Mundhe Banni Podcast

Mundhe Banni Podcast

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. 19h ago

    From ₹800 to ₹1300 Cr — The Wakefit Founder Who Sold India Better Sleep Ft.Chaitanya | Episode 25

    He had ₹800 left in his bank account and two failed startups behind him. A few years later, Chaitanya Ramalingegowda took Wakefit public — a ₹1,300 crore company built on the one thing most founders ignore: sleep.This is the full Wakefit founder story. In one of the most honest conversations on Indian entrepreneurship, the Wakefit co-founder breaks down the bootstrapped startup journey from a tiny rented factory to a publicly listed company — the failures, the rejections, the scrappy early days, and the unglamorous decisions behind one of Karnataka's biggest startup success stories. If you're a founder, a D2C operator, or anyone who loves a real Indian startup story, this one is for you.What you'll learn in this episode:- How Wakefit turned mattresses — one of the most boring products imaginable — into a ₹1,300 crore business- The two startups Chaitanya failed at before Wakefit, and what hitting rock bottom actually taught him- Why offering a 100-day free return sounded like financial suicide — and became their biggest growth lever- The almost unbelievable way the first factory ran: tea for the delivery guy, a pulley, and repurposed power tools- What investors got wrong about Wakefit — and how the company answered them on the road to its IPO- The honest mistakes most founders make, from someone who made them and came back------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronFollow Mundhe Banni on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundhebanni?igsh=MWMwOXQyenNjaWIwaA==https://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: www.mundhebanni.orgFor Monthly Update on Startups & Entreprenuership in Kannada Subscribe to Mundhe Banni Newsletter:https://mundhebanni.org/newsletterJoin Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J4Pwge8FIG13zO2S3cHsAq?mode=gi_tSubscribe to Mundhe Banni Academy:https://youtube.com/@mundhebanniacademy?si=eE4qKbsTeWB-s2Oz------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Get in touch with the guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chaitanyar/Chaitanya Ramalingegowda is the co-founder and director of Wakefit, one of India's leading sleep and home solutions companies. A self-described "ordinary Kannadiga" from Mysuru, he co-founded Wakefit in 2016 with Ankit Garg and grew it from a small rented space into a listed company doing around ₹1,300 crore in revenue. This conversation traces the full arc — failure, persistence, and the everyday decisions behind a company that quietly became a household name.Why this episode matters: most startup stories you read are the glamorous, headline version. This one is the opposite — a candid founder journey through startup failure, near-bankruptcy, investor rejection, and the long, patient build that turned a bootstrapped mattress brand into a ₹1,300 crore IPO. It's as much about mindset and resilience as it is about business.Chapters:00:00:00-₹800 to a ₹1,300 Crore IPO | Trailer00:01:22-Meet the Founder Behind Wakefit00:02:30-Why a ₹1,300 Cr Company Is Obsessed With Sleep00:05:08-The Ads That Made India Notice00:09:16-The Mattress They Sent the Prime Minister00:11:18-A Childhood With No Hometown00:13:54-Why You Can't Trust a Mattress in a Showroom00:17:26-Two Failures and a Near-Empty Bank Account00:25:34-The Factory on the Third Floor00:34:11-The 100-Day Bet Everyone Called Crazy00:40:17-Finding the Co-Founder Who Completes You00:47:06-Beyond Mattresses: Building a Home Brand00:51:15-The Investors Who Kept Saying No01:01:41-The Employees He Quietly Made Wealthy01:04:02-Why He Refused to Sell and Chose an IPO01:06:01-What Going Public Actually Takes01:16:14-What He'd Tell Every Founder Who Failed01:19:41-Rapid Fire: Books, Heroes & a Message to Kannadigas

    1h 29m
  2. Jun 4

    The Only Managers Who Survive AI Do This One Thing. | Ft.Sidu Ponnappa, RealFast AI | Episode 24

