Zomato’s Global Expansion: From Restaurant Discovery to Food-Tech Giant

Restaurant search portal Zomato continues its rapid expansion with another strategic acquisition, solidifying its position as a global leader in the food-tech industry.

In 2010, Zomato was named among the top 25 most promising internet companies in India. Since then, the company has experienced remarkable growth. Over the past decade, Zomato has aggressively expanded its global footprint through a series of acquisitions and market entries.

Let’s take a look at Zomato’s overseas expansion timeline-

• July 2014 - Zomato announced its first acquisition: New Zealand’s MenuMania for an undisclosed sum.
• August 2014 - Acquired Czech Republic’s Lunchtime and Slovakia’s Obedovat for a combined total of US$3.25 million.
• September 2014 - Expanded services to the UAE, marking its first overseas market entry, followed by launches in Qatar, the Philippines, and South Africa.
• September 2014 - Acquired Poland’s Gastronauci for an undisclosed amount.
• December 2014 -; Purchased Italian restaurant search service Cibando.
• January 2015 - Acquired Seattle-based Urbanspoon, establishing a presence in the U.S., Canada, and Australia.
• April 2015 - Acquired cloud-based point-of-sale company MapleGraph Solutions, leading to the development of Zomato Base.
• April 2015 - Acquired NexTable, later rebranded as Zomato Book.
• September 2016 - Acquired Gurgaon-based Sparse Labs to enhance delivery tracking.
• September 2017 - Acquired food delivery startup Runnr.
• September 2018 - Acquired Bengaluru-based TongueStun Food for approximately US$18 million.
• December 2018 - Acquired Lucknow-based TechEagle Innovations to develop drone-based food delivery.
• January 2020 - Acquired Uber Eats India in an all-stock deal.
• June 2021 - Acquired a 9.3% stake in Grofers for US$120 million.
• June 2022 - Fully acquired Blinkit (formerly Grofers) for US$568 million.
• August 2024 - Acquired Paytm’s event ticketing subsidiaries for US$244.2 million.
• February 2025 - Announced rebranding to Eternal, consolidating all services under a single brand.

Zomato’s Chain of Acquisitions and Market Strategy

Zomato has consistently used a mix of organic expansion and strategic mergers and acquisitions to expand its presence across global markets. The company's acquisitions have played a crucial role in its transition from a restaurant discovery platform to a full-fledged food-tech ecosystem, including food delivery, quick-commerce, event ticketing, and kitchen supply chains.

“Zomato is clearly aiming for something substantial here with its aggressive, fast-paced acquisitions. The company is using its previous funding rounds to penetrate multiple key markets,” said an analyst at Future Market Insights (FMI). The company raised US$60 million from Vy Capital and existing investors like Sequoia Capital and Info Edge (India) to fuel global expansion and new product development. This takes Zomato’s total funding to over US$113 million, including a US$53 million investment from Info Edge and Sequoia Capital in multiple funding rounds.

With its existing acquisitions, Zomato’s valuation is estimated to be over US$1 billion, reflecting an exponential rise over the past decade. The company’s recent move to unify all its brands under Eternal suggests a long-term vision to streamline its services and strengthen its brand presence globally.

What’s Cooking in Zomato’s Kitchen?

There is little doubt that Zomato is preparing for another major move. Industry experts speculate that the company might be positioning itself for either a high-profile public listing or a major acquisition deal.

“Recent developments suggest two possibilities - either Zomato is gearing up for a major sale, or we are on the verge of witnessing one of the most significant IPOs in the Indian startup ecosystem,” said Essien Jae, lead consultant at FMI.

With Indian startups like Flipkart opting for international stock listings, will we see Zomato listing on the New York Stock Exchange in the near future? Stay tuned for more updates!