"Build, Break, Repeat": Deepinder Goyal Seeks Engineers For LAT Aerospace

Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal has announced his latest venture into deep-tech with LAT Aerospace, an aviation startup that aims to build a Made-in-India gas turbine engine from the ground up. In a LinkedIn post, Mr Goyal said that LAT is setting up a propulsion research team in Bengaluru to lead the project.

“India has tried building gas turbine engines before. And we've come close. At LAT, we want to get past the finish line,” Mr Goyal wrote, adding, “So we're putting together a propulsion research team in Bangalore, focused solely on building gas turbine engines from scratch.”

Gas turbine engines are the heart of modern aviation, and building one indigenously would mark a big step forward for India's aerospace sector. LAT Aerospace plans to design and manufacture “lightweight, efficient, flight-ready” engines that could power short take-off and landing (STOL) aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other advanced aviation platforms.

“Made in India,” Mr Goyal emphasised in the post.

What sets LAT apart, according to Mr Goyal, is a culture built around engineering autonomy and speed of execution. The company's upcoming research centre in Bengaluru will feature dedicated “labs for combustion, turbomachinery, thermal systems, and materials.”

“We're giving engineers the freedom to think, build, break, and repeat,” he said, adding, “Our dedicated research centre…will give engineers the space and freedom to iterate fast, and get to real outcomes at a speed which is unprecedented in the industry.”

Mr Goyal stressed that LAT will be led by engineers, not by layers of corporate oversight. “No waiting around for approvals from ‘business' people. No chasing slides or meetings,” he said.

The team will be hands-on, solving real-world problems rather than getting bogged down by boardroom discussions. “Just hands-on problem solving, running bench tests, working with suppliers, building hardware from scratch — and pushing the limits of design and physics every day.”

The startup is actively recruiting engineers with backgrounds in turbines, rotors, control systems and related technologies. Mr Goyal invited interested professionals to join what he believes could be a historic initiative.

“If you've ever built turbines, rotors, control systems — or anything close — and want to be part of something that could one day, rewrite history, write to us,” he said.

“It won't be easy. But if it works, it changes everything,” Mr Goyal concluded. “A full engine stack, built locally… self-reliance.”

Here's Deepinder Goyal's post:

According to a report in The Economic Times, Mr Goyal launched LAT Aerospace with former Zomato COO Surobhi Das. He has invested $20 million in the startup and serves as a non-executive co-founder, while Das oversees the operations.