    Is AI about to wipe out Indian IT services — or quietly turn it into the biggest opportunity of the decade? Sidu Ponnappa, the engineer who helped scale Gojek into a $10B decacorn, breaks down what "AI-native IT services" really means — and why one engineer can now do the work of ten. In this episode, we go far past the usual "AI will take your job" panic. Sidu lays out a concrete map for anyone working in tech right now: the IT professional worried about AI disruption, the founder deciding what to build next, and the leader trying to figure out why their team got Copilot and Cursor but still isn't moving faster. We cover the future of Indian IT services, the shift from billion-dollar startups to the millionaire startup era, the India vs China AI race, and the personal philosophy — "break every rule" — that took him from an anxious introvert to building companies across India, Indonesia, and Singapore.What you'll learn in this episode:✅ Why "AI-native" delivery compresses 1–2 year IT projects into 1–2 months — and what that does to your role✅ The real reason most teams adopted AI tools but saw zero gain in velocity✅ Why the era of the billionaire founder is over — and what the "millionaire startup" actually looks like✅ How one engineer now does the work of ten — and whose income goes 3x, 5x, 10x✅ Why India risks going from a net exporter of IT services to a net importer of AI "tokens"✅ The hard truth about scaling a company that sent him into depression for a yearSupport Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronFollow Mundhe Banni on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundhebanni?igsh=MWMwOXQyenNjaWIwaA==https://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: www.mundhebanni.orgJoin Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J4Pwge8FIG13zO2S3cHsAq?mode=gi_tSubscribe to Mundhe Banni Academy:https://youtube.com/@mundhebanniacademy?si=eE4qKbsTeWB-s2OzGet in touch with the guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sidup/About the guest:Sidu Ponnappa is originally from Kodagu, born in Delhi and raised in Bengaluru. He built the consulting firm C42 Engineering, which was acquired by Indonesia's Gojek, where he served as Head of Engineering and helped grow the company into Indonesia's first decacorn. He's now building RealFast AI around AI-native IT services, and is known for his sharp, often contrarian writing on AI, engineering, and the Indian tech ecosystem. This conversation matters because almost everyone is shouting that a flood is coming — Sidu is one of the few actually explaining how to row the boat.If you've been searching for a clear answer on the future of Indian IT, how AI is reshaping software jobs, what AI-native services and AI-first delivery really mean, or how to position your career and your company for the next five years, this episode is built for you.If this gave you a new way to think about AI and your career, subscribe and follow Mundhe Banni for more honest conversations with the people actually building the future — and join our community to keep the discussion going.Chapters:00:00:00-A Flood Is Coming — Nobody Tells You How to Row00:02:30-Who Is Sidu Ponnappa — and Is Indian IT Doomed?00:04:56-"AI-Native" Explained: 2 Years of Work in 2 Months00:09:07-The Two Rebel Women Who Made Him00:15:19-His Startup Went Viral — Then He Walked Away00:20:34-Starting Over: The Comeback That Built C4200:24:14-Break Every Rule You Live By00:34:46-900x in 18 Months: Inside the Gojek Rocket00:41:27-The Billionaire Founder Is Dead. Enter the Millionaire.00:46:03-The Industrialization of IT — and the 10x Few00:57:45-India vs China: The Race We Can't Afford to Lose01:06:57-The Two Skills That Decide Who Survives AI01:13:27-New Gods, Useless Bodies & the Rules You Inherit01:18:49-"Good Companies Can't Win" — The Truth That Broke Him01:24:02-Hot Takes: Gen Z, Belonging & Faking the Language01:31:07-Rapid-Fire: Movies, Food & One Controversial Pick

    1h 34m
  3. May 23

    The Kannadiga Who Built Germany's First Crowdfunding Platform | Ft.Vittal Ramakrishna,Nucleo | Ep 23

