Mundhe Banni Podcast

Mundhe Banni Podcast
  • 5.0 (2)
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Updated Biweekly

Mundhe Banni is a Kannada-language podcast that delves into the world of startups, entrepreneurship, and business insights, specifically aimed at young adults and early-career professionals . The name Mundhe Banni (ಮುಂದೆ ಬನ್ನಿ) translates to "Come Forward" or "Step Ahead" in Kannada, which reflects the podcast’s goal to inspire, motivate, and empower listeners to take bold actions in their professional and entrepreneurial journeys. Hosted by Vasant Shetty and Kiran Kodlady, the podcast offers valuable insights into fostering a more entrepreneurial mindset in the region.

  1. 3d ago

    India's First Chemical-Free Plant Protein, Made From Indian Pulses | Smitha Devigere | Ep 33

    Why does a country that grows so many pulses import more than 90% of the protein isolates in its protein powders? Smitha Devigere, a former Novozymes scientist from Davanagere, left a stable research career to change that. Her answer is a patented, chemical-free plant protein made from Indian pulses using only water.About the founder:Smitha is the founder of Devigere Bio Solutions. Most plant protein, including soy and pea, is extracted with solvents, acids and alkalis. She wanted a protein she could confidently feed her own children, so she began experimenting in her kitchen with alasande (black-eyed beans). Alasande is one of Karnataka's biggest pulse crops and is mostly sold as animal feed. That work became a water-based extraction method, an Indian patent granted in 2024, and a plant protein that dissolves completely in water, which very few plant proteins can do.Getting from kitchen to factory was hard. A ₹1.5 lakh manufacturing batch failed. She turned down ₹2 crore because accepting it meant moving her company and patent to Singapore. A ₹23 lakh grant from Karnataka's Elevate programme kept the company going. Later, a cold application to Rainmatter led to a pitch in front of Nithin Kamath and a ₹3 crore investment, which built a manufacturing unit in Davanagere.A candid conversation about deep science entrepreneurship from a smaller city, raising money without an IIT or IIM network, and what Indians get wrong about protein.Website Link : https://www.devigerebiosolutions.com/Buy Sara Protein: https://saraprotein.com/Get in touch with the guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smitha-devigere-a5043622/WHAT YOU WILL DISCOVER- Is protein deficiency in India real, and why is muscle loss starting earlier?- How soy and pea protein isolates are made, and why Smitha chose water instead- Why India imports plant protein at ₹300 to 400 per kg while selling the same pulses as feed for ₹50 to 60- What a failed batch taught her about scaling a new food technology- Why she chose to keep her intellectual property in India- What the Rainmatter pitch with Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath was really like- Does protein damage your kidneys, and do older adults need less of it?- Why the dal in a family meal gives each person only about 5 grams of protein, and how to eat moreChapters 00:00 Trailer01:30 Is the Protein Craze Real or Just Hype?07:13 The School Science Project That Started It All11:55 No Medical Seat, No Placement — Then a Global Research Job18:02 Why She Quit a Comfortable Job23:48 Plant vs Animal Protein: The 100x Difference30:11 No Soy, No Chemicals — Research in Her Own Kitchen37:38 Breaking an FD — and Turning Down ₹2 Crore43:23 The Failed Batch She Never Told Her Father About52:15 A ₹23 Lakh Grant — and a Market That Only Asked About Price1:01:17 The Rainmatter Pitch: A Blank Look, Then an Email1:11:34 ₹3 Crore, a Factory in Davanagere — and Their Own Brand1:16:31 If She'd Known How Long It Would Take…1:22:19 Protein Myths — and Why Your Dal Isn't Enough1:32:30 Favorite Founders, Kantara & Why Local Stories MatterABOUT MUNDHE BANNIMundhe Banni is a Kannada-first entrepreneurship media platform featuring long-form conversations with founders, entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders, and a community of people who want to build.Support Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronFollow Mundhe Banni on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundhebannihttps://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: https://www.mundhebanni.orgMonthly startup & entrepreneurship updates in Kannada, subscribe to the Mundhe Banni Newsletter: https://mundhebanni.org/newsletterJoin the Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/IAWPPpF1m3V1SCLyORz9WNSubscribe to Mundhe Banni Academy: https://www.youtube.com/@mundhebanniacademy

