Urbanspoon
Urbanspo – Zomato Acquired Companies
Urbanspoon was a restaurant discovery service. Through its help, one could discover restaurants where users could give reviews and also recommend them to other people. It was founded in the year 2006 by Adam Doppelt, Ethan Lowry, and Patrick O’Donnell. The headquarters were situated in Seattle, United States of America.
At first, the service was open in countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and of course the United States of America. Urbanspoon was acquired by Zomato on 12th January 2015 for $55 million. Through the acquisition, Zomato established itself in countries like Australia and Canada.
MapleGraph Solutions was founded in the year 2011 by Arun Tangri and Varun Tangri, it is a technology powerhouse whose headquarters is situated in New Delhi, India. The company is all about building cloud-based and mobile-based solutions for everyone.
Zomato acquired MapleGraph in April 2015, and the company developed MaplePOS, which was later renamed Zomato POS. After this acquisition, Zomato Base was made to enable restaurants to manage their menus and also has an inbuilt payment system. This helped Zomato in providing restaurants with business-focused solutions.
Runnr
Runnr – Zomato Acquired Companies
Runnr was a startup founded in the year 2015 by Aravind Reddy, Arpit Dave, Gnanesh Chillukuri, Mohit Kumar, Mukunda NS, and Vatsal Singhal. It was a B2B platform that provided hyperlocal management services to those who get together and partner with merchants. Zomato acquired Runnr in 2017 to boost their delivery ways and to provide a good food delivery experience to their customers, the amount of the deal was not disclosed.
Uber Eats India
Uber Eats – Zomato Acquired Companies
Uber Eats India was another popular food delivery service in India through which one could get their favourite food at their doorstep. It was the India-based app of the American company Uber, founded in 2014 by Garrett Camp and Travis Kalanick. Uber Eats India was sold by Uber, and Zomato acquired the food delivery in 2020 for $350 million.
Lunchtime
Lunchtime was an online restaurant guide platform through which one could find different restaurants, pubs, and cafes in the Czech Republic. This online platform was founded in 2008, and users could find over 3,000 restaurants in Bohemia and Moravia through this app. Zomato acquired Lunchtime in 2014, though the amount was not disclosed.
The primary reason for this acquisition was to increase Zomato’s presence in more countries, and they were successful in doing so. However, as of September 2023, Lunchtime.cz initiated the liquidation process and is no longer operational.
Obedovat
Obedovat – Zomato Acquired Companies
Obedovat was an online restaurant guide platform for Slovakia, through which users could find numerous eateries across the country. It was founded in 2004. Zomato acquired this platform in 2014 for $3.25 million, helping Zomato expand its services into Slovakia. However, Zomato’s subsidiary, Obedovat, initiated liquidation and is no longer operational.
TongueStun
ToungeStun – Zomato Acquired Companies
TongueStun, an online marketplace was founded in the year 2012 by Manjunath Ramakrishnan, it deals with corporate catering. It specialised in corporate catering and served 1,500 companies with its catering services. Zomato acquired this company in the year 2018. The main reason for the acquisition was to make their presence in the workspace. Zomato acquired the startup for $18 million.
Sparse Labs was a logistic tech startup that was founded in the year 2014 by Pankaj Batra. Spars Labs ensured hyperlocal delivery companies have a smooth journey while delivering to their customers. Zomato acquired it in 2016, but the amount was not disclosed.
The acquisition helped Zomato improve its delivery services. Later on, Sparse Labs’ operations were integrated and it no longer functions as a standalone entity under Zomato.
Cibando
Cibando – Zomato Acquisitions
Cibando was an app that focused on serving iPhone users by allowing them to find restaurants and eatery places in different cities across Italy. It was founded in the year 2010 by Guk Kim. Zomato acquired Cibandoo in 2014 for an undisclosed amount.
