Malay Shah

Time to spill some facts about Malay Shah. This guy’s the real deal. Co-founder and CEO of Poka Labs, a YC batch S24 startup, and he’s straight-up changing the game in chemical manufacturing. No bullshit.

So, Malay’s background? Dude’s a chemical engineer and economist – got degrees from NC State, and he also crushed an MBA at Harvard. That’s like the perfect combo for someone who wants to disrupt a heavily traditional industry. He didn’t just stay in the classroom though. Malay jumped into the trenches – working in chemical plants all over the world: the US, China, Germany. Imagine that – traveling the globe, seeing how chemicals are made up close and personal.

And get this – he’s not just some engineer tinkering around. Malay actually saved his previous companies over $100 million through process improvements and smarter production planning. That’s some advanced ops stuff. He knows how to improve, how to cut waste, how to make things run smoother. That’s the kind of guy who doesn’t just talk about innovation – he’s the guy who’s actually making it happen in the real world.

Then, he’s like, “Okay, I see the bullshit in chemical manufacturing. It’s old school, slow, super inefficient.” So, he jumps into building Poka Labs – a modern operating system for chemicals, powered by AI. Think of it like the Windows or iOS for chemical plants, but way smarter, way more automated. That’s some next-gen shit right there. And honestly? It’s a perfect fit for Malay. His whole life has been about deploying advanced analytics, operational strategies, and cutting out the inefficiencies he’s seen firsthand.

What does this tell you about him? Malay’s all about solving big, gnarly problems. He’s driven by real-world pain points – seeing how the sausage is made and then saying, “Nah, this can be way better.” His process from working across borders, saving millions, to now building tech that could change an entire industry shows he’s got that startup hustle. He’s not just in it for the tech creds – he genuinely wants to make manufacturing smarter, safer, more sustainable.

And on top of that, he’s based out in SF now – right in the middle of the startup universe. You can tell he’s all in, hungry to push boundaries, connect with the right people, and scale his vision. The fact that he met his co-founder at HBS shows he’s about building serious teams with serious brains.

Long story short? Malay Shah is that rare mix of deep industry expertise, tech savvy, and real-world hustle. He’s out here crushing it, trying to overhaul a stubborn industry with some of the coolest tech out there. If you ask me, he’s one to watch – because he’s not just talking about change, he’s building it.