From dream to reality: The journey of Physics Wallah
Alakh Pandey is a self-made entrepreneur and the founder of a multi-billion dollar empire
15 January 2023
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Jayashri Ghorpade
His story is one of hard work, determination, and a relentless pursuit of success.
In the first few years on YouTube, things didn't go well for Alakh. So, he made two changes in 2017.
INR 350 Cr in revenue in FY22, set to increase to INR 650 Cr in FY23.
Alakh Pandey is a self-made entrepreneur and the founder of a multi-billion dollar empire. His story is one of hard work, determination, and a relentless pursuit of success.
Pandey was born into a middle-class family in a small town called Prayagraj in India. Alakh didn't come from a strong financial background. Alakh started teaching Physics tuitions in 8th grade to help out his father and continued doing so in 11th and 12th grade.
He dreamed of studying at an IIT like many other 12th-grade aspirants in the country, but unfortunately, his dream did not come true. Instead, he enrolled in a local engineering college to study Mechanical engineering, as it was the subject that was "closest" to Physics, his favorite subject. Determined to build his future, Alakh decided to drop out of college in his 3rd year of engineering.
As a dropout, Alakh started teaching Physics at a local JEE coaching class. Realizing that teaching at local coaching would not allow him to have the impact he desired, he started his own YouTube channel in 2014.
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In the first few years on YouTube, things didn't go well for Alakh. So, he made two changes in 2017: Quitting his job to focus on YouTube full-time, he abandoned the crowded JEE/NEET space and began teaching physics to ICSE students instead. Soon, the YouTube channel grew to 50K subscribers, and with the pandemic boost, it reached more than 7M subscribers.
In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Alakh's was encouraged to launch his ed-tech app called PW (short for Physics Wallah) and within just 7 days, it reached 300K downloads.
Today, their various courses generate
· INR 350 Cr in revenue in FY22, set to increase to INR 650 Cr in FY23
· INR 7 Cr in profit in FY21
In 2022, Physics Wallah entered the Unicorn Club with massive funding of 100 Million Dollars. GSV Ventures & Westbridge Capital have led in the funding round in which they have valued PW Edtech Startup at 1.1 Billion USD.
Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, Alakh Pandey never let his circumstances hold him back.
From a young age, he was driven to succeed and make a better life for himself and his family. It is a story of a man who dared to dream big and refused to give up, even in the face of seemingly insurmountable obstacles. Through his determination and unwavering focus, he was able to build an empire that will inspire generations to come.
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