History Of Zomato: Zomato was founded in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah. It’s an Indian company that helps people find restaurants and get food delivered. As of 2022–23, Zomato operates in more than 1,000 cities and towns across India. It provides information about restaurants including menus and user reviews. Additionally, Zomato allows customers to order food from partner restaurants.
| Company Name | Zomato |
| Founders | Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah |
| Current CEO (2024) | Deepinder Goyal |
| Founded Year | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Gurgaon, Haryana, India |
| Services | Food delivery |
| Official Website | www.zomato.com |
History Of Zomato
Founding and Early Days:
- Zomato, originally called FoodieBay, was founded in 2008 by Deepinder Goyal and Pankaj Chaddah.
- They initially focused on listing and recommending restaurants.
- In 2010, the name was changed to Zomato to avoid confusion with eBay and to explore beyond food-related services.
Expansion and Innovations:
- In 2011, Zomato launched zomato.xxx for food enthusiasts and started selling event tickets online.
- The same year, it expanded operations across major Indian cities like Delhi NCR, Mumbai, and Bangalore.
- By 2012, Zomato had gone international, reaching countries like UAE, UK, and South Africa.
- In 2013, it expanded further to New Zealand, Turkey, Brazil, and Indonesia, offering services in multiple languages.
Acquisitions and Strategic Moves:
- Zomato made significant acquisitions, including Urbanspoon in 2015, which helped it enter the US and Australia markets.
- It launched food delivery services in India in 2015, partnering initially with Delhivery and Grab.
- Acquired NexTable for table reservations and MapleGraph Solutions for point of sale systems.
- Introduced Zomato Gold in 2017, a Gold membership program offering dining discounts.
Diversification and Challenges:
- Zomato ventured into cloud kitchens and food ingredient supply through Hyperpure.
- Launched Zomaland, a food and entertainment carnival, in 2018.
- Faced challenges like shutting down operations in UAE and laying off staff in 2019 due to business realignments.
- Responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 by expanding into grocery delivery (Zomato Market) and contactless dining.
Recent Developments:
- Started delivering alcohol in select Indian states post-government approvals during the pandemic.
- Continued adapting to market changes, including workforce adjustments and service expansions.
This summary highlights Zomato’s journey from a restaurant recommendation platform to a diversified food service provider, navigating both growth and challenges in the competitive market.
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Changes in Services:
- Zomato ended Zomato Market in June 2020 due to recovering food delivery demand and challenges in scaling up grocery delivery.
- The company withdrew from alcohol delivery in April 2021, citing difficulties in profitability and scalability.
Public Offering and Global Strategy:
- Zomato went public in July 2021 with an initial valuation of over US$8 billion.
- By November 2021, Zomato decided to focus its services exclusively on India and the United Arab Emirates, discontinuing operations in other countries.
Innovations and Expansions:
- In April 2022, Zomato introduced Zomato Instant in Gurgaon, offering 10-minute food delivery.
- June 2022 saw Zomato acquiring Blinkit for US$568 million, a move aimed at enhancing quick-commerce capabilities.
New Services and Features:
- August 2022 marked the launch of Intercity Legends in Delhi NCR, allowing users to order food from renowned restaurants in other cities.
- November 2022 saw the introduction of Zomato Pay, enabling users to make payments at partner restaurants and avail offers.
Recent Developments:
- In June 2023, Zomato launched a feature enabling users to create combined orders from up to four different restaurants.
- October 2023 introduced Xtreme, a separate app offering hyperlocal package delivery services.
This summary outlines Zomato’s strategic shifts, expansions into quick-commerce, and innovations in service offerings, reflecting its ongoing evolution in the food delivery and services industry.
History Of Zomato Funding
Early Funding Rounds (2010-2013):
- From 2010 to 2013, Zomato raised about US$16.7 million from Info Edge across four funding rounds.
- By February 2013, Info Edge owned 57.9% of Zomato.
- In November 2013, Zomato raised US$37 million from Sequoia Capital and Info Edge.
Further Expansion (2014-2015):
- In November 2014, Zomato raised US$60 million, valuing the company at approximately US$660 million.
- This round was led by Info Edge, Vy Capital, and Sequoia Capital.
- April 2015 saw another funding round of US$50 million led by Info Edge, Vy Capital, and Sequoia Capital.
- In September 2015, Zomato raised another US$60 million from Temasek and Vy Capital.
Unicorn Status and Continued Growth (2018-2021):
- Zomato achieved unicorn status in February 2018 by raising US$200 million from Ant Financial, valuing the company at US$1.1 billion.
- By October 2018, Zomato planned to raise an additional US$210 million from Ant Financial, valuing it around US$2 billion.
- In September 2020, Zomato raised US$62 million from Temasek, followed by US$52 million from Kora in October 2020 as part of its Series J funding round.
- February 2021 marked another milestone with Zomato raising US$250 million from investors including Tiger Global Management, valuing the company at US$5.4 billion.
This summary highlights Zomato’s journey of raising funds to fuel its growth and expansion in the competitive food delivery and services industry.
Known Facts Of Zomato
About Feeding India By Zomato:
- Feeding India, started in 2014 by Ankit Kawatra, is a nonprofit organization.
- It provides free meals to underprivileged people through volunteers.
Acquisition by Zomato:
- Zomato acquired Feeding India in July 2019 to support its charitable initiatives.
Impact and Activities:
- As of May 2022, Feeding India, under Zomato, was delivering over 200,000 meals daily through its Daily Feeding Program.
Awareness Campaign:
- In December 2022, Zomato Feeding India organized a benefit concert headlined by Post Malone to raise awareness about malnutrition issues in India.
This summary highlights how Feeding India, initially founded by Ankit Kawatra, continues its mission under Zomato’s umbrella, making a significant impact through charitable efforts.
Record By Zomato
Zomato has set a Guinness World Record by conducting the world’s largest first aid lesson. They trained a total of 4,300 delivery partners in a single event on June 12th.
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