From Food to Flight: Why Zomato's Deepinder Goyal Is Building India’s First Indigenous Jet Engine

Zomato co-founder and Eternal founder Deepinder Goyal has announced a new project under the LAT (Light and Advanced Technologies) banner to build India’s own gas turbine engines — from the ground up.

The initiative will be based in Bengaluru, where a specialized propulsion research centre is being set up. The goal is to design and manufacture lightweight, efficient, and ready-to-fly gas turbine engines entirely within India.

India has tried building such engines in the past, but most efforts didn’t make it to full production. Goyal says he wants to change that.

“What’s different this time?” he wrote in a public post. “We’re giving engineers the freedom to think, build, break, and repeat.”

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The upcoming LAT lab will include focused workspaces for combustion, turbomachinery, thermal systems, and materials. These are key components in engine development, and the setup is designed to speed up testing and improvements.

Goyal promises a no-frills work culture. “No chasing slides or meetings,” he wrote. “Just hands-on problem-solving, testing parts, working with suppliers, and building from scratch.”

The bigger dream is to create a complete engine system in India — one that can power short take-off aircraft, drones, and even remote connectivity infrastructure. It’s a major step in India’s push for deep-tech independence in critical sectors.

The project is now hiring engineers with experience in turbines, rotors, control systems, or related areas. Interested candidates can write to engines@lat.com.

“If it works, it changes everything,” Goyal said.

Eternal Limited, formerly known as Zomato Limited, is an Indian multinational technology company that operates an online platform connecting customers, restaurants, and delivery partners. The company's platform facilitates food ordering, table bookings, reviews, and payments, while also providing marketing tools and a B2B procurement solution called Hyperpure.

Eternal Limited, formerly known as Zomato Limited, is an Indian multinational technology company that operates an online platform connecting customers, restaurants, and delivery partners. The company's platform facilitates food ordering, table bookings, reviews, and payments, while also providing marketing tools and a B2B procurement solution called Hyperpure. Eternal also owns and operates Blinkit, District, and Hyperpure, further expanding its reach into quick commerce and B2B supply.