Meet Alakh Pandey, the young Edtech visionary behind Physics Wallah

From a humble tutor to a trailblazing entrepreneur, Alakh Pandey's journey with Physics Wallah shows how passion and perseverance can turn even the simplest beginnings into a $2.8 billion empire—reshaping education, one formula at a time.

In Short

• Physics Wallah became a unicorn in August 2022
• His YouTube channel now has 31 million subscribers
• Physics Wallah raised $210 million in 2024

Alakh Pandey, the 32-year-old founder of Physics Wallah, has just been named in the prestigious Hurun List of top young entrepreneurs under 35. But don't let his age fool you – this physics whiz has been defying gravity in the business world for years.

Picture this: It's 2016, and a young man from Prayagraj (formerly known as Allahabad) is sitting in front of a camera, explaining the intricacies of physics to an almost invisible audience.

Fast-forward to 2024, and that same man is at the helm of a $2.8 billion education empire.

That's the Alakh Pandey story in a nutshell – but let's rewind and see how this educator extraordinaire built his kingdom, one physics formula at a time.

From classroom to YouTube

Alakh's journey didn't start in a high-tech startup incubator. It began in the classrooms of Allahabad, where he tutored younger students while still in school himself. Talk about multitasking! By the time he was in 11th grade, Alakh was already giving demo classes at local coaching centres.

But he had bigger dreams. In 2016, armed with nothing but a camera and a passion for teaching, he launched the YouTube channel "Physics Wallah – Alakh Pandey."

At first, it was like shouting into the void. But Alakh kept at it, improving his content and connecting with students. Little did he know, he was laying the foundation for an EdTech revolution.

The big break

The real explosion came in 2018 when Alakh launched the Physics Wallah app. Within days, it had over 35,000 users. It was like he'd discovered the Higgs boson of education – a way to make quality learning accessible to everyone.

Then came 2020 and the pandemic. While the world was falling apart, Physics Wallah was coming together. As students turned to online learning en masse, Alakh's platform became their digital classroom, their lifeline to education.

In August 2022, Physics Wallah hit unicorn status, valued at $1.1 billion. But Alakh wasn't done yet. By September 2024, the company raised another $210 million, shooting its valuation up to $2.8 billion.

Today, Physics Wallah isn't just a YouTube channel or an app. It's an education ecosystem with 31 million subscribers across 61 channels and 180 offline centres in 105 cities. It's like Alakh took the Indian education system and gave it a complete makeover.

Alakh Pandey, now 32, remains as passionate about teaching as he was in those early YouTube days. He's swapped his simple camera setup for state-of-the-art production, but his goal remains the same: to make quality education accessible to every student in India.

His efforts haven't gone unnoticed. Apart from the recent Hurun List recognition, Alakh has collected accolades, like Einstein collected honorary degrees.

From the "Rising EdTech Startup of India" award to a spot in the Times' 40 Under 40 list, Alakh's trophy cabinet is getting as crowded as a Mumbai local train during the rush hour.

With a net worth estimated at Rs 4,500 crore (that's about $240 million for those keeping score at home), Alakh could easily rest on his laurels. But that's not his style. He's constantly innovating, recently leading a charge for student rights in the NEET UG 2024 examination results controversy.

With backing from heavyweight investors like Hornbill Capital and Lightspeed Venture Partners, it's poised to keep expanding its educational universe.

From a small-town tutor to a billionaire EdTech mogul, Alakh Pandey's journey is proof that with passion, perseverance, and a whole lot of physics, anything is possible.