About Me
Pooja Bavishi is the founder and CEO of Malai, a Brooklyn-based artisanal ice cream company inspired by the flavors of South Asian spices and ingredients. A self-confessed career switcher, she worked in public policy before switching gears to focus on food. She holds a BA in Public Policy and Cultural Studies from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, an MS in Urban Planning from the London School of Economics, and an MBA from New York University. She is a 2018 Tory Burch Foundation Fellow and was named one of Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 100 in 2020. In one of her sweetest accomplishments to date, in 2020 she won a battle on Food Network’s Chopped Sweets — her winning Agate Candy & Saffron ice cream is currently on Malai’s menu!