Janta hai tera baap kaun hai?: Zomato CEO's dad when he began startup

“'Janta hai tera baap kaun hai?”: said Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal’s dad when he pitched his startup idea to him. Goyal started his food delivery business Zomato 16 years ago in 2008. 

Goyal explained his father's point was, “You can't do a startup.' I come from a small town in Punjab, that's the background." 

Deepinder Goyal was talking at the Vishesh Sampark, an event hosted by Hardeep Singh Puri, Minister of Urban Development for innovators and entrepreneurs to talk about the “country's digital transformation and future potential” under PM Narendra Modi.

The CEO discussed how the perception of startups has changed in recent years and shared his opinion on how the government has contributed to this change. 

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

Deepinder Goyal, Zomato

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

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

Social Media Reaction:

Minister Puri’s post is getting mixed reactions from X users.

One user wrote: "started Zomato in 2008"  Not sure NDA govt was there then”.

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

Let's celebrate our tech leaders! 

#TechLeadersWithNamo #Visheshsampark”

While one user wrote: “Thanks Mr. Puri for telling whole India that how Dr. Manmohan Singh govt formed policies which initiated startup culture”.