  2. Sep 13

    Why Don't Indian Kids Have a Doll That Looks Like Them? | Suhas Ramegowda, The Good Doll | Ep 32

    Use Code: ' MB15 ' to avail an exclusive discount of 15% on all The Good Doll Products for all Mundhe Banni Podcast Viewers at the checkout.Link: https://thegooddoll.in/"Amma, why don't I look like this doll?"That question from a child at a pop-up stall is the reason India now has Neelah: a brown-skinned, body-positive cloth doll made by tribal women in the Nilgiris. Suhas Ramegowda, co-founder of The Good Doll, left a 15-year corporate career at Shell, Bank of America and Wells Fargo to build it.In this Mundhe Banni episode, Suhas tells the full story in Kannada: a middle-class Mysuru childhood, a first job at ₹6,000 a month, and walking away from corporate life in 2017. He and his wife Sunitha moved with their 9-year-old son to land 25 km beyond Kotagiri, with stream water, solar power and elephants at lunch. Living the same life as the tribal families around them exposed one difference: the bank balance. That discomfort became five women in their living room, then quilts, then COVID masks, and finally a rag doll the market called the "Indian Barbie."The Good Doll is now a Nilgiris-based social enterprise backed by Rainmatter, sold in 90+ stores across 30 cities. It has reached 1 lakh+ parents, made 2 lakh+ dolls from 30,000 kg of upcycled export-house fabric, and gives 100+ tribal women an average income of ₹12,000 a month. Suhas breaks down India's ₹15,000 crore toy industry, the BIS rule that stopped Chinese imports overnight, and why Indian toy makers still manufacture for others instead of building brands. CHAPTERS00:00 Trailer – The doll that doesn't look like our kids01:33 Introduction: Suhas Ramegowda and The Good Doll05:20 Does a Nilgiris-rooted doll sell across India? 60% of sales from Delhi and Mumbai08:07 Mysuru middle-class boy to Shell and Bank of America via a ₹6,000 job12:10 Maximalism, minimalism and the inward journey that started in 201515:13 Quitting both jobs and moving off-grid to the Nilgiris19:02 Why off-grid life felt empty: the bank-balance difference20:28 Quilts, COVID masks and the want-vs-need lesson24:26 The rag doll the market called "Indian Barbie"26:56 "Amma, why don't I look like this doll?" – the white space for an Indian doll28:06 India's ₹15,000 Cr toy industry, the BIS ban and why nobody builds brands31:19 ₹35 lakh own capital, Rainmatter seed and the go-to-market: 5 stores to 80 without ads36:16 Customer vs consumer: how Neelah got her name and her family40:04 Upcycled fabric, PET-bottle filling and recycled vs upcycled43:57 Training 100+ Nilgiris women: guaranteed salary and two weeks of straight-line stitching48:57 Neelah as IP: comics, the Westland book, Soccer and Bharatanatyam Neelah51:41 AI as a back-end tool, cutting screen time and breaking stereotypes57:13 Kinnala, Channapatna and the design-marketing gap in Indian crafts59:13 Unschooling their son: Khan Academy at 6, running the company's AI at 191:04:05 Rapid fire and why entrepreneurship must become cultural in Tier-2/3 KarnatakaGuest: Suhas Ramegowda, Co-founder, The Good Doll

  3. Aug 28

    He Couldn't Raise ₹50,000. Now It's a ₹600 Cr Company | Shashi Kumar, Akshayakalpa | Ep 31

