Deepinder Goyal just made one of the biggest friends-and-family bets in startup history. The Zomato co-founder's new venture Temple pulled in $54 million at a $190 million post-money valuation, according to TechCrunch. The brain-monitoring wearable startup signals Goyal's pivot from food delivery to health tech, and the unusually large early-stage round reveals just how much confidence his network has in his next act.
The size of Temple's friends-and-family round is raising eyebrows across India's startup ecosystem. Most pre-seed rounds from personal networks clock in under $5 million, but Goyal's track record apparently unlocked something closer to a Series A. The Zomato co-founder built one of India's most valuable consumer tech companies, and his inner circle is betting he can do it again in an entirely different category.
Brain-monitoring wearables represent one of the hottest emerging spaces in consumer health tech. Companies like Neuralink have generated massive buzz around brain-computer interfaces, while more accessible consumer devices from startups like Muse and Emotiv have carved out early market share. Temple appears positioned to bring brain monitoring into mainstream wellness, though details about the actual product remain scarce.
Goyal's pivot from food delivery to neurotechnology might seem random, but there's logic in the founder-market fit. Building Zomato required mastering consumer behavior, supply chain logistics, and hardware integration through restaurant tablets and delivery infrastructure. Those skills translate surprisingly well to consumer wearables, where understanding user habits and managing hardware production pipelines matter just as much as the underlying technology.
The $190 million valuation before shipping a single unit shows how much startup valuations have shifted toward founder reputation over demonstrated traction. Traditional venture wisdom says valuations should reflect product-market fit, revenue multiples, or at minimum a working prototype. But in 2026's founder economy, a successful exit and a compelling pitch can unlock nine-figure valuations at the friends-and-family stage. It's a bet on Goyal's execution ability rather than Temple's current progress.