The acquisition helped Zomato establish its presence in Italy. However, Cibando’s operations have since been integrated into Zomato’s platform and are no longer active as a separate app.
Gastronauci
Gastronauci – Zomato Acquisitions
Gastronauci was a Poland-based company that provided restaurant finder service. It was founded in the year 2007. Zomato acquired Gastronauci in 2014 and the main reason was to expand their global presence. After the acquisition, Gastronauci’s services were integrated into Zomato’s platform and are no longer available as a separate service.
NexTable
NexTable – Zomato Acquisitions
Founded in the year 2012, NexTable was a cloud-based table management restaurant reservation system. The main function of NexTable was to help customers reserve tables online in restaurants. Zomato acquired the company in the year 2015 and changed its name to Zomato Book. The amount was not disclosed. As of now, the Zomato Book service has been integrated into the company’s broader offerings.
Mekanist
Mekanist – Zomato Acquisitions
Another restaurant finder service Mekanist was a Turkish online platform through which one could find restaurants, cafes, pubs, and all. It was founded in the year 2008 by Ali Servet Eyuboglu, Alper Tekin, and Eren Baydemir. In 2015, Zomato bought Mekanist for an undisclosed amount. Again it was to increase their global presence. The services previously offered by Mekanist have been fully integrated into Zomato’s platform. Mekanist is no longer operating as a separate entity.
Zomato has become a huge name in the food delivery business industry, there is hardly anyone who is not aware of the app. Zomato is continuously trying to acquire more and more companies, some of them that are directly helping them better their services so that they can be undefeatable in this industry.
FAQs
What are the subsidiaries of Zomato?
Zomato’s key subsidiaries include Blinkit, Hyperpure, District, and Zomato itself, all of which operate under its parent company, Eternal Limited.
Who is the founder of Zomato?
Zomato was founded by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah in 2008.
Who is the CEO of Zomato?
Deepinder Goyal is currently serving as the CEO of Zomato.
Is Zomato making a profit?
Yes, Zomato is profitable, posting a profit of INR 351 crore in FY24, compared to a loss of INR 917 crore in FY23.
What is the parent company of Zomato?
The parent company of Zomato is Eternal Limited, which was previously known as Zomato Limited. The company rebranded in January 2025 to reflect its broader scope and growth.
What are the Zomato-owned companies?
Zomato owns several companies, including Blinkit, Hyperpure, Paytm Insider, Feeding India, and more. These acquisitions help Zomato expand its presence across different sectors, such as quick commerce, entertainment ticketing business, and more.
There were days when we used to call different restaurants to place orders and again call up for corrections, directions, and reservations. Then came applications like Zomato, which reversed the whole scenario and made it extremely simple for consumers.
Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah founded Zomato in 2008, which eased the process of food delivery and eating out, with the help of which we now can enjoy the best food served by the restaurants in our locality.
Know more about Zomato’s Success Story, Founders, and Team, Startup Story, History, Funding and Investors, Acquisitions, Business Model, Revenue Model, Competitors, and Growth in the article ahead.
Zomato is an Indian food delivery startup restaurant aggregator. It primarily provides concrete information, menus, and user reviews of the restaurants. Along with this, Zomato also has food delivery options from partnered restaurants in the selected cities.
Zomato Story Line
Zomato – Industry
The online food delivery industry in India is anticipated to cross INR 2 lakh crore by 2030, growing at a remarkable 18% CAGR according to a joint report by Bain and Company and Swiggy.
According to growth projections, the market volume is expected to reach US $81.91 billion by 2028, highlighting the noteworthy influence and continued growth of the online food delivery sector in India.
Zomato – Founders and Team
The founders of Zomato are Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah. Both are IIT graduates and were working with Bain & Co. in New Delhi before they came together to launch Zomato.
