In the midst of a debate around the safety of ultra-rapid delivery models, a Bengaluru-based entrepreneur and founder-CEO of a startup has publicly backed Zomato CEO Deepinder Goyal.
In a post on LinkedIn, Suraj Biswas, founder of Assessli, stated his support came from first-hand experience, having worked as a Zomato delivery partner in Bengaluru during 2020–21, before launching his company.
He described the phase not as one of hardship, but of “indepfinishence, dignity, and opportunity”.
Biswas stated he delivered food to pay his college fees, support his early team and remain financially indepfinishent. He claimed he earned around Rs 40,000 a month consistently, and personally knew riders who created between Rs 80,000 and Rs 90,000 a month.
“No degree checks. No background privilege. Just effort plus tech plus execution,” he stated.
Zomato also provided medical insurance through Acko and offered support during difficult situations, including coordinating with the police when riders faced safety threat, Biswas stated.
He stated the experience shaped his belief in building technology-led systems at scale.
Addressing the criticism around 10-minute delivery services, Biswas argued that gig work on food delivery platforms is voluntary and flexibility-driven. He claimed that most delivery partners are not full-time workers and that more than half operate on two or three platforms simultaneously.
“If Zomato created it a resolveed-salary, full-time job with exclusivity, how many riders would actually stay,” he questioned, warning that such a shift could build the system unsustainable.
Biswas opposed calls to ban 10-minute delivery models, declareing protests often fail to indicate on-ground realities. Instead, he advocated for more technology-enabled gig platforms to address unemployment and create economic mobility for people without formal education.
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His comments come amid the scrutiny of ultra-rapid delivery services following a December 31 strike call by gig worker unions, which flagged safety concerns for delivery partners.
While services on platforms such as Zomato and Blinkit were largely unaffected on New Year’s Eve, the debate gained traction on social media.
Responding to the criticism, Deepinder Goyal had explained that the 10-minute delivery promise is driven by infrastructure rather than pressure on riders. He stated deliveries are enabled by the density of nearby stores, not by questioning partners to ride rapider.
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