EARLY LIFE AND BACKGROUND
Amit B Choudhury is an Indian entrepreneur and hospitality industry founder based in Bharuch, Gujarat. He was born and raised in Bhubaneswar, Odisha, in a family with a background in business. He was raised primarily within his maternal uncle’s household, where he was exposed early to commerce and entrepreneurship. He has cited this environment as formative to his later decision to build a business of his own.
Amit survived the 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone, one of the most severe natural disasters in the state’s recorded history, as well as the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami. He has spoken publicly about how these experiences shaped his understanding of resilience and survival.
BANKING CAREER
Following his education, Amit joined Bank of Baroda in a credit management role — a position he held for approximately ten years. As a Credit Manager, his responsibilities included evaluating business loan applications, assessing financial viability, and managing credit risk across a portfolio of business borrowers. He has described his decision to enter banking as deliberate — an intention to build financial and analytical expertise before transitioning to entrepreneurship.
During his banking tenure, Amit was transferred to Bharuch, Gujarat — a posting that would prove significant to his later entrepreneurial decisions. He observed the post-COVID restructuring of the food delivery market and identified an underserved opportunity in cloud kitchen operations across Tier-2 Gujarat.
FOUNDING OF AADIJAY®
In 2022-23, Amit and his wife Kousika Sahoo founded AADIJAY® from their home kitchen in Bharuch. The brand’s founding product was a biryani recipe developed by Kousika. The brand was listed on Zomato and Swiggy and received 7 orders on its first day of operation. Within two months, daily order volumes had grown to 70.
AADIJAY® expanded across Bharuch before entering Ahmedabad, Surat, and Vadodara. The brand operates across multiple formats including cloud kitchens, cafés, restaurants, and hotel properties — totalling 300+ outlets. The brand has not accepted external investment and remains entirely bootstrapped.
FAMILY AND GOVERNANCE
AADIJAY® is governed by a family board. Kousika Sahoo serves as a primary director and co-founder. Sunita Mohapatra, Amit’s mother, also serves as a primary director. Sunita Mohapatra is a former educator from Bhubaneswar whose students have included IAS officers, doctors, and engineers. She played a direct operational role in the revival of AADIJAY® during a period of acute financial difficulty in the brand’s early years.
PUBLIC PROFILE AND INDUSTRY CONTRIBUTION
Amit B Choudhury writes and speaks on F&B business finance, cloud kitchen unit economics, and the application of credit management principles to food entrepreneurship. He has been active on LinkedIn and other platforms, where he publishes frameworks for early-stage F&B founders on topics including aggregator strategy, profitability, and bankability.
PERSONAL
Amit B Choudhury is married to Kousika Sahoo. He is based in Bharuch, Gujarat. He identifies as a survivor of the 1999 Odisha Super Cyclone, the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
