Alakh Panday, popularly known by his Youtube channel Physics Wallah, is an online physics teacher from Prayagraj (Allahabad). His Physics Wallah channel has evolved into a billion-dollar ed-tech startup. But he controls a small stake in the company which is estimated at $30 Million (240 Crore).
Background
Born and brought up in Allahabad (now Prayagraj), Alakh started taking tuition when he was in class 8 due to some financial constraints. After completing his school education, he took admitted to a college to pursue B.Tech where he couldn’t connect much to the syllabus. So from the second year onward, he started taking tuition again.
After completing his B.Tech, he moved back to Allahabad (Prayagraj) and started uploading videos under the Physics Wallah on Youtube.
Journey
Alakh Pandey’s journey is a fascinating one. Financial difficulties in his school days made him take tuition which later turned into a passion. His journey has passed the following milestones:
A Youtube Channel
A Youtube channel started in 2016 for uploading physics videos for classes 9th and 10th, garnered a lot of support which later materialized into a billion-dollar startup.
An App
During the 2020 lockdown, when educators were scrambling to familiarize themselves with the new realities of the online world. People like Alakh Pandey were best placed to handle everything the lockdown had in store for them. After realizing the potential, Alakh launched an app during the lockdown which made his reach even wider.
A Billion dollar Unicorn
Slowly what started as a Youtube channel was morphed into an ed-tech startup. With the raising of a Series A funding round, Physics Wallah has a valuation of more than $1 Billion (8000 Crore) bringing it into the unicorn club. It is being backed by the likes of Westbridge and GSV Ventures.