    Akshayakalpa founder Shashi Kumar breaks down how organic dairy farming turned into a profitable, full-time livelihood for hundreds of young farmers in Karnataka. In this Kannada interview, he explains why the average Akshayakalpa farmer is 32 while the average Indian farmer is 52 — and what it took to get there.ಈ ಸಂಚಿಕೆಯಲ್ಲಿ ನಾವು ಅಕ್ಷಯಕಲ್ಪ ಆರ್ಗಾನಿಕ್ ಸಂಸ್ಥೆಯ ಸಂಸ್ಥಾಪಕ ಶಶಿಕುಮಾರ್ ಅವರೊಂದಿಗೆ ಮಾತನಾಡುತ್ತೇವೆ.Shashi Kumar started with 27 friends from Wipro who put in their own savings, no dairy experience between them, and an idea that agriculture could be run as a real business rather than a charity case. On 11 February 2012 he stood in Krishna Rao Park in Bengaluru and sold his first 18 litres of milk to morning joggers. The company came close to bankruptcy roughly six times before a ₹5 crore investment in 2016 changed everything.This conversation covers the parts of the story most agri-business interviews skip: the unit economics of a small dairy farm, why soil organic carbon matters more than fertiliser, how Akshayakalpa farms in the Tiptur belt pushed average coconut yields from 55 nuts per tree back up to 89, and why regenerative agriculture only works if you are patient enough to think in decades. Shashi also talks about running a company with no head office, no micromanagement and, in his words, a CEO with no power — plus honest lessons on fundraising, mentorship, distribution channels and the failures founders should expect from day one.If you care about sustainable farming, organic milk, rural entrepreneurship or the future of food production in India, this is a conversation worth your time. Chapters:00:00:00 Trailer00:01:24 Introduction00:02:39 Where every cab driver in Bengaluru actually comes from00:06:36 27 IT engineers who knew nothing about dairy — how Akshayakalpa began00:17:05 11 Feb 2012: 18 litres of milk in a park, then nine brutal years00:30:19 Our soil is dying: how 185 coconuts a tree became 5500:44:36 Nandini kept us alive. So how is Akshayakalpa different?00:48:23 Nobody funds the middle of agriculture — then Nithin Kamath emailed01:01:28 Technology isn't an app: cows, soil, silage and surviving a drought01:13:56 Why the milk costs more, and why the channel is irrelevant01:20:11 "As CEO I have no power" — the company with no offices01:27:15 Where the government is going wrong on agriculture01:32:26 Advice to agri founders: selling costs more than making01:41:22 The average Indian farmer is 52. Ours is 3201:46:30 Films, books and ragi mudde01:53:10 Closing thoughts

  4. Aug 11

    200 Outlets, ₹400 Crore, Zero Investors | Ft. Kishore Rai, Founder of Polar Bear | Episode 30

    In this episode of  @mundhebanni  Kishore Rai traces the full arc — from a village near Mangaluru where a 10-paise ice candy was the whole childhood memory, to nine years inside Unilever's ice cream business, to co-founding Dairy Day, and finally to launching Polar Bear in 2008 with ₹15 lakh and 25 unique flavours. He explains why he never saw himself as selling ice cream at all: "We are in the business of selling good, memorable experiences." The conversation goes deep into the 2016 rebrand that saved the company when McDonald's, Domino's, Subway and Starbucks were flooding India's food space — hiring QSR professionals, rewriting every SOP, redesigning stores, and convincing 40 existing franchisees to reinvest. He also breaks down the Delta 4 framework, why Polar Bear stayed bootstrapped and cash-positive from day one, and why discipline beats intelligence in every hire he makes.About the Guest:Kishore Rai is the founder of Polar Bear, Karnataka's homegrown ice cream sundae chain with roughly 200 outlets across South India and Maharashtra — 100 in Bengaluru alone — supporting around 2,200 direct and indirect jobs. Before Polar Bear, he spent nine years at Unilever's ice cream business and was part of the founding group of Dairy Classic Ice Creams, the company behind Dairy Day.Get in touch with the guest: in.linkedin.com/in/kishorerai Chapters:00:00:00 Trailer00:01:45 Why a Podcast Made Only for Kannadiga Founders00:02:47 One Store to 200 Outlets and ₹400 Crore: Meet Kishore Rai00:05:07 The 10-Paise Ice Candy Generation That Shaped a Brand00:11:16 Three Jobs in Four Months, Then Nine Years Inside Unilever00:16:56 The Café Coffee Day Obsession That Became Polar Bear00:23:46 He Got the Promotion of His Life, Then Walked Away From It00:28:46 Inside the First Store: ITPL, ₹15 Lakh and 25 Unusual Flavours00:39:23 The Delta 4 Framework That Predicts Which Businesses Win00:43:51 2016: "If We Continue Like This, We Will Not Survive"00:52:51 How Polar Bear Screens a Franchisee, and Who Gets Rejected First00:58:51 "Intelligence Is Overrated" and What He Checks Instead01:06:57 Zero Funding, Zero Bank Loans, Cash Positive From Day One01:19:24 The CCD Feeling He Wants Polar Bear to Give Every Kannadiga01:24:51 Anant Nag, Agassi and the Sundae He Can't Stop Eating