Deepinder Goyal (Co-Founder and CEO, Zomato) and Pankaj Chaddah Co-Founder of Zomato
Deepinder Goyal
Deepinder Goyal, the Co-Founder and CEO of Zomato is an IIT Delhi alumnus. Goyal was not a good student back at school, but he eventually made his way to the prestigious IIT. After completing his graduation, Goyal was hired by Bain and Company, where he served as a Senior Associate Consultant for a little less than 4 years, after which he founded Zomato.
In November 2024, Zomato disclosed in its QIP documents that Deepinder Goyal had waived his annual salary of INR 3.5 crore from April 2021 to March 2026. Goyal was also a shark on Shark Tank India Season 3.
Pankaj Chaddah is a BTech, Mechanical Engineering graduate from IIT Delhi. Chaddah completed his graduation and then went to join Bain and Company, where he served for two and half years before joining Deepinder to found Zomato. However, this co-founder resigned from Zomato in May 2018, where he served as a “conscience keeper and a support system during upheavals,” as he had described his role, for over 10 years. Chaddah founded Shyft (formerly Mindhouse) in November 2019, where he currently serves as a Co-Founder.
Aakriti Chopra, one of the early employees of Zomato, has been promoted to the Co-Founder position. She worked as the Chief People Officer when the promotion landed to recognize her contributions to the company. Aakriti Chopra is the wife of Albinder Dhindsa, the chief of Blinkit, and her promotion came in on June 9, 2022, with the signaling of the companies coming closer. So now, the revelation is somewhat interesting that the Zomato Co-Founder, Aakriti Chopra, is married to the Founder of Blinkit, Albinder Dhindsa.
Gaurav Gupta, who initially joined as the Global Head of the Advertising sales of Zomato and COO and was later promoted to the Co-Founder position of the platform,resigned on September 14, 2021.Gaurav headed the supply of the food-tech company.
On his parting, Gaurav Gupta had drafted a beautiful mail that he sent to everyone at Zomato with a special address to Deepinder Goyal. Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal did not fail to reply to the touching mail.
Furthermore, Deepinder also tweeted about the exit of his co-founder, thanking him for the amazing journey they spent together. Here goes his Tweet:
Thank you @grvgpta – the last 6 years have been amazing and we have come very far. There’s so much of our journey still ahead of us, and I am thankful that we have a great team and leadership to carry us forward.https://t.co/AJAmC5ie6R
Zomato’s beginning story can be traced back to the creative minds of Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, two IIT Delhi grads who worked in New Delhi for Bain & Company. ‘Foodiebay’ was developed in 2008 by them as a way to save time and streamline food access. It became the biggest restaurant directory in Delhi NCR in an astounding nine months, and it quickly spread to Mumbai and Kolkata.
Following two prosperous years, the business changed its name and became Zomato. Due to the app’s ability to browse menus, read reviews, and place food orders from partner restaurants, its popularity skyrocketed, and it began to expand steadily throughout the world. Foodiebay changed its name to Zomato on January 18, 2010, and by 2019, it had grown into a major international restaurant aggregator with operations in 24 countries and more than 10,000 cities.
Zomato – Startup History
When the founders launched this website, it wasn’t called Zomato back then, it was called Foodiebay. It initially started out in Delhi, then the services were extended to cities like Mumbai and Kolkata.
With the tremendous user base and growth rates that Foodiebay brought in to the founders, they decided to modify it and take it international. That’s when this venture started being called Zomato, as we know it today. It was in 2010 when Foodiebay was officially rechristened as Zomato.
Zomato – Mission and Vision
Zomato states that its mission is “to provide better food for more people.”
Zomato Co-Founder Pankaj Chaddah declared that the vision of Zomato “is to be the global platform when someone is looking for food locally.”
Zomato – Name, Tagline, and Logo
Zomato Logo
The founders changed Foodiebay to ‘Zomato’ to make it more prominent and easier to memorize.
