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Founder who once worked as Zomato delivery partner backs Deepinder Goyal: 'I earned ₹40,000 a month consistently'
Biswas shared that he took up deliveries to pay his college fees, support his early startup team and remain financially independent.
A startup founder has shared how his experience working as a Zomato delivery partner in Bengaluru helped him pay his college fees, stay financially independent and eventually build his own company, and why that journey has led him to publicly back Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal amid ongoing debates around gig work and quick-commerce timelines.
In a detailed LinkedIn post, Suraj Biswas, founder and CEO of Assessli, wrote that he “stands with Zomato” and “stands with Deepinder”, adding that his perspective comes from lived experience. Biswas said that in 2020–21, before college fully began and before he launched Assessli, he worked as a Zomato delivery partner in Bengaluru. “Not a story for sympathy. A story of independence, dignity and opportunity,” he wrote.
Biswas shared that he took up deliveries to pay his college fees, support his early startup team and remain financially independent. “Today I run a Deeptech Startup Assessli as founder and employ 40+ techies operating from offices in Bengaluru and Kolkata,” he wrote.
Biswas said he earned about ₹40,000 per month as a delivery partner and knew riders earning ₹80,000 to 90,000 a month. He added that he also faced “food snatching and life-threatening moments” while on the job and used Zomato-provided medical insurance when needed.
“When things went wrong, Zomato coordinated with police and supported me. That’s when I truly understood the power of well-built tech + systems. This is also where my obsession with building impactful technology came from,” he said.
(Also Read: ‘We pay people a lot’: Zomato’s Deepinder Goyal on work-life balance, ‘toxic’ boss allegations)
Reflecting on the current controversy over 10-minute deliveries and gig work, Biswas argued that delivery work is “independent gig work, not forced labour”. He claimed that many delivery partners work with multiple platforms at the same time. He said loyalty in gig work is “flexibility-driven, not contract-driven,” and called bans and outrage unsustainable, arguing instead for more tech-enabled platforms that create opportunities for people without formal education.
“Zomato didn’t just deliver food. It delivered economic mobility at scale. Deepinder Goyal built systems that allowed: Students to earn, Migrants to survive cities, Millions to work on their own terms,” Biswas said.
“So yes, unapologetically— I stand with Zomato. I stand with Deepinder. And I stand for systems that create opportunity, not entitlement. If you’ve lived this life, you’ll understand. If you haven’t, maybe listen to those who have,” he concluded.
(Also Read: ‘Your life is built on their sweat’: Founder calls out Zomato's Deepinder Goyal over gig workers issue)
How did social media react?
The post has triggered a discussion online. Some users praised the founder’s perspective.
“I relate to this deeply. I worked with Zomato, and like many others, got backed out post–COVID. That phase taught me more than any classroom ever could. Zomato wasn’t just a job or a gig work — it was exposure, resilience, and a launchpad. It showed me what scale, systems, and tech-led opportunity actually look like on the ground,” one user wrote.
“This perspective really matters, especially coming from someone who has lived this experience firsthand. Gig work means different things to different people and for many, it represents flexibility, dignity, and independence. The system isn’t perfect, but it has clearly created real opportunities,” commented another.
However, some users disagreed with Biswas, arguing that broader policy questions around wage security, health cover and social protection for gig workers could not be dismissed.
