Tech entrepreneurs hit back at Goyal’s remark on startups

In response to Union commerce minister Piyush Goyal’s jibe about Indian startups focusing on food delivery and quick commerce instead of deep-tech innovation, and drawing comparisons with China’s progress, Zepto’s co-founder and CEO Aadit Palicha offered a strong rebuttal. He staunchly defended the quick commerce sector, citing Zepto’s impact – creating 1.5 lakh jobs, paying over Rs 1,000 crore in taxes, and drawing more than $1 billion in FDI.

“It is easy to criticise consumer internet startups in India, especially when you compare them to the deep technical excellence being built in the US/China,” Palicha wrote on X.