    A Bengaluru founder failed two startups, moved to Germany, and built the first crowdfunded platform Germans actually used — until a German media house bought him out. This is Vittal Ramakrishna's full story.From walking into Gandhi Bazaar shops asking for ₹2,000 web design gigs in 2008, to being appointed Germany's Indo-German Startup Exchange Ambassador, to building Create — a platform that has done close to ₹280 crore in lifetime sales with sellers from Kashmir to Kanyakumari — Vittal's journey is one of the most layered entrepreneurial arcs to come out of Karnataka in the last decade. In this conversation with Munde Banni, he opens up about being rejected 99 times out of 100 by German customers, the six-month bureaucratic battle to start a business as an immigrant, and why his current venture Nucleo is rebuilding how Indian founders raise capital.This episode is essential listening for first-time founders, aspiring entrepreneurs, working professionals thinking about quitting their job, and anyone who has ever wondered whether failure actually has compounding returns.What you'll learn in this episode:------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronFollow Mundhe Banni on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundhebanni?igsh=MWMwOXQyenNjaWIwaA==https://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: www.mundhebanni.orgFor Monthly Update on Startups & Entreprenuership in Kannada Subscribe to Mundhe Banni Newsletter:https://mundhebanni.org/newsletterJoin Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J4Pwge8FIG13zO2S3cHsAq?mode=gi_tSubscribe to Mundhe Banni Academy:https://youtube.com/@mundhebanniacademy?si=eE4qKbsTeWB-s2OzGet in touch with the guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vittalramakrishna/Chapters:00:00:00-Trailer A Kannadiga in Germany, Failures Worth Celebrating & A Birth at CTR00:01:35-Mundhe Banni Intro — Why We're Building This00:02:45-Meet Vittal Ramakrishna — Founder of Create & Nucleo00:04:24-Why He Lists His Failures on LinkedIn First00:06:00-2008 Recession & Knocking on 260 Doors in Gandhi Bazaar00:12:53-Cloyee Technologies — A Bribed Agent & The First Real Product00:17:54-KPMG, Bosch & The First Trip to Germany00:24:58-The 2014 Meeting That Changed Everything: Crowdfunding00:29:45-"Are You Crazy?" — Quitting His German Job to Start Up00:36:25-Mistaken for a Syrian Refugee — Building Trust as an Outsider00:38:23-Germany's Fastest Growing Startup — €32M, 667 Campaigns00:43:51-The Exit — Three Weeks Before COVID Hit the World00:44:01-Back to Bengaluru — Born at CTR, Returns to CTR00:46:14-The 50 Rupee Doll That Sparked Create00:50:18-The MyGate Insight — Cracking GTM From WhatsApp Groups00:53:24-The Real USP — Selling Without GST & 29,760 Sellers00:58:43-Why Paying Sellers FAST Became the Unfair Advantage01:02:21-₹280 Crores in Sales — Create Today01:03:18-The Birth of Nucleo — Fixing Indian Fundraising01:08:34-Inside Nucleo — The Digital HQ for Founders & Investors01:14:02-Compressing 6-Month Fundraises Into 3-4 Weeks01:18:56-3 Things Kannadigas Must Learn From Germans01:23:43-Vittal's Favourites — Vishnuvardhan, Benne Masala Dose & Block Tickets01:25:24-Vittal's Vision for Karnataka @ 100 in 205601:28:58-Closing Reflections — A Truly Inspiring Story✅ Why his first 260 websites taught him more than the money he made from them✅ The exact moment in Germany he realised he had to quit his corporate job — and his wife's surprising reaction✅ How a foreigner with broken German pitched his way into Germany's fastest-growing startup award (twice)✅ Why customers will never be loyal to your company — and what they're actually loyal to✅ The one cultural habit he believes is holding Kannadiga founders back✅ How Nucleo is compressing the typical 4-6 month founder fundraising journey into 3-4 weeks

    1h 30m
  4. May 18

    The Bengaluru Scientist Who Solved What America Couldn't | Dr. Geetha Manjunath, Niramai | Ep 22

