The startup has also launched an ESOP liquidity programme, giving eligible employees a chance to sell their vested shares.
Deepinder Goyal’s wearable technology startup Temple has nearly doubled its valuation to $375 million while launching an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) liquidity programme, giving eligible early employees an opportunity to monetise part of their vested shares.
According to a Moneycontrol report, the programme allows around 20 employees to sell up to 25% of their vested ESOPs. Participation is voluntary.
Valuation Nearly Doubles Ahead of Next Funding Round
The liquidity transaction values Temple at $375 million, almost twice the $190 million post-money valuation assigned during its seed funding round in February 2026.
Temple raised $54 million in that round from investors including Steadview Capital, Peak XV Partners, Dharana Capital, Info Edge, and NKSquared, the family office of Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath.
The report also said external investors had shown interest at a valuation of $500 million as the startup explores its next funding round.
According to the report, founder Deepinder Goyal told employees in an internal memo:
“Before we close our next round, I want some of this value to reach the people who created it.”
Temple has not publicly released details of either the memo or the liquidity programme.
Early Employees Get ESOP Liquidity
Around 20 of Temple’s estimated 200–220 employees are eligible to participate in the programme.
Eligible employees can sell up to 25% of their vested stock options, providing an opportunity to realise value before any future fundraising or public listing.
The company had previously created an ESOP pool equivalent to 10% of its share capital, although this does not mean all options have already been granted or exercised.
What Is Temple Building?
Temple is developing a lightweight wearable device that attaches to the side of the forehead.
The company describes the product as a precision health-monitoring device designed to measure what it calls “Entropy,” a proprietary indicator that it says reflects the body’s metabolic and sympathetic demands.
These performance and health-related descriptions are the company’s own claims. The product is currently accepting registrations for early access.
Shareholding Structure
Regulatory filings from Temple’s seed round indicated that:
- Deepinder Goyal was expected to hold approximately 28.6% of the company.
- Steadview Capital was expected to own about 5.3%.
- Peak XV Partners was expected to hold around 3.2%.
Goyal’s New Chapter
Deepinder Goyal stepped down as Group CEO of Eternal, the parent company of Zomato and Blinkit, on 1 February 2026. He continues to remain associated with the company as Vice Chairman while focusing on building Temple.
The latest valuation increase and employee liquidity programme suggest growing investor confidence in the startup as it prepares for its next phase of fundraising and product development.
