Quote of the Day by Deepinder Goyal: ‘The biggest challenge for any startup is to create the right culture from day one’ 

“The biggest challenge for any startup is to create the right culture from day one,” a quote by Deepinder Goyal, Founder of Eternal.

The statement by Deepinder Goyal highlights that building a strong foundation requires total ownership, extreme urgency, and a clear set of core values from the very beginning.

Who is Deepinder Goyal?

Deepinder Goyal is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur best known as the founder of Zomato, India's largest restaurant discovery and food delivery platform. As one of the most prominent figures in India's startup ecosystem, his net worth is estimated between $1.6 billion and $2.1 billion (around ₹13,300 crore to ₹18,000 crore), primarily stemming from his stake in Zomato.

He graduated from IIT Delhi in 2005 with an Integrated M.Tech in Mathematics and Computing.

In February 2026, Goyal transitioned from his long-time role as Group CEO of Zomato’s parent company, Eternal Ltd, to become its Vice Chairman. Goyal stepped down to focus on high-risk, experimental technology startups outside the food ecosystem. His current focus areas include:

• Temple: A health-tech venture developing an advanced wearable device designed to optimize human performance.
• LAT Aerospace: An ambitious venture aiming to create pilot-free aviation networks for inter-city travel.  

When did Deepinder Goyal say this  

Deepinder Goyal discussed this philosophy during his January 2026 appearance on Raj Shamani's "Figuring Out" podcast. He emphasized that building the right culture is crucial from the start and addressed public debates regarding startup work culture and employee focus.

In the fragile early stages of a business, culture acts as the primary operating system that dictates how a team handles pressure, solves problems, and scales. If a founder compromises on standards or allows complacency early on, mediocrity becomes deeply embedded in the company's DNA and becomes nearly impossible to fix later.

What does this quote mean?    

Deepinder Goyal’s quote emphasizes that a startup's early habits, values, and mindsets form its permanent genetic code, making high performance essential from the very beginning. In the fragile early stages of a business, culture acts as the primary operating system that dictates how a team handles pressure, solves problems, and scales.

Ultimately, the first few hires set the baseline for work ethic and execution quality, naturally attracting future talent who share those same rigorous traits and establishing a foundation for long-term success.