'Just grow 1% every day': Unacademy's Gaurav Munjal shares lesson from Deepinder Goyal, calls him 'mentor'

Unacademy’s Chief Executive Officer, Gaurav Munjal, recently shared a personal account on X about a piece of guidance from Zomato co-founder Deepinder Goyal that, he said, had a lasting impact on his professional journey.

Reflecting on events from a decade ago, Munjal wrote that in 2015, at the age of 25, when he had just founded Unacademy, he had emailed Goyal to request a meeting. Goyal responded, saying, “Kyon milna hai yaar. Dhandha banao” (loosely translated as “Why meet? Build your business”).

Despite the initial rejection, Munjal continued reaching out.“I didn’t give up. I kept mailing him every week. And finally he did agree for a 15-minute meeting (after months of chasing him). He was in a bad mood that day, so he met me just for 10 minutes but gave me advice that stayed with me,” Munjal recounted.

During that brief meeting, Goyal had told him, “Just grow 1% every day. Everything else is secondary.”

Munjal said he later met Goyal several more times and considered him a mentor. “Over the years, I met him many times and was lucky to have him as a mentor,” he noted. He also mentioned the recently published book Unseen by Megha Vishwanath, which explores Goyal’s journey as Zomato’s co-founder and chief executive.

In 2015, as a 25 year old kid who had just started Unacademy. I sent an email to @deepigoyal. He replied back by saying “Kyon milna hai yaar. Dhandha banao.”

I didn’t give up. I kept mailing him every week. And finally he did agree for a 15m Meeting (after months of chasing… pic.twitter.com/KzJNxkh39A — Gaurav Munjal (@gauravmunjal) October 31, 2025

“I urge everyone to read this book. The stories that I heard from Deepinder, and the advice I got over the years, changed my life. Time for the same stories to change yours,” Munjal added.

In response, Goyal reacted to Munjal’s post with a heart emoji.

— Deepinder Goyal (@deepigoyal) October 31, 2025

The post drew a wide range of comments. One user wrote, “Grow 1% every day — sounds small, compounds big. Impressive.” Another remarked, “Persistence for the win.” A third added, “Inspiration crosses inspiration,” while another stated, “Goyal is one of the few young-age entrepreneurs who deserves much more respect and recognition. Nothing but respect for him.”

However, not everyone viewed the exchange positively. A user criticised the anecdote, saying, “If I were in your place, I wouldn’t meet any guy who shows me attitude for no reason. I don’t care who you are, but if you give me your time I will make sure it will be productive.”

Deepinder Goyal co-founded Zomato in 2008, which later expanded from a restaurant discovery service to a major food delivery platform. In 2022, the company acquired Blinkit, a quick-commerce delivery service. According to Forbes, Goyal’s estimated net worth is $1.9 billion.

Unacademy, was co-founded by Gaurav Munjal with Hemesh Singh and Roman Saini in 2015.