In February 2025, Zomato announced that it renamed the company “Eternal” and unveiled a new logo. This rebranding reflects the company’s expansion beyond food delivery to include the quick-commerce unit Blinkit, live events business District, and kitchen supplies unit Hyperpure. Deepinder Goyal stated that the name change applies solely to the company, not its brand or app. The stock ticker will switch from ZOMATO to ETERNAL.
Some of the prominent products/services of Zomato are:
Zomato Wings: Linking Restaurants and Investors
Zomato unveiled Zomato Wings, a website that links restaurant owners and investors. Serving as a fundraising intermediary, Zomato places a strong emphasis on building a connection between restaurants and venture capital firms to promote expansion in the food sector.
Zomato AI – Revolutionizing Food Discovery
Zomato AI, an innovative AI-powered food discovery companion, is integrated into the platform to redefine how users interact with food-related services. This advanced feature offers personalized suggestions, catering to individual preferences, dietary needs, and moods, revolutionizing the dining experience.
Zomato Future Foundation
Investing in Education: Up to two children of Zomato delivery partners are financially supported by the Zomato Future Foundation, which focuses on education. The project supports employee families and provides further education scholarships for top performance, with an annual coverage of Rs 50,000 per child.
Zomato’s Hyperpure
The B2B food tech vertical Hyperpure by Zomato is revolutionizing restaurant operations. With the help of this program, restaurants can purchase premium foods straight from farmers and producers, guaranteeing the consistency, quality, and freshness of their supply.
Zomato Gold
Free deliveries, VIP access during rush hours, and extra savings on dining and delivery services are all included with this exclusive Zomato Gold membership.
Zomaland
Zomato curates an offline carnival called Zomaland that features interactive installations, musicians, comedians, and some of the best restaurants in town. The finest of Zomato Collections are on display at this large event, which provides an immersive experience that goes beyond the screen.
Xtreme
Zomato’s parcel delivery app, Xtreme, was released in October 2023 and allows retailers to send and receive tiny parcels. Zomato’s revenue streams are diversified and its services are expanded beyond food delivery through Xtreme’s utilization of its vast network of delivery partners.
Zomato – Business Model
Zomato’s business model is a shining example of innovation and change in the food technology industry. Zomato is an international restaurant aggregator and food delivery company based in India that has completely changed how people find restaurants and order food.
Originally established as a restaurant discovery platform, Zomato swiftly evolved to encompass a broader spectrum of services, including food delivery and table reservations. Its success is ascribed to the skillful fusion of state-of-the-art technology, effective logistics, and a user-centric mindset. Zomato’s business model is multidimensional, encompassing many revenue streams and services, which together form a comprehensive ecosystem within the food and restaurant industry.
Zomato is a powerful player in the fast-paced food delivery and restaurant aggregation business. It operates in a highly competitive environment both locally and abroad. Its tenacity, diversification, and skillful use of technology have cemented its position.
Zomato – Revenue Model
Zomato makes revenue from different resources; some of the prominent ones are:
Primary Revenue Source: Zomato’s primary source of revenue is the channel it offers for businesses to place their advertisements on the platform.
Commission-Based Plan: Zomato charges restaurants a fee to be included on its platform and to process orders. Its business plan is based on commissions.
Zomato Pro Membership: Through the Zomato Pro membership program (previously Zomato Gold), a loyalty program that offers members access to special privileges and services, Zomato increases its revenue.
To help the restaurant sector, we will also forego the payment gateway charges incurred on all such orders.
We have already seen more than 200% increase in takeaway order volume in the last few months.
In an exchange filing on October 2, 2024, Zomato approved the issuance of nearly 12 million ESOPs valued at approximately INR 330.17 crore. A total of 11,997,768 shares were allocated under its ESOP schemes, with 11,997,652 options under the ESOP 2021 plan and 116 options under the ESOP 2014 plan.
Earlier, in November 2023, Zomato had granted 10,64,69,448 fully paid-up shares through its ESOPs, totalling around INR 10.65 crore.
