Pankaj Chaddah, the co-founder of the Indian food delivery giant Zomato, has set the tech and startup community abuzz with hints about a mysterious new project. During a recent podcast appearance, Chaddah revealed he is developing an experimental device focused on mental wellness, marking his first major venture since departing from Zomato in 2018.
From Food Tech to Mental Health Tech
Chaddah, who co-founded Zomato with Deepinder Goyal in 2008, stepped away from the company six years ago. Since then, he has been relatively low-key, but his latest comments indicate a significant pivot. On the podcast, he disclosed that his new startup is not another app or software platform but a tangible hardware device. This device is described as being in an experimental phase and is squarely aimed at addressing aspects of mental health and personal wellness.
The entrepreneur emphasized that this is a passion project born from personal interest in the mental health space. He believes technology can play a more profound, positive role in this domain beyond conventional screen-based applications. While he kept specific functionalities under wraps, the description suggests a move towards a more integrated, physical interaction with wellness technology.
Timeline and Strategic Vision
Chaddah provided a clear timeline for his ambitious project. He stated that the experimental device is slated for a public launch in 2026. This two-year window suggests the team is in deep stages of research, development, and prototyping. The decision to build hardware, a capital and time-intensive field, underscores his long-term commitment to this new path.
This move aligns with a growing global trend where tech entrepreneurs are venturing into health and wellness hardware, seeking to create dedicated tools for mindfulness, stress management, and cognitive improvement. Chaddah's background in scaling a consumer-focused platform like Zomato could provide valuable insights into user behavior and market fit for such a product.
Curiosity and Implications for the Indian Startup Ecosystem
The revelation has naturally sparked intense curiosity. A founder of Chaddah's stature venturing into a completely new domain—from food delivery aggregation to health-tech hardware—is a significant development. It highlights the evolving interests of India's first-generation internet entrepreneurs who are now leveraging their experience to solve different, often more personal, problems.
Key takeaways from his podcast appearance include:
- The project is a hardware device, not a service or app.
- Its core focus is on mental health and wellness.
- It is currently in an experimental and development phase.
- The target launch year is 2026.
While details remain scarce, the announcement has successfully positioned Chaddah's new venture as one of the most anticipated homegrown tech projects on the horizon. The Indian startup scene will be watching closely as 2026 approaches, waiting to see if this experimental device can make a meaningful impact in the vital area of mental wellness.
