Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal says he was ‘kicked out’ of Shark Tank by Swiggy

Food delivery apps Swiggy and Zomato’s rivalry seems to have reached a peak with the next season of Shark Tank India as their battleground. A report by Moneycontrol claims that Swiggy is close to finalising a deal for the 4th season of Shark Tank India, but they have a stipulation before they sign the dotted line. (Also Read: Shark Tank India Season 4 to be back with four OG Sharks; Sahiba Bali, Ashish Solanki join as new hosts; shooting starts)
The report claims that Swiggy is finalising a deal to sponsor the next season of Shark Tank India for ₹40-60 crore. But as part of the agreement, rival company Zomato’s founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal must not return to the show as an investor. The report claims that Swiggy’s bid to block Zomato from the show just underlines the rivalry between the two companies that compete in food and grocery delivery. It also claims that while they were evenly placed initially, Zomato has widened the gap in recent years by taking the lead. Swiggy and Sony Television did not comment on the matter.
Talking at the ET Startup Awards, Deepinder seemingly confirmed the same: “The startup culture of India is too much about showmanship. I went there to set a different narrative, be real and change how people perceive. I felt a moral obligation to go there. I shot for one weekend and gave my perspective. I, unfortunately, can’t go back because Swiggy sponsored Shark Tank and kicked me out, at least that’s what I heard.”
Sony Television recently began shooting for the fourth season of Shark Tank India last week with Anupam Mittal of People Group, Aman Gupta of boAt Lifestyle, Namita Thapar of Emcure Pharmaceuticals, Peyush Bansal of Lenskart and Ritesh Agarwal of OYO returning as sharks.
Deepinder debuted as a shark on season 3 of the show, earning praise from viewers for his interactions with the founders.