On December 2, 2024, Zomato approved the allotment of 47.75 crore equity shares to the Foodie Bay Employees ESOP Trust under multiple ESOP plans, including the Zomato Employee Stock Option Plans of 2018, 2021, 2022, and 2024. This move will increase the company’s share capital from INR 917.28 crore to INR 965.03 crore.
In January 2025, Zomato further expanded its ESOP pool by adding 4.17 crore stock options as part of its ongoing strategy to reward employees and retain talent amid the competitive food delivery market.
Zomato – Challenges Faced
Throughout its progress, Zomato encountered numerous obstacles that called for calculated solutions. One of the biggest challenges was trying to incorporate every restaurant in all of the major cities so that customers could have access to the best local eating alternatives. This goal, which has remained constant since the company’s founding, needs constant work.
Critical obstacles that Zomato faced included possible business losses as a result of relationships being negatively impacted by growing commissions, investor exits having an influence on its cap table, and share price declines subsequent to the acquisition of Blinkit. The Competition Commission of India (CCI) investigated the company for alleged unfair trading practices, focusing on problems including deep discounting and hefty fees.
Zomato has had to deal with controversy, including the #Logout campaign that restaurants started because of their profit margins. Threats to cybersecurity, a significant cyberattack in 2017, and problems with customer service, including the #RejectZomato incident, highlighted the company’s need to deal with a variety of difficulties.
Notwithstanding these obstacles, Zomato demonstrated tenacity by modifying its business plans and operations, rebranding, cutting back on services, and addressing legal issues while highlighting its dedication to expansion and advancement.
Zomato raised INR 8,500 crore through a Qualified Institutional Placement (QIP) by issuing 33.6 crore shares at INR 252.62 each. The offering, which closed on November 28, 2024, will help strengthen Zomato’s financial position, supporting business growth and strategic initiatives, particularly in the quick commerce sector through Blinkit. Prominent mutual funds ICICI Prudential, Motilal Oswal, and HDFC Mutual Fund were among the investors allotted more than 5% of the shares offered in the issue.
To date, Zomato has raised close to $3.4 billion in funding over 24 funding rounds.
Here is a list of all the funding rounds of Zomato:
Date
Stage
Amount
Investor
March 6, 2024
Post-IPO Secondary
$341.5 million
–
November 28, 2023
Post-IPO Secondary
Rs 3,336 crore
August 30, 2023
Post-IPO Secondary
Rs 947 crore
–
November 30, 2022
Post-IPO Secondary
Rs 607.60 crore
Camas Investments
August 3, 2022
Post-IPO Secondary
$392 million
February 2021
Venture Round
$250 million
Kora, Tiger Global, Fidelity
December 2020
Series J
$660 million
Kora, Tiger Global Management
November 2020
Series J
–
–
October 2020
Series J
$52M
Kora
September 2020
Series J
$166 million
Tiger Global
April 2020
Series J
$5 million
Baillie Gifford
January 2020
Corporate Round
$150 million
Ant Financial
March 2019
Corporate Round
$55 million
Delivery Hero
February 2019
Series J
$35 million
Glade Brook Capital Partners
October 2018
Series J
$210 million
Ant Financial
February 2018
Series I
$200 million
Ant Financial
April 2017
Series H
$20 million
Sequoia Capital India
September 2015
Series G
$60 million
Temasek Holdings, Vy Capital
April 2015
Series F
$50 million
Info Edge, Vy Capital
November 2014
Series E
$60 million
Info Edge, Vy Capital
November 2013
Series D
$37 million
Info Edge, Sequoia Capital
February 2013
Series C
$10 million
Info Edge
September 2012
Series B
$2.3 million
Info Edge
September 2011
Series A
$3.5 million
Info Edge
Zomato – Investments
Zomato has invested in 14 companies to date.
