Payel Chowdhury

About Payel Chowdhury

I build AI and data platforms, and have spent 15+ years designing and scaling machine learning, data, and decision systems across large enterprises and growth-stage organizations.I am currently the Founder & CEO of Toutami, where I am building specialized AI platforms focused on real-world decision systems and AI-native workflows. My work centers on designing products and platforms that combine data, machine learning, and generative AI to support complex, multi-step workflows across domains such as travel, home, finance, and career.Prior to Toutami, I served as Senior Director of Data Science at Lowe’s, where I led the Data Science Center of Excellence and helped drive enterprise-wide adoption of AI across merchandising, supply chain, marketing, stores, and digital. My teams built and deployed production AI systems that delivered significant revenue growth, margin improvement, and operational efficiency at scale.Earlier in my career, I held leadership roles at Gap, Clorox, Genpact, and Citi, building advanced analytics and AI capabilities across retail, CPG, financial services, and consulting environments. Across these roles, I built global teams, defined AI strategy and roadmaps, designed data and AI platforms, and led large-scale initiatives from concept to production.Alongside building Toutami, I selectively advise enterprises and startups on AI, data, and platform strategy — with a focus on helping organizations move from experimentation to production-grade, scalable AI systems. My work typically focuses on platform architecture, operating models for AI teams, use-case prioritization, and translating AI innovation into measurable business impact.My work sits at the intersection of AI platforms, real-world products, and large-scale decision systems, with a focus on how organizations design, build, and operate AI capabilities in the GenAI era.I hold a Ph.D. in Economics (Econometrics) and an M.S. in Statistics from the University of California, Irvine.

Experience

1. Founder and CEO

   Toutami, Inc

   Oct 2024 — Present · Palo Alto, CA, US

   Toutami is an AI platform company building domain-specific AI systems designed to support real-world decision-making across everyday life.Our work focuses on combining data, machine learning, and generative AI with strong product and platform design to create AI-native systems capable of handling complex, multi-step workflows. Rather than isolated AI features, we are building end-to-end platforms that integrate data, reasoning, and user interaction to support real decisions across domains such as travel, home, finance, and career.The first product in the platform is Voyami, an AI-powered travel planning and trip intelligence system designed to provide personalized, context-aware guidance across the full travel lifecycle. Over time, the platform will expand into additional domains, including Brickami, focused on the lifecycle of homes and real estate.As Founder & CEO, I lead product vision, AI platform architecture, and overall company strategy, with a focus on building production-grade AI systems that operate reliably in real-world environments.Previously, I built and led enterprise AI and data science organizations at Lowe’s, Gap, Clorox, Genpact, and Citi, focused on large-scale machine learning platforms, decision systems, and applied AI delivering measurable business impact.In parallel, I selectively advise enterprises and startups on AI, data, and platform strategy, helping teams move from experimentation to scalable, production-grade AI capabilities.The long-term goal is to build AI systems that function as trusted decision partners across complex, real-world domains.

Education

• UC Irvine

  Doctor of Philosophy - PhD, Economics, Applied Econometrics Focus

• UC Irvine

  Master of Science - MS, Statistics

• University of Calcutta

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Economics

• Indira Gandhi Institute of Development Research

  Master of Philosophy - MPhil, Development Economics

• Jawaharlal Nehru Vishvavidyalaya

  Master's degree, Economics

Skills

• Quantitative Analytics
• Big Data
• Leadership
• R
• Markov Chain Monte Carlo
• Python
• Latex
• Economic Development
• Missing Data
• Sql
• Data Analysis
• Machine Learning
• Strategy
• Economics
• Eviews
• Survival Analysis
• Stata
• Matlab
• Product Management
• Team Management
• University Teaching
• Deep Learning
• Econometrics
• Industrial Organization
• Consulting
• Simulations
• Microeconomics
• Statistics
• Bayesian Inference
• Statistical Modeling
• Research
• Time Series Analysis
• Data Mining
• Cloud Computing
• Predictive Modeling
• Sas