Meet Richest Man In Prayagraj Who Rejected Rs 75 Crore Offer From Unacademy, Now Owns Rs 232,400,000,000 Unicorn Company

Alakh Pandey is the 32-year-old founder and CEO of Physics Wallah (PW), an edtech giant valued at over Rs 9,100 crore (approximately $1.1 billion). Based in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, Physics Wallah has grown to become one of India's leading educational technology companies.

Pandey has also established a strong presence on YouTube, with his 61 channels amassing over 31 million subscribers. His company has recorded impressive profits, including Rs 9.4 crore in 2021, Rs 133.7 crore in 2022, and Rs 108 crore in 2023.

He was born on October 2, 1991, in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Alakh Pandey displayed academic excellence from a young age. To support his family, he started teaching while still in the 8th grade.

Though he aspired to join IIT, he couldn't clear the entrance exam and instead pursued mechanical engineering in Kanpur. His family even sold their home to fund his education, but Pandey dropped out of Harcourt Butler Technical University during his second year to follow his passion for teaching.

Even though Alakh Pandey left mechanical engineering, his passion for teaching made him start giving private lessons. He began teaching younger students when he was in sixth grade. This early experience inspired him to offer affordable, high-quality education to students across India, which later led to the creation of Physics Wallah.

In 2023, Pandey was recognized as the richest individual from Prayagraj, with an estimated net worth of Rs 4,500 crore. Under his leadership, Physics Wallah has seen remarkable growth, with the company achieving 100% growth in online learning in the past year. PhysicsWallah CEO Alakh Pandey turned down a Rs 75 crore offer to join Unacademy, as per reports. 

Physics Wallah reached unicorn status in August 2022 after raising $1.1 billion in its Series A funding round, backed by Westbridge and GSV Ventures. By September 2024, the company's valuation soared to $2.8 billion following another $210 million in funding.

Alakh Pandey, who once earned just Rs 5,000 a month, has now transformed his ed-tech venture, PhysicsWallah, into India's 101st unicorn and the first ed-tech company to achieve this milestone with Series A funding. 

Currently, Physics Wallah employs 1,900 people, including 500 teachers and 200 associate teachers. Unlike other edtech companies like Byju's, Unacademy, and Vedantu, which remain loss-making, Physics Wallah is profitable. 

Alakh Pandey launched the Physics Wallah YouTube channel in 2016 and expanded his reach with the Physics Wallah app in 2020. Today, the YouTube ecosystem boasts 61 channels, 31 million subscribers, and 180 offline centers spread across 105 cities. The company's financial success is evident in its profits of Rs 9.4 crore in 2021, Rs 133.7 crore in 2022, and Rs 108 crore in 2023. 

Alakh Pandey is married to Shivani Dubey, and their love story is straight out of a romantic film. They met through a mutual friend, with Shivani unaware of Pandey's role as the co-founder and CEO of Physics Wallah.