Role of govt that of catalyst, cos need to do hard work: Zomato

Emphasising that the role of the government is mainly to act as a catalyst and provide a conducive enabling environment, online restaurant guide and food ordering firm Zomato today said it is for companies to do the hard work to succeed.

New Delhi: Emphasising that the role of the government is mainly to act as a catalyst and provide a conducive enabling environment, online restaurant guide and food ordering firm Zomato on Saturday said it is for companies to do the hard work to succeed.

"The government can only play the catalyst, but still all the hard work has to be done by companies who start in any sector," Zomato founder and CEO Deepinder Goyal said at the 'Startup India' conference here.

"If some roadblocks get removed, it's a great thing. But even if they don't, it should not be an excuse for not doing anything."

Talking about the challenges they face, Goyal said "best start-ups get built in worst of times... Companies which will be out there in the next few years will be the best ones".

Making it clear that the issue of capital should not be a roadblock, he said: "In terms of access to capital, if you look at all tech start-ups in India, they all started in 2007-08 when there was absolutely no funding on the table."

The problem with present generation of start-ups, Goyal noted, is they want access to capital, incubation, government help to all fall in place. "That's not how start-ups work. It is actually the other way around," he added.

On expansion plans of Zomato in the near future, Goyal said: "Right now, we are in 23 countries and market leaders in 18 of these markets. Right now, we are focusing on becoming number one in five markets. When we get there, we will think of further expansion."

Asked if the company is looking to raise funds for expansion, he said: "Not right now. We have enough in bank."