Behind every iconic company is an invisible journey—one of chaos, crisis, and quiet conviction. In her powerful debut, Unseen: The Untold Story of Deepinder Goyal and the Making of Zomato, journalist-turned-author Megha Vishwanath peels back the layers of myth and media to uncover the real story behind India’s most-watched food tech company. Published under the Penguin Business imprint and releasing on October 30, 2025, Unseen is a compelling narrative of ambition, vulnerability, and the long, unpredictable road to legacy.

When Zomato went public in 2021, it wasn’t just a financial milestone—it was a cultural moment. The listing of India’s first consumer-tech unicorn was greeted with national euphoria, marking a coming-of-age for an entire generation of homegrown startups. But for its founder, Deepinder Goyal, the IPO wasn’t a grand finale—it was merely another checkpoint in a journey defined more by reinvention than by recognition.

A Story Told in Moments, Not Milestones

What sets Unseen apart from traditional business biographies is its narrative style. Rather than following a linear path of startup-building, Megha Vishwanath, who spent over three years shadowing Goyal and interviewing hundreds of stakeholders, crafts the story through critical moments—messy, intense, and often unresolved.

The book begins at the very beginning: a pile of greasy takeout menus in an office cafeteria that inspired Foodiebay.com, the precursor to Zomato. It traces the company’s early survival struggles, including a near-death moment when a midnight phone call during the pandemic had Goyal scrambling to raise $5 million just to make payroll. These are not the headlines that made news—but the stories that shaped the company.

Unseen delves into the philosophy of building, as practiced at Zomato. From the first cash crisis that forced the team to “stay small with discipline,” to the high-risk Uber Eats India acquisition, and later the chaotic, make-or-break Blinkit deal, Vishwanath exposes the internal battles, investor tensions, and cultural negotiations that never made it to pitch decks.

The Man Behind the Machine

More than a company profile, Unseen is also an intimate character study of Deepinder Goyal—a self-proclaimed introvert from small-town Punjab, who overcame childhood stuttering and self-doubt to become the quiet force behind one of India’s most influential tech companies. Goyal, Vishwanath writes, is a paradox: intensely driven yet disarmingly private, self-critical yet daringly visionary. His journey is one of building, breaking, and rebuilding—not just Zomato, but himself.

“Success was never a finish line, but a shifting horizon,” Vishwanath writes, capturing Goyal’s relentless, almost philosophical pursuit of excellence.

The book doesn’t glorify entrepreneurship—it examines the emotional and personal cost of it. It’s a story of not just Deepinder or Zomato, but a wider ecosystem of early believers—employees, investors, friends—who wagered everything on a dream that constantly evolved faster than they could catch it.

Insider Access with a Journalist’s Eye

Megha Vishwanath, now Vice President at Zomato, brings a rare dual lens to her work—insider access combined with journalistic integrity. A seasoned business journalist from CNBC-TV18, she spent nearly a decade covering India’s startup and tech ecosystem before transitioning into product storytelling at London-based tech brand Nothing. In Unseen, she combines hard-won access with honest reportage, giving readers a front-row seat to Zomato’s biggest wins, deepest failures, and everything in between.

“Megha has captured the soul of Zomato and the man who has made it his life’s mission to make the company eternal,” says Radhika Marwah, editor of Unseen. “It has been a privilege to see Megha’s commitment—painstakingly interviewing scores of people, unravelling the timeline of a unicorn, and telling the story as honestly as she could.”

More Than a Business Book

Unseen is not just for startup founders or tech enthusiasts. It’s for anyone interested in how ideas evolve, how companies are shaped not just by strategy but by human struggle, and how leadership is often a practice in vulnerability. In a time where unicorns are both celebrated and scrutinized, Unseen offers a timely reflection on what it really takes to build something that outlives its makers.

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Book Details

• Title: Unseen: The Untold Story of Deepinder Goyal and the Making of Zomato
• Author: Megha Vishwanath
• Publisher: Penguin Business
• Price: ₹799.00
• Format: Hardcover & E-book