    She left a top AI lab job to build the world's first AI-powered, radiation-free breast cancer screening — and 4 lakh women later, Dr. Geetha Manjunath is on a mission to bring breast cancer deaths to zero. In this episode of Munde Banni Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Geetha Manjunath, Founder, CEO & CTO of Niramai Health Analytix the IISc PhD and ex-Xerox AI Research Lab Director who turned a personal loss into a global healthtech breakthrough. From losing her cousin sister to late-stage breast cancer, to building Thermalytix a non-invasive, AI-powered screening solution now deployed across 22 countries and 300+ hospitals in India this is the kind of founder story India doesn't celebrate nearly enough. We unpack the science, the struggle, the system, and the spirit it took to build a deep-tech, Made-in-Bengaluru product from scratch including how she raised her first $1M term sheet within a month, filed 39 patents around a single product, and ended up sharing a podium with the Secretary of the UN.If you're a founder, scientist, woman entrepreneur, healthcare professional, or simply someone fascinated by India's deep-tech and AI story this conversation will move you.Support Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronFollow Mundhe Banni on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundhebanni?igsh=MWMwOXQyenNjaWIwaA==https://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: www.mundhebanni.orgFor Monthly Update on Startups & Entreprenuership in Kannada Subscribe to Mundhe Banni Newsletter:https://mundhebanni.org/newsletterJoin Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J4Pwge8FIG13zO2S3cHsAq?mode=gi_t------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🎯 What you'll learn in this episode:✅ Why mammography misses up to 50% of cancers in Indian women and what actually works✅ The exact moment Dr. Geetha decided to quit a top corporate job in mid-life and start over✅ How to file patents in India (and why most founders get this completely wrong)✅ The unspoken "anti-India bias" in global research and how to break through it✅ How a woman founder raised crores in funding without an engineering co-founder✅ The biggest myths around breast cancer Indian families still believe✅ What every man should be doing for the women in his family starting today👩‍🔬 About the GuestDr. Geetha Manjunath holds a PhD from IISc Bangalore and an executive management degree from Booth School of Business, Chicago. Before founding Niramai, she served as Lab Director of AI Research at Xerox and Principal Scientist at HP Labs, with over 1700 citations on Google Scholar. She holds 50+ personal patents and has been recognized as one of the Top 20 Technology Pioneers by the World Economic Forum and a Top 10 FemTech founder by the UK NHS. Her work has been published in Lancet Oncology, Nature Digital Medicine, and presented at the United Nations General Assembly in New York.Niramai's Thermalytix is the world's first AI + thermal imaging-based breast cancer screening tool — non-invasive, radiation-free, and works on women of all ages, including under 45 where mammography fails.LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geetha-manjunath-82b8058/Checkout Niramai Health Analytix: https://niramai.com/Chapters:00:00:00-Trailer00:01:31-Mundhe Banni Intro00:02:20-Meet Dr. Geetha — Scientist Turned Founder00:05:00-The Loss That Changed Everything00:11:00-The Cancer Lie We've All Been Told00:18:30-Why Mammography Fails 50% of Women00:25:00-How AI Sees What Doctors Can't00:32:00-Even 17-Year-Olds Are Getting It00:38:30-The $1 Million Bet on a New Idea00:45:00-The Anti-India Bias in Science00:52:00-39 Patents And Why It Matters00:56:00-Going Where No Hospital Reaches01:04:00-"Forget You're a Woman"01:08:30-The Breast Selfie Is Coming01:11:00-The Mission: Zero Cancer Deaths01:13:30-Rapid Fire — The Personal Side01:15:30-Closing Thoughts

    1h 17m
  5. May 9

    This 24 Year Old From Surathkal Wants To Make Satellites Obsolete | Ft.Shreepoorna Rao, Arctus Aerospace | Episode 21

