Temple row widens: Deepinder Goyal denies paid promotion, Ranveer Allahbadia says he is not an investor in the ₹85,000 wearable
The fight over Goyal's brain-blood-flow wearable has moved from science to influencer disclosures, with liver specialist 'TheLiverDoc' asking who is backing it and why.
- Pre-order price: ₹85,000
- Seed round: $54 million (Feb 2026)
- Reported valuation: ~$190 million
What's new
The argument over Temple, the forehead-worn wearable from Zomato founder Deepinder Goyal, has taken a fresh turn. After hepatologist Dr Cyriac Abby Philips, known online as TheLiverDoc, suggested that some public supporters had a stake in the company, Goyal posted that his companies have never asked anyone to post online "for money or otherwise". He said he writes his own posts and calls it "building in public".
Ranveer enters the chat
Philips also asked podcaster Ranveer Allahbadia, who had defended Temple, to disclose any interest, alleging he was an angel investor. Allahbadia replied that he has received no money and is not an investor, and invited both Philips and Goyal onto The Ranveer Show to settle it in public. Philips separately shared a screenshot that he says shows Goyal asking people to amplify posts; its authenticity has not been independently checked.
Why it matters
Temple raised $54 million in a seed round in February 2026 at a reported valuation of about $190 million. Goyal maintains it is a wellness tracker, not a medical device, and has promised to publish an explanation of its BrainFlow metric and its limits. He also says he expects India to be under 1% of sales and told buyers to wait for reviews.
