Deepinder Goyal's Temple opens waitlist; pre-orders from November 1

Temple, the brain-monitoring wearable start-up founded by Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal, has opened an early-access waiting list for its first device, with pre-orders for the first batch expected to open on 1 November 2026, according to reports published on 23 and 24 October 2026. People who applied through the company's website reported seeing a price of Rs 85,000 for the device. The company has not officially announced a launch price.

Goyal is one of the best-known founders in Indian consumer technology. He co-founded Zomato, the food-delivery business of the listed group now called Eternal, and stepped down as the group's chief executive earlier this year. Temple is his first major venture since, and it is a sharp change of direction: from apps that move food and groceries to hardware that tries to measure what is happening in the human brain.

The device sits in a growing category sometimes called "neurotech" wearables. Most fitness trackers measure heart rate, steps and sleep from the wrist. Temple says its device instead measures cerebral blood flow and oxygenation, meaning how much blood reaches the brain and how much oxygen it carries. These are the company's descriptions; it has not, in the reports reviewed, published independent clinical validation, and the device is presented as a premium, niche product rather than a medical instrument or a mass-market gadget. Buyers and doctors will want to see evidence of what the readings can and cannot tell a user before treating them as health information.

For India's start-up ecosystem, Temple is a test of whether a hardware company with deep-tech ambitions can be built from India by a founder known for consumer internet. Hardware start-ups need more money and more time than app businesses, because they must design, manufacture, test and ship physical products. The reported Rs 85,000 price, if confirmed, positions Temple far above everyday fitness bands and suggests it is aiming first at a small group of enthusiasts and professionals rather than mass adoption. The made-to-order first batch and the waiting list, which screens applicants by profession and expectations, point the same way.

Short-term: Interest will centre on whether Temple confirms the Rs 85,000 price and what the subscription covers when pre-orders open. Early buyers will be the first to test the company's claims in daily use, and their experience will shape the product's reputation.

Long-term: If Temple can show that its readings are reliable and useful, it could help open a new market for brain-focused consumer devices and attract more investment into Indian hardware and deep-tech start-ups. If it cannot, it will add to the record of expensive wearables that struggle to find a lasting audience.

Who is affected: Early adopters and professionals interested in tracking brain health or performance; India's hardware and deep-tech start-up community; investors in consumer health technology; and doctors and researchers who will be asked what such readings mean.

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