    A 24-year-old from Surathkal is building a 45,000-foot aircraft that could end India's dependence on foreign satellites and global investors are already betting big on him.Meet Shreepoorna Rao, founder of Arctus Aerospace and one of India's youngest deep-tech founders. Fresh out of IIT Madras, he's building unmanned aircraft that fly for 24 hours straight, capture centimetre-level imagery from the stratosphere, and deliver earth-observation data at a fraction of what satellites cost. In this in-depth Kannada conversation, Shreepoorna walks us through the engineering behind Arctus, how he raised $2.6M in a pre-seed round backed by Balaji Srinivasan, Version One Ventures, and South Park Commons, and what it really takes to build hard tech in India straight out of college. If you're a founder, engineer, student, or anyone curious about India's aerospace and defence-tech revolution, this episode is for you.What you'll learn in this episode:✅ Why satellites are no longer the smartest way to do earth observation✅ How Arctus's aircraft delivers 95% cheaper imagery than space-based systems✅ The real story behind raising a global pre-seed round as a 23-year-old✅ How a failed crypto startup quietly funded the first aerospace experiments✅ Why defence, oil & gas, agriculture, and insurance are the first big customers✅ What it takes — mentally and financially — to build hardware at software speed in IndiaCheck out RV Campus Mysuru: https://mundhebanni.short.gy/9FuioL------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronhttps://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: www.mundhebanni.orgFor Monthly Update on Startups & Entreprenuership in Kannada Subscribe to Mundhe Banni Newsletter:https://mundhebanni.org/newsletterJoin Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J4Pwge8FIG13zO2S3cHsAq?mode=gi_tSubscribe to Mundhe Banni Academy:https://youtube.com/@mundhebanniacademy?si=eE4qKbsTeWB-s2Oz------------------------------------------------------------------------------------About the guest:Shreepoorna S Rao is the 23-year-old founder of Arctus Aerospace, a Bengaluru-based deep-tech company building India's first commercial mid- and high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aircraft. An IIT Madras alumnus from Surathkal, he's leading a 15-engineer team designing aircraft that can replace large parts of the satellite stack at a fraction of the cost. Arctus closed a $2.6M pre-seed round in late 2025, with backing from Version One Ventures, South Park Commons, gradCapital, and angels including Balaji Srinivasan and other global operators.This episode matters because almost every conversation about Indian deep tech defaults to software. Arctus is one of the rare hardware-first stories — built from first principles, by someone who started building aircraft as a child, and who is now competing with companies that have decades of head start. Whether you're tracking the rise of Indian aerospace, the future of unmanned systems, the satellite vs aircraft debate, or just want to understand how young founders raise serious capital for hard problems, this conversation goes deep.Chapters:00:00:00-Trailer00:01:28-Mundhe Banni Intro00:02:30-RV Episodes Integration00:03:00-Meet The 23-Year-Old Taking On The Satellite Industry00:08:08-Why Satellites Are Quietly Becoming Useless00:11:50-The 7th Grader Who Was Already Building Aircraft00:24:00 -nside IIT Madras — Where The Real Story Began00:29:08-"I Used To Be Laughed Out Of Rooms"00:39:18-The ₹3 Crore Crypto Detour Nobody Talks About00:46:00-Walking Away From Placement — And Going All In00:51:22-The Cheque That Changed Everything1:10:42-Why India Is Still Importing What This Aircraft Can Build1:14:58-If This Existed 30 Years Ago, Would Veerappan Have Been Caught?1:37:58-A Message To Every Young Kannadiga Watching This

    1h 40m
  6. Apr 30

    Dr. Bro's Untold Story-"ಹುಚ್ಚತನ ಒಂದಿದ್ರೆ ಸಾಕು"| Ft.Gagan Srinivas,Co-Founder,Go Pravasa | Episode 20

