From food to flight: Zomato's Deepinder Goyal bets $20M on aviation startup

Aviation startup LAT Aerospace will be developing low-cost 'short takeoff and landing' aircraft with up to 24 seats, and will focus on improving regional air connectivity

Chief executive of Zomato, Deepinder Goyal has invested $20 million in LAT Aerospace, a new startup co-founded by Surobhi Das, former Chief Operating Officer (COO) at Zomato, along with Goyal. Das will be leading the operations of the company while Goyal will be serving in a non-executive role, reported The Economic Times, citing the sources aware of the development. 

 

“Both Das and Goyal are founders of the startup. But Goyal’s involvement will be one of making investments and mentoring the startup in a non-executive role,” one of the sources told The Economic Times.

 

LAT Aerospace will be working on developing low-cost short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft with up to 24 seats. These aircraft will focus on improving regional air connectivity.

 

According to the news report, the company is currently in talks to raise $50 million in seed funding. It is also looking to hire engineers in fields such as aerodynamics, material sciences, and hybrid propulsion systems.

 

“The startup is different from air-taxi firms... LAT Aerospace will be looking to build aircrafts that have a range of up to 1,500 km,” another source said. STOL aircraft are small planes that require shorter runways to operate. “These aircraft will take off and land in compact ‘air-stops’ that are no bigger than a parking lot, with no need for complex airport infrastructure,” the person said.

 

Unlike air taxis, which are designed for short intra-city trips, STOL planes are meant for longer intercity routes. With this model, LAT Aerospace aims to compete with major aircraft manufacturers like ATR and Bombardier, whose planes are used by Indian airlines such as IndiGo and SpiceJet.

 

Surobhi Das left Zomato in November 2023. At the end of her tenure there, she worked at Blinkit, Zomato’s quick commerce platform, focusing on expanding markets and adding new categories. She was with Zomato for over a decade, starting her career at the company in 2011. Das had also served as Goyal’s chief of staff.

 

Before joining Zomato, Das worked as a consultant at Bain & Company, which was also Goyal’s former employer.