Pooja Bavishi in

Pooja Bavishi

Observer · DISC type ic
Founder and CEO at Malai
📍 New York, New York, United States

Pooja Bavishi is the Founder and CEO of Malai, an acclaimed ice cream company using South Asian spices. An NYU Stern MBA graduate, she transitioned from a career in urban planning to food entrepreneurship, driven by a mission to introduce nostalgic flavors from her heritage to a wider audience.

Inspired by her first-generation Indian-American upbringing, Pooja founded Malai to connect people and deliver happiness through desserts. She is a cookbook author, sharing her unique recipes to bring her brands mission into peoples homes. Pooja is passionate about celebrating her culture and building community through food.

Unique fact: Pooja is a champion of Food Networks "Chopped Sweets, " winning the competition in March 2020.

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Experience
14 Years
Current Role
Founder and CEO
Job Level
Leadership
Location
New York, New York, United States
Personality Overview

How Pooja shows up

Assertive
Example Seeker
Curious

They are likely to ask many questions and look heavily for supporting information. They can sound friendly and charming but can quickly change gears to become inquisitive and probing. They are generally good communicators and can be hard to convince.

Priorities

Topics Pooja cares about

Food Entrepreneurship
Founded Malai in 2015 after her MBA, growing it from local food fairs to a multi-city business with retail partnerships.
South Asian Flavors
Her company's core mission is to infuse ice cream with nostalgic spices from her childhood, such as cardamom, rose, and saffron.
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Career

Work history

1-2015
Founder and CEO
Malai
7-2010 - 7-2014
Founder and CEO
Pooja Bavishi Collections
9-2013 - 12-2013
New Business Development
Food Network
Operations and Culture Manager
Ashoka
Project Coordinator
Equal Rights Center
In the press

Media appearances

Ep. 5: Pooja Bavishi (Malai) by Gourmand. Featured in Gourmand Podcast (Spotify)
See now
Pooja Bavishi shares frozen treats from her South Asian-inspired cookbook. Featured in KPBS
+8 more appearances Login to view media
Education
Master of Science (M.Sc.)
The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE)
Master of Business Administration (MBA)
NYU Stern School of Business
Social presence
in
Behavioral profile

DISC profile (public)

i

Influence (I)

Influence (I) reflects the degree to which a person prefers to work by influencing or persuading others. Those scoring high tend to be people oriented, motivated by social recognition and building relationships.

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