    He's stood next to hyenas, walked through bombed-out Syrian cities, and had a gun pulled on him in South Sudan — all with a camera in hand. This is ‪@DrBro‬ 's most honest interview ever.Kannada's most-loved travel vlogger Gagan Srinivas (Dr. Bro) sits down for his first real podcast — 50 countries, ₹600 tripod beginnings, and the untold story behind Go Pravasa.‪@drbro_shorts‬ In the Mundhe Banni Episode 20, Dr. Bro breaks character. No travel B-roll, no curated reels — just the unfiltered story of a kid from a Bengaluru village who started doing pujas part-time to fund flights, built one of Karnataka's most distinctive YouTube channels, and is now scaling a Kannadiga-only travel company that has flown 3,500+ travelers abroad in two years. If you're an aspiring content creator, a young entrepreneur, a solo traveler, or a Kannadiga who's ever been told to "get a job first and dream later" — this conversation will hit different. It's part founder story, part travel masterclass, part life philosophy, all in pure conversational Kannada.What you'll learn in this episode:✅ The real reason Dr. Bro can walk into Syria, Afghanistan, and Lebanon without flinching (it's not what you think)✅ How to actually get a visa to "dangerous" countries on an Indian passport✅ The exact YouTube monetization numbers — first ₹100 cheque, first ₹20,000 brand deal, and per-lakh-view earnings in India vs abroad✅ Why he priced Go Pravasa "controversially high" — and how that decision built 950+ five-star reviews✅ The brutal truth about chasing fame vs chasing passion (and why fame-chasers almost never make it)✅His framework for parents in Tier 2/3 towns: how to support a kid who wants to skip the 9-to-5Why every creator needs a Plan B — and how TikTok's ban became his biggest lessonCheck out Go Pravasa: https://www.gopravasa.com/Go Pravasa Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gopravasa?i...------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Support Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronFollow Mundhe Banni on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundhebanni...https://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: www.mundhebanni.orgFor Monthly Update on Startups & Entreprenuership in Kannada Subscribe to Mundhe Banni Newsletter:https://mundhebanni.org/newsletterJoin Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/J4Pwge8FIG1...Subscribe to Mundhe Banni Academy:   / @mundhebanniacademy  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------00:00:00-Trailer00:01:33-Mundhe Banni Introduction00:02:37-Meet Dr. Bro Gagan Srinivas00:03:55-How travel videos became his full-time career00:07:30-Inside Syria & Afghanistan war zones00:09:36-The KR Market video that started it all00:12:00-The 300 deleted videos no one will ever see00:14:30-Where the name "Dr. Bro" really came from00:19:00-Funding travel through poojas & part-time hustles00:23:30-The Golden Years every 20-year-old is wasting00:27:00-Why he worked Dunzo deliveries between trips00:30:00-Behind the scenes: 7 days of mental rehearsal00:36:50-How he gets visas to Syria, Afghanistan & Pakistan00:38:30-The hard truth about settling abroad00:40:45-Why Africans are happier than us despite poverty00:44:30-The first meal he eats after every foreign trip00:51:25-The untapped Kannada content niches nobody is filling00:54:45-His first brand deal & the money question00:59:30-The scam stories that pushed him to start Go Pravasa01:05:50-"Come to Afghanistan with me" - the open invitation01:09:15-Why Dr. Rajkumar is his hero01:11:57-Time Machine: meeting his 16-year-old self01:13:00-One piece of advice for every dreamer watching

    1h 17m
  7. Apr 19

    AI Is Changing Careers… Most Students Aren’t Ready | EP19 | D.P.Nagaraj & Sahana D G, RV University

    What should students study in the age of AI, and what truly makes a great university?Learn more about RV University Mysuru Campus: https://mundhebanni.short.gy/9FuioLIn this conversation with leaders from RV Educational Institutions and RV University, we explore the future of higher education, student success, employability, and why RV’s new Mysore campus could become a major opportunity for students across Karnataka.This episode goes beyond admissions talk. It dives into how students should think after PUC, why internships and placements are only byproducts of education, how institutions create long-term value, and what parents should look for while choosing the right university.What you’ll learn in this episode:✅ How AI is changing education and careers✅ What students should focus on after PUC✅ Why placements alone should not define a college✅ How RV built one of Karnataka’s strongest education legacies✅ Why RV University is expanding to Mysore/Nanjangud✅How multidisciplinary learning creates better career outcomesFeaturing D.P. Nagaraj (Joint Secretary, RV Educational Institutions) and Dr. Sahana Devegowda (Registrar, RV University), this conversation offers a rare inside look into the philosophy, standards, and future vision of one of Karnataka’s most respected education groups.If you're a student, parent, educator, or founder interested in the future of education in India, this episode is packed with valuable insight.Subscribe to Mundhe Banni for more powerful conversations with entrepreneurs, leaders, and changemakers.🎙️ Guest: D.P. Nagaraj (Joint Secretary, RV Educational Institutions) and Dr. Sahana Devegowda (Registrar, RV University)🎤 Host: Vasant Shetty--------------Support Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronFollow Mundhe Banni on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundhebanni?igsh=MWMwOXQyenNjaWIwaA==https://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: www.mundhebanni.orgFor Monthly Update on Startups & Entreprenuership in Kannada Subscribe to Mundhe Banni Newsletter:https://mundhebanni.org/newsletterJoin Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DOcdDdTum1t5X5qsdzUZxO--------------