Here is a list of the major investments done by Zomato:
Date
Name of the Company
Amount
Funding Round
April 17, 2022
UrbanPiper
$24 million
Series B
March 15, 2022
blinkit
$150 million
Debt Financing
March 15, 2022
Mukunda Foods
$5 million
Corporate Round
March 11, 2022
blinkit
$100 million
Convertible Note
January 28, 2022
Adonmo
$15 million
Corporate Round
January 28, 2022
UrbanPiper
$5 million
Corporate Round
December 10, 2021
Shiprocket
$185 million
Series E
November 10, 2021
Magicpin
$60 million
Series D
November 9, 2021
Shiprocket
$75 million
Corporate Round
November 9, 2021
Cult.fit
$145 million
Series F
June 14, 2018
Loyal Hospitality
–
Venture Round
September 25, 2017
TinMen
–
Seed Round
September 2, 2015
Grab
–
Seed Round
Exit
Zomato has exited from two companies: blinkit and Grab.
Zomato – Acquisitions
Zomato has acquired 16 companies to date.
Here’s a list of the Zomato acquisitions:
Acquired
Date
Amount
Paytm – Entertainment Ticketing Business
August 21, 2024
Rs 2,048 crore
blinkit
June 24, 2022
$725 million
FITSO
January 20, 2021
Rs 100 crore
Uber Eats India
January 21, 2020
$206 million
Tonguestun Food Network Pvt Limited
September 5, 2018
$18 million
Runnr
June 6, 2017
–
Sparse Labs
September 26, 2016
–
Nextable
April 22, 2015
–
MapleGraph Solutions Private Limited
April 14, 2015
–
Mekanist
January 29, 2015
–
Urbanspoon
January 12, 2015
$55 million
Cibando
December 2014
–
gastronauci.pl
September 2014
–
Lunchtime
August 2014
–
Obedovat
August 2014
–
MenuMania
July 2014
–
Zomato – Growth
Zomato has grown far and wide ever since it brought the disruptive idea of food delivery into the Indian ecosystem of startups.
Here’s a look at Zomato’s growth highlights:
By 2011, Zomato had successfully established a monopoly in Delhi, NCR, and had moved to other Indian cities like Pune, Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad.
Zomato also kept up with the smartphone boom and timely launched its mobile application. This greatly contributed to its growth.
By 2012, Zomato had begun its overseas operations, full-fledged in countries like the UAE, Sri Lanka, Qatar, the United Kingdom, the Philippines, and South Africa.
In 2013, it added Turkey, Brazil, and New Zealand to its ever-growing list of expansions.
In 2017, Zomato claimed that it was operating profitably in all 24 countries, along with rolling out a zero-commission model. The company claimed that its revenue grew by 81% in this particular year.
In the same year, the online ordering services of the company crossed the mega milestone of 3 million orders per month. Zomato proudly boasts of serving 1.5+ million orders in a day.
Zomato delivered its 1 billion orders in July 2021.
Zomato had 226,000 average monthly active food delivery restaurant partners.
Zomato had352,000 average monthly delivery partners.
It had 647 million orders and 58 million customers in fiscal year FY23.
In Q3 FY25, Zomato posted a revenue of INR 5,405 crore, marking a 64.4% increase from the previous year. However, its profit declined by 57% year-on-year to INR 59 crore due to rising expenses. The company’s diverse business units, including food delivery, Hyperpure, and Blinkit, contributed significantly to its revenue growth. Zomato’s overall revenue for the quarter reached INR 5,657 crore, reflecting strong performance in multiple sectors despite the drop in profits.
