From Belagavi to America | Two Cousins Who Built Online Instruments | Mundhe Banni | Ep 34

They studied in Kannada medium schools in Belagavi district. Today, these two cousins own a company in America and run India's first CKD smart board factory. This is the Online Instruments story, told by its founders on Mundhe Banni, a Kannada entrepreneurship podcast.Shivanand Mahashetti and Dr. Mahesh Bellad grew up in rural North Karnataka and began their business career selling push-button telephones in Bengaluru. Some days, even a couple of phones would not sell. Over three decades, they built Online Instruments into an audiovisual systems integration and display manufacturing company whose work powers conference rooms, video walls, command centres and smart classrooms.What you will discover- How two Kannada medium cousins from Belagavi went on to build a global AV technology company- Why the cousins chose bank loans over VC and PE money, and what that meant for growth- How they recovered from the office fire in two days, and why the team stayed without salaries- How their telephones reached Infosys in its early years- What it takes to set up India's first CKD interactive flat panel display (smart board) factory- Why an Indian AV company acquired an American firm- The plan to make Online Instruments a public company, and how COVID delayed it- How two cousins, second-generation business partners, disagree without ever making it personal- Career opportunities for engineers in audiovisual technologyAbout the foundersShivanand Mahashetti is the Managing Director and Dr. Mahesh Bellad is the Chairperson of Online Instruments, a Bengaluru-based company working across AV systems integration, interactive displays and commercial lighting. Both come from Belagavi district, and their families have been business partners for two generations.Get in touch with the guests: Shivanand Mahashetti: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivanandmahashetti/Dr.Mahesh Bellad: https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshbellad/About Mundhe BanniMundhe Banni is a Kannada-first entrepreneurship media platform, hosted by Vasanth Shetty and Kiran Kodlady. Through long-form conversations with founders, entrepreneurs and ecosystem builders, we bring Kannadigas the real stories behind businesses built in Karnataka and beyond, so that every Kannadiga can believe "this is possible for me too."0:00-Highlights & meet the founders4:56-₹50,000 each, college strikes, and push-button phones12:44-What Online Instruments actually builds inside your office18:50-Leaving a profitable phone business for an industry they didn't know27:10-AV engineering: the career no college teaches31:34-The 2007 fire that burnt 99% of their office37:53-A BMW at ₹100 crore, and the dream of a public company41:32-No VC, no PE: why patience beats quick money50:59-Inside India's first CKD smart board factory1:01:04-From a Kannada medium school to buying a US company1:07:23-Cousins for 35 years: the US deal they argued over1:13:30-Starting with ₹5 lakh? Their advice for young founders1:17:45-Giving back: 186 Kannada medium schools adopted------------------------------------------------------------------------------------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------------------------------------------------------------------------------------🔔 Subscribe to Mundhe Banni for more Kannada founder stories💬 Tell us in the comments: which part of this journey stayed with you?📲 Follow Mundhe Banni on Instagram for episode clips and updates