    1h 19m
  8. Apr 11

    He Took a ₹5 Crore Cheque & Turned it into ₹11,000 Crores! | Ft. Utham Gowda, Captain Fresh | Ep 18

    A Mysore boy with no business pedigree built Captain Fresh into a ₹10,000 crore global seafood company in just 7 years. From mafia threats in Bengaluru to bold acquisitions across the US and Europe, Utham Gowda’s story is one of the most audacious founder journeys to come out of Karnataka.In this episode of Mundhe Banni, Utham Gowda shares the complete Captain Fresh journey — from his early life in Mysore and time at NITK Surathkal, to investment banking, discovering the seafood opportunity, building a seafood startup in India, shutting down a ₹900 crore India business when the unit economics failed, and scaling Captain Fresh into a global seafood supply chain company operating across multiple countries. This episode is a deep dive into entrepreneurship, startup scaling, business pivots, acquisition strategy, founder mindset, and building a global company from India.What you’ll learn in this episode:• Why Utham Gowda took a major pay cut to enter the seafood industry• How a 90-day journey across India’s coastline led to the idea for Captain Fresh• What happened when Captain Fresh faced resistance and threats in Bengaluru markets• Why a ₹900 crore India business was shut down despite strong revenue• How Captain Fresh pursued large international acquisitions to scale globally• Utham Gowda’s framework for handling fear, risk, and ambition in entrepreneurship• Why India can build far bigger global companies in sectors like seafood and supply chainChapters:00:00-Trailer: A Mysore Boy Builds a Global Seafood Empire01:46-Why Mundhe Banni Exists02:41-Meet Utham Gowda and the Scale of Captain Fresh09:31-NITK Surathkal, College Politics, and the First Setbacks19:24-The Seafood Opportunity and the Conviction to Start25:00-Captain Fresh Begins and the Russell Market Mafia30:06-₹900 Crore Revenue, Broken Unit Economics, and the India Pivot38:39-The Secret Global Shift That Rebuilt the Company44:01-Flying to Miami: The ₹8,000 Crore Acquisition Hunt59:29-“I Built My Own IPL” — Leadership, Ambition, and Scale01:02:21-The Three Fears That Stop Most Entrepreneurs01:06:18-From ₹10,000 Crore to ₹1 Lakh Crore01:12:18-Kannada Cinema, Rocky Energy, and Personal Philosophy01:19:51-Personal Favourites: Seafood, Kheema, and Mangalorean Cuisine01:22:18-Why Mundhe Banni MattersUtham Gowda is the founder and CEO of Captain Fresh, a global seafood company building across supply chains, sourcing networks, and international markets. According to Captain Fresh’s official profile, he grew up in Mysuru, studied at NITK Surathkal, later completed management studies at S.P. Jain, and worked across consulting, strategy, and finance before entering seafood. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}Mundhe Banni (ಮುಂದೆ ಬನ್ನಿ) is a Kannada entrepreneurship podcast featuring bold founders, startup operators, and business builders from Karnataka and beyond.🎙️ Guest: Utham Gowda — Founder & CEO, Captain Fresh | Author, Money Wise🎤 Hosts: Vasant & Kiran | Mundhe Banni Podcast--------------Support Mundhe Banni: https://mundhebanni.org/en/patronFollow Mundhe Banni on Social Media:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mundhebanni?igsh=MWMwOXQyenNjaWIwaA==https://linktr.ee/mundhebanniMundhe Banni Website: www.mundhebanni.orgFor Monthly Update on Startups & Entreprenuership in Kannada Subscribe to Mundhe Banni Newsletter:https://mundhebanni.org/newsletterJoin Mundhe Banni WhatsApp Community: https://chat.whatsapp.com/DOcdDdTum1t5X5qsdzUZxO--------------#UthamGowda #CaptainFresh #NITKSurathkal #MundheBanni #KannadaPodcast #StartupIndia #Entrepreneurship #SeafoodBusiness #FounderStory #GlobalStartup #podcast #kannadapodcast #kannadayoutube #youtubekannada #entrepreneurship #startups #startupsuccess #kannadaentrepreneur #karnataka #kannadiga #mysuru #mysore #bengaluru #bangalore #coastal

    1h 23m

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.

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