Deepinder Goyal raises $54 million for brain wearable startup 'Temple'

Weeks after stepping down as chief executive of Zomato and its parent Eternal, Deepinder Goyal has launched a new venture and secured $54 million in funding.

The 43-year-old entrepreneur raised the capital for Temple, a wearable technology startup focused on brain monitoring.

In a post on X, Goyal said the funds were raised through a friends and family round backed by founder friends and early Zomato supporters. The round values Temple at about $190 million post-money. More than 30 employees also invested at the same valuation.

Regulatory filings show Goyal is leading the round, with participation from Steadview Capital. Other investors include Peak XV Partners, InfoEdge Ventures, and Dharana Capital. Founders who joined the round include Vijay Shekhar Sharma, Kunal Shah, Nithin Kamath, and Nikhil Kamath.

Goyal stepped down from Zomato in January, handing leadership to Albinder Dhindsa, who heads Blinkit. He had led the food delivery company since co-founding it in 2008.

Temple is building what Goyal describes as a high-performance wearable for elite athletes. The device is designed to sit on the wearer’s temple and continuously track cerebral blood flow. He says it will measure data points that current wearables cannot capture, offering deeper insights into athletic performance and recovery.

Temple has begun hiring in embedded systems, neuroscience, and brain-computer interface engineering. It will compete in a wearables market that includes Whoop, Oura, and Garmin. Goyal has previously backed Ultrahuman and invested $25 million in Continue Research, a venture focused on extending human lifespan.