  5. Jul 29

    60% in PUC. 12,000 Rank in CET. Stanford Still Said Yes, How? | Deepak Shapeti | Ep 29

    India designs 20% of the world's semiconductors and owns almost none of them. Deepak Shapeti, co-founder and CEO of IISc-incubated Morphing Machines, is trying to change that with REDEFINE — India's own runtime-reconfigurable AI processor.He scored 60% in PUC and 12,000 in CET. Stanford admitted him anyway, and told him plainly: we ignored your marks.This conversation covers what it actually takes to build a fabless semiconductor startup in India — the two-decade research foundation at the Indian Institute of Science, the ₹15 lakh the company started with, the DLI and Chips2Startup schemes now funding a new generation of Indian chip designers, and why India still imports $42 billion of strategic chips every year. Along the way, Deepak breaks down how sand becomes silicon, why his company refuses to call itself an Nvidia killer, and what two failed startups over seven years taught him about his own limits.If you are an engineer wondering whether deep tech is worth the risk, a founder choosing which fight to pick, a student who thinks average marks close doors, or anyone curious about where India's semiconductor mission actually stands — this one is for you.What you'll learn in this episode:✅ Why 20% of the world's chip designers are Indian, and why that hasn't produced a single globally competitive Indian chip company✅ How a chip is physically made — from purified sand to a finished processor the size of an insect✅ The exact reason he refuses to position REDEFINE as an "Nvidia killer," and what he's building instead✅ What Stanford saw in a student with 60% in PUC — and what he says is the real gap between an Indian engineering college and Silicon Valley✅ The government schemes that mean a chip startup today needs almost none of your own capital✅ His five-step method for entering an industry where you have zero background and zero credibility

  6. Jul 14

    What's Happening With OTT & Kannada Cinema | Ft. Daali Dhananjaya & Shashank Soghal | Episode 28

    What you'll learn in this episode:✅ Why "a good film will always find its audience" is a comforting myth — and what actually decides whether a movie runs✅ The real reason families in small-town Karnataka stopped coming to theatres (it isn't the films)✅ How Daredevil Musthafa got made after nearly 100 producers said no — the crowdfunding model, explained honestly✅ What adapting a K.P.Poornachandra Tejaswi story taught Shashank about writing for the screen✅ The unconventional marketing experiments that made a novelist the "hero" of a film's campaign✅ Where the money really disappeared — OTT, satellite rights, and how far Kannada trails Telugu Chapters:00:00:00-Trailer00:01:31-Sponsor: Odoo00:03:01-Welcome & the crisis in Kannada cinema00:05:21-What's broken: theatres, affordability & honest cinema00:12:44-Content, marketing & too few production houses00:16:52-The language-consumption problem & why OTT skips Kannada00:21:45-From actor to producer: Daali Pictures & a producer's job00:28:04-Shashank & the crowdfunding of Devil Mustafa00:36:20-The writing problem & finding new talent00:52:25-Marketing reinvented: cutouts, ₹1 tickets & genre campaigns01:04:26-Cameos & representing Kannada beyond the state01:09:03-Theatres, OTT & satellite: the economics of distribution01:25:09-The government's role & the pan-India squeeze01:29:52-Inside Mother Promise01:36:14-Community, poetry & Karnataka favourites01:45:00-The fanboy moment, the big idea & closing wishes

  7. Jul 4

    Delivery Boys Earn ₹40,000/Month? The Shocking Truth | Arun Kumar, EV91 Founder | Episode 27

