From Engineering to Entrepreneurship: Building a Tech Company & Restaurant Chain | Arjun Dhananjayan

In this episode of #Dare2Begin, I sit down with two dynamic co-founders – Naveen Hegde and Murali Kantharaju, directors of Dearadh Pro Automation – who’ve taken a unique entrepreneurial route by building not one, but two very different businesses.

They run:
🔧 Dearadh Pro Automation – a cutting-edge industrial automation and engineering solutions company
🍽️ ChaatPot – a vibrant quick-service restaurant Chain.

We dive deep into:
👉 The reality of engineering education and why most graduates remain unemployable
👉 What it really takes to build and scale a restaurant brand in India
👉 Balancing two businesses in two different industries
👉 The co-founder equation and shared learnings across sectors
👉 How automation and food intersect through their journey
If you’re someone who’s navigating multiple interests, wondering how to start something new, or curious about India’s changing entrepreneurial landscape — this one’s for you

Time Stamps

00:00 – Introduction to the Podcast and the Guests
01:16 – Why Engineers Are Switching to IT & Systemic Education Gaps
01:56 – Meet the Founders: Automation & Food Ventures Together
03:04 – From Garage Startup to Serving Big Clients like HL & ITC
04:15 – How Late-Night Food Cravings Sparked a New Venture
06:10 – The Idea Behind ChaatPot & Bangalore’s Missing Chaat Culture
07:54 – Balancing Two Businesses: Engineering vs Food
10:12 – The Origin of the Brand Name ‘ChaatPot’
12:00 – Creating a Menu that Represents All of India’s Chaats
13:10 – The Hiring Challenge: Finding Authentic Chefs & Cooks
15:31 – Fusion Dishes, Signature Recipes, and Customer Experience
19:42 – Rasgulla Chaat & Multi-Flavored Panipuri Concept
23:18 – Can Indian Street Food Scale Like McDonald’s?
26:50 – Engineering Approach to Taste Consistency in Food
30:14 – SOPs and Learnings from Working with HUL & ITC
35:16 – How to Start a Restaurant or Cloud Kitchen in India
38:46 – B2B vs B2C: Two Worlds, Two Approaches
40:57 – Co-Founder Compatibility & Conflict Management
49:20 – Building a Loyal, Skilled Core Team Without Fancy Degrees
52:49 – How IT Salaries Are Affecting Core Engineering & Manufacturing
58:24 – European Work Culture vs Indian Workplace Realities
1:05:04 – India’s Broken Engineering Education System
1:14:31 – Freebies, Labor Shortage & Blue Collar Hiring Issues
1:21:23 – Top Learnings as Entrepreneurs: People, Decisions, Ownership


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