Former Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal has raised $54 million in a fresh funding round for his new wearable startup, Temple, signaling a strategic pivot toward high-stakes neurotechnology and elite performance optimization. The capital injection, structured as a friends-and-family round, values the venture at approximately $190 million post-money.
High-Profile Backing and $190M Valuation
Goyal confirmed the funding via X, noting that the round was led by his own capital followed by Steadview Capital. The investor roster includes prominent venture firms such as Peak XV Partners, InfoEdge Ventures, and Dharana Capital. A significant group of Indian tech leaders also participated, including Vijay Shekhar Sharma (Paytm), Kunal Shah (CRED), and the Kamath brothers (Zerodha). Notably, more than 30 employees joined the round at the same $190 million valuation, alongside several current and former executives from Goyal’s previous venture, Eternal.
Disrupting the Wearable Market with Cerebral Tracking
Temple aims to transcend the capabilities of existing fitness trackers by focusing on deep physiological data. Goyal detailed in a recent interview that the flagship sensor is designed to sit on the user’s temple to monitor cerebral blood flow continuously. This focus on the brain distinguishes the device from wrist-based wearables that primarily track heart rate and movement.
In a recent announcement, Goyal characterized Temple as the “ultimate wearable for elite performance athletes,” promising precision and metrics that currently do not exist in the consumer market. To achieve this, the startup is aggressively recruiting specialists in computational neuroscience, brain-computer interface (BCI) engineering, and embedded systems.
A Strategic Exit from the Food Delivery Giant
The launch of Temple follows Goyal’s departure from his role as Chief Executive of Zomato and its parent company, Eternal, in January. After nearly two decades leading the food delivery platform he co-founded in 2008, Goyal handed the reins to Albinder Dhindsa, head of the quick-commerce unit Blinkit. This transition allows Goyal to focus on what he describes as “higher-risk exploration and experimentation.”
During his tenure at Zomato, Goyal oversaw massive scaling and aggressive consolidation, including the acquisition of Uber Eats’ India operations in 2020 and the $568 million purchase of Blinkit (formerly Grofers) in 2022. His co-founder, Pankaj Chaddah, had previously exited the company in 2018.
Expanding the Frontier of Human Performance
Temple represents a core component of Goyal’s expanding interest in health and longevity technology. In late 2025, he committed $25 million of his personal capital to Continue Research, a venture focused on extending human lifespan. His investment portfolio also includes aviation and defense startup LAT Aerospace and health-tech firm Ultrahuman.
By entering the performance wearable space, Temple faces established competition from brands like Whoop, Oura, and Garmin. However, Goyal’s bet rests on the ability to provide specialized, medical-grade cerebral data that these general-purpose devices currently lack.