    A delivery boy in India can earn ₹40,000 a month — but takes home only half. EV91 founder Arun Kumar reveals the hidden economics of India's gig economy, and the EV subscription model rebuilding it.From a small room in Mandya to 25 cities, 5,000 riders, and 2,000 vehicles — this is the story of how an auto driver's son became the founder of one of India's fastest-growing gig mobility startups. In this Kannada podcast conversation, Arun Kumar walks through his 15-year journey across Ola, Swiggy, Rapido, and Dunzo before starting EV91 a single-point EV subscription platform for delivery riders, quick commerce partners, and ride-hailing fleets. If you're an aspiring entrepreneur, gig worker, EV enthusiast, or Karnataka startup watcher, this episode is packed with ground-level insight you won't find in polished founder interviews.What you'll learn in this episode:✅ Why 1 crore Indian delivery workers face the same hidden problem and how EV91 solves it✅ The real math behind ₹40,000/month delivery jobs (and what riders actually take home)✅ How an EV subscription model saves riders 50% of their vehicle costs✅ Why delivery boys are "smarter than us" the multi-app strategy nobody talks about✅ The transition from employee to founder: lessons from Ola, Swiggy, Rapido & Dunzo✅ Why India's EV two-wheeler adoption is stuck at 7% and what changes it Chapters:00:00:00-Trailer-The Line That Stops You Cold00:01:09-Welcome to Mundhe Banni00:02:24-Meet the Founder of EV9100:07:56-The ₹40,000 Truth Nobody Tells You00:09:15-The Model That Changed Everything00:18:55-The Auto Driver's Son From Mandya00:26:42-The Day He Walked Away From a Salary00:45:12-A Message to Every Kannadiga With a Dream

  8. Jun 23

    Could your love for your parents be silently k*lling them? | Ft.Adarsh Narahari | Episode 26

    By 2050, India will have 35 crore senior citizens — and almost no one is preparing for it. In this episode, Primus Senior Living founder Adarsh Narahari breaks down how to add years of healthy, independent life to your parents (and yourself) — and why ageing is quietly becoming one of the biggest business opportunities of our generation.This is a rare "double dhamaka" conversation on Munde Banni. If you're a founder or aspiring entrepreneur, you get a real, unfiltered look at building Primus Senior Living from zero in a sector nobody believed in — the bank loans, the "old age home" misconception, the near-collapse, and the turnaround. And if you have ageing parents, in-laws, or grandparents, you walk away with a practical framework for health span, preventive care, and Blue Zone-style living that most families in India have never been told. Adarsh blends the science of healthy ageing with the on-ground reality of elder care in Bangalore and across India, in a way that's honest, warm, and genuinely useful.What you'll learn in this episode:Why "retirement" might be the most dangerous decision your parents ever makeThe Blue Zone formula behind people who live to 100 — fully independentHow loving children accidentally make their parents weaker (the Dependency Risk Spiral)The difference between life span and health span — and why it changes everythingHow Primus turns an apartment community into a "mini Blue Zone"Why he refuses to put a hospital inside his projectsThe grandmother who accidentally started a company — and the founder lessons behind itGet in touch with the guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaitanyar/Chapters:00:00:00-Trailer00:01:23-Introduction00:02:23-The Aging Wave India Isn't Ready For00:05:54-The Secret to Living to 100, Fully Independent00:11:44-What Elders Truly Want (And How Children Take It Away)00:17:02-Catch It Early, or It's Already Too Late00:22:46-Inside Primus: A Mini Blue Zone in the City00:29:04-Loneliness, One Fall & the Home Built to Stop Both00:32:28-Eat Together, Live Longer — and the Hospital He Refuses00:38:50-The Grandmother Who Accidentally Built a Company00:45:22-The Project That Almost Broke Him00:49:51-The Age-Tech Goldmine Everyone's Ignoring00:57:46-The Red Flags That Say Your Parent Is Declining01:00:23-Who Pays, Who Decides & the Policy Fixes India Needs01:06:42-The Astonishing Lives of India's Seniors (& a COVID Memory)01:10:08-Fall-Proof the Home & the One Rule for Good Children01:13:26-Can an Indian City Become a Blue Zone?01:15:22-Multi-Gen Living & the Son-vs-Daughter Truth01:19:11-His Biggest Failures & Why Patient Capital Wins01:23:07-Founder Advice, Rapid Fire & a Superpower Called Kindness

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
2 Ratings

About

Mundhe Banni is a Kannada-language podcast that delves into the world of startups, entrepreneurship, and business insights, specifically aimed at young adults and early-career professionals . The name Mundhe Banni (ಮುಂದೆ ಬನ್ನಿ) translates to "Come Forward" or "Step Ahead" in Kannada, which reflects the podcast’s goal to inspire, motivate, and empower listeners to take bold actions in their professional and entrepreneurial journeys. Hosted by Vasant Shetty and Kiran Kodlady, the podcast offers valuable insights into fostering a more entrepreneurial mindset in the region.

Information

  • Creator
    Mundhe Banni Podcast
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    34
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Mundhe Banni Podcast
  • Show Website
    Mundhe Banni Podcast

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