Deepinder Goyal's new startup Temple raises $54m at $190m valuation

Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal on Friday announced that his new venture has raised $54 million in its first round of funding, valuing the company at around $190 million post-money. Goyal said that Temple, his wearable technology startup, had raised capital from a close network of founder friends and early-stage Zomato investors.

"Temple has raised its first round. Friends and family. $54m. Post-money valuation of ~$190m," he said. "Every investor in this round is a founder friend or early-stage Zomato investor who wanted in, whether or not Temple ever makes it to market."

What stood out for him, however, was internal participation in the round. "But here's what gives me goosebumps – more than 30 Temple employees participated in the round, at par valuation. No discount. Their own money. That's the kind of belief you can't buy."

Temple is building what Goyal describes as a next-generation wearable designed specifically for elite performance athletes. "We are assembling a dream team to build the ultimate wearable for elite performance athletes. Want in? Look up my last post."

Earlier in the day, Goyal announced that Temple was recruiting engineers and product managers. "At Temple, we are building the ultimate wearable for elite performance athletes. A device that measures what no other wearable in the world measures, with a level of precision that doesn't exist yet."

To build it, he said, the company is looking for specialists who combine technical depth with personal athletic commitment. "We need people who are obsessive about both the craft and the category. Engineers who are also athletes. People who will wear what they build, and hate it until it's perfect."

The roles span hardware engineering, embedded systems, sensor design and advanced AI applications.