Zomato Yearly Financials
Particulars
FY24
FY23
Total Revenue
12,961 crore
7,760.9 Cr
Revenue from operations
INR 12,114 crore
INR 7,079.4 crore
Other income
INR 847 crore
INR 681.5 crore
Profit/(Loss) before tax
INR 291 crore
(INR 1,014.6 crore)
Tax expense
(INR 60 crore)
(INR 43.6 crore)
Current tax
INR 1 crore
INR 0.4 crore
Deferred tax
(INR 61 crore)
(INR 44 crore)
Profit/(Loss) for the year
Profit of INR 351 crore
Loss of INR 917 crore
Zomato Expense Breakdown
FY24
FY23
Total Expenses
INR 12,670 crore
INR 8,775.3 crore
Purchase of stock-in-trade
INR 2,887 crore
INR 1,438.2 crore
Changes in inventories
(INR 5 crore)
(INR 43 crore)
Employee benefit expense
INR 1,659 crore
INR 1,465 crore
Finance costs
INR 72 crore
INR 48.7 crore
Amortization & Depreciation
INR 526 crore
INR 436.9 crore
Other expenses
INR 7,531 crore
INR 5,429.5 crore
Zomato saw growth in FY24, with its operating revenue increasing by 70.8%, reaching INR 12,114 crore compared to INR 7,079.4 crore in FY23. The company also turned profitable, posting a profit of INR 351 crore in FY24, compared to a loss of INR 917 crore in FY23. However, total expenses increased by 44.4% to INR 12,670 crore in FY24, up from INR 8,775.3 crore in FY23.
Zomato – Advertisements and Social Media Campaigns
Zomato Campaign
Zomato’s digital campaign, #zomatoloot, is causing a stir on the internet thanks to its creative marketing approach. Zomato addresses consumers weary of seeing the same old YouTube advertisements for “creamy pasta” and “butter chicken,” and presents an option for interaction.
By encouraging people to make advertisements they would enjoy viewing, the campaign upends the status quo in the advertising industry. Zomato is well known for its meal delivery services, but it has also made a name for itself with clever slogans and creative advertising campaigns. This campaign demonstrates the brand’s capacity to use creativity to engage consumers in ways that go beyond its main service offering.
Zomato has won a range of prestigious awards throughout the years. The food tech giant even bagged the top honors at the seventh edition of The Economic Times Startup Awards, including the Startup of the Year award in 2021.
Zomato – Competitors
Though Zomato is very predominantly present in the industry, it does face a lot of direct and indirect competition. Zomato faces direct competition from Swiggy, and competition from other players, including:
Zomato invested an additional INR 500 crore into Blinkit in January 2025 and plans to open 2,000 stores by December 2025, ahead of its original target of 2026. This expansion is part of Zomato’s strategy to grow beyond food delivery, including areas like quick commerce with Blinkit, live events through District, and kitchen supplies via Hyperpure. However, this rapid growth has increased operating costs and is expected to affect short-term profitability, with the company expecting losses in the near future.
FAQs
What does Zomato do?
Zomato is a foodtech company, which helps users scan through the restaurants and eateries in their town, book reservations, share reviews, opt for home deliveries from them, and more.
Who are the Founders/Owners of Zomato?
The founders of Zomato are Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah.
When is Zomato launch date?
Zomato was founded in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah in Gurgaon, Haryana India.
Where did Zomato start?
Zomato started in Delhi NCR and is currently headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana.
What is Zomato South Africa?
Zomato South Africa Proprietary (Pty) Ltd. was a Zomato subsidiary that operated in South Africa. However, Zomato South Africa was shut down by Zomato in January 2022.
How does Zomato make Money?
The main source of revenue is the advertisements channel that the portal offers to display. This accounts for most of its revenue followed by the commissions that it charges to the restaurants. It works on a Commission Business Model.
Is Zomato an Indian Company?
Yes. Zomato is headquartered in Gurgaon, Haryana, India.
What number of orders per day does Zomato deliver?
Looking at the Zomato number of orders per day, we can safely conclude that the foodtech delivers over 1.5 million orders daily.
How did Zomato start?
Zomato, founded as “Foodiebay” in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah, began as an online restaurant directory and quickly evolved into a leading food discovery and delivery platform.
