On season 3 of Shark Tank India which started streaming from 22 January, Deepinder Goyal of Zomato is seen as one of the new Sharks. In a recent viral clip from the show, Goyal is critiquing one of the pitchers. In the video, he talks about the lack of attention to detail exhibited by one of the emerging entrepreneurs from WTF Fitness, during their presentation.
This incident has led fans to draw similarities between former shark Ashneer Grover and Goyal. Some viewers even took to social media by dubbing him “soft Ashneer Grover” and “Ashneer Grover lite.”
“Why does the phone number you have mentioned have nine digits instead of ten?”, The Zomato CEO pointed out before proceeding to identify other grammatical errors in the presentation.
Goyal emphasised further that, even minor grammatical errors in a resume can lead to the rejection of candidates during the evaluation by prospective employers. He highlighted the importance of paying attention to minute details when the pitchers are presenting to potential investors on national television.
After his remarks, several fans praised him on X. “Deepinder Goyal is the new soft Ashneer Grover in Shark Tank India S3”, wrote X user Uttkarsh Singh (@Uttupaaji). Another user Vaibhav Kriplani (@vkriplani2000) posted, “Deepinder Goyal pointing out a 9 digit mobile number shows you should pay attention to small details.”
“Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal is a great addition to the Shark Tank. Could be the next Ashneer Grover,” wrote Omkar Dutta (@OmkarDutta). X user @quanta_co wrote, “Found Deepinder Goyal, better than Ashneer Grover in SharkTank India S3.Calmer version of Ashneer”. Another X user Aditya Gupta (@AdityaG4pta) added, “The way he pointed out the small faults in ‘WTF fitness’ was amazing, he is a soft Ashneer Grover.”
In 2008, Deepinder Goyal alongside his co-founder Pankaj Chaddah launched Foodiebay which later became the global food giant Zomato. Under Goyal’s direction, it now offers both restaurant listings and delivery. Ashneer Grover, the former judge of Shark Tank India, still remains popular amongst the fans despite his drop out from the show after his fallout with BharatPe. Despite the passage of seasons, fans consistently demand his return to the show’s panel.