Get Aquainted with Our Founders: A Story of Innovation and Hospitality

The Aquaint story begins way back in the 1990s, when brothers Jayden and Rohan joined their dad, Mahendra, delivering kegs to restaurants and pubs across northern England. Mahendra’s business, Kegbeer, thrived for 26 years (matching Fergie’s legendary tenure at Man United!). Growing up immersed in the hospitality world, Jayden and Rohan developed a deep appreciation for the industry but also witnessed its unique challenges.

Mahendra running Kegbeer when paper records were still a thing (above)

Jayden & Rohan back in the day (below)

From their early experiences, they understood how the hospitality industry was consistently left behind other industries in adopting modern tools, relying on inefficient processes and even non-GDPR compliant practices like WhatsApp for team comms. These challenges, coupled with hospitality’s low productivity rates, planted the seeds for what would eventually become Aquaint.

Following short stints in hospitality, Jayden pursued a career in technology. He gained experience at large, well-run companies like Hewlett Packard and PwC, where he noticed how far ahead these industries were in adopting modern tools compared to hospitality. Meanwhile, Rohan worked his way up the ranks in hospitality venues across Manchester, becoming a General Manager at just 23 years old.

Rohan cooking up some cocktails (below)

While Jayden and Rohan’s roots were firmly in hospitality, Sunil brought a fresh perspective. As a pharmacist for 30 years, Sunil experienced first hand the inefficiencies of outdated systems in his industry and set out on a mission to solve them through technology. Fast forward 10 years, Pharmsmart is now THE app for compliance within the pharmacy industry, with 51% of all UK pharmacies using the app. Sunil brought the experience in building a world-class compliance app in a different industry to guide Aquaint towards building hospitality’s most user-friendly app.

Sunil & Jayden tucking into some tasty dosas (above)

By working closely with independent venues, small chains, and larger groups, they uncovered the diverse ways hospitality teams manage workflows. Instead of designing a solution for just one large operator, they built Aquaint to adapt to the unique processes and habits of every venue, ensuring it could work for all.

In 2021, Jayden & Sunil set out to bring world-class technology to the third largest industry in the UK, addressing critical issues like the industry having the lowest rates of labour productivity in the UK and the mass-GDPR breaching through widespread WhatsApp use. By working directly with independents, small chains and some larger groups, they were able to understand all the weird and wonderful ways in which venues manage their workflows. Instead of designing a solution for just one large operator, they were able to capture the unique processes and habits of every venue, enabling them to build something that works for everyone.

Rohan joined Aquaint a few years into the journey after overseeing the rollout of Aquaint’s first version as an early test site at the venue he managed. After a decade in hospitality management, Rohan could see a clear and large need for what Aquaint were building. So, he quit the job he loved to join his brother Jayden and the team full-time.

Jayden & Rohan at the Northern Restaurant & Bar expo (below)

As the company grew, Barry Nightingale, a seasoned executive with a stellar career as CFO at The Restaurant Group, Betfred, and EasyJet, joined the Aquaint board. His expertise further strengthened the company’s foundation. Meanwhile, the 10-strong development team, led by the highly experienced Vihar Rana, focused on creating a platform that’s not only functional but also highly user-friendly.

Aquaint then raised venture capital investment from PXN Group (formerly Praetura) in 2024, enabling the acceleration of growth ever since.

Aquaint 🤝 Praetura (below)

Today, Aquaint is transforming how service teams operate. But this is just the beginning. At Aquaint, we’re on a mission to empower EVERYONE in the services sector to achieve more in less time. By continuing to work closely with our customers and listening to their needs, we’re solving problems in innovative ways and continue shaping a more productive, efficient, and compliant future for hospitality and beyond.

Sunil, Jayden, Rohan (above)