Teachers in India have completely revolutionised the education sector, courtesy of the fact that they are providing accessible learning resources. One such person is Alakh Pandey, founder and CEO of ed-tech unicorn Physics Wala.
Alakh Pandey is one of India's richest teachers. However many may argue that the title is held by other popular tutors. Although there is no clear data to show who the richest teacher in India is, popular teacher and entrepreneur Alakh Pandey is the top contender for the title. Alakh Pandey helps students prepare for many competitive exams. Many students appear for exams like IIT-JEE, CAT, and UPSC every year, but not everyone succeeds in these difficult exams. However, it is not that the failed students are not very talented or they cannot crack these exams. Alakh Pandey is one of those students who has set an example for such students.
Alakh Pandey is a known name in the Indian edtech ecosystem. With a net worth of more than Rs 2000 crore, he is founder of 101st unicorn company of India, PhysicsWallah. Although many know Alakh Pandey as a teacher who is known to make education fun, not many are aware that he wanted to become an actor.
According to various reports, Alakh Pandey was offered Rs 75 crore to join Unacademy. In fact, he spoke about the offer in one of the video clips even though he doesn’t name the company. But, he refused the offer with the vision to educate the underprivileged population of India.
Alakh Pandey hails from Allahabad, comes from a humble background. He used to participate in nukkad dramas as he wanted to become an actor. However, because of bad financial conditions, he started taking tutions from Class 8. Alakh Pandey's parents had sold their house for his and his sister Aditi's education. He was a great student. In class 10, his marks were 91 percent. In Class 12, his marks were 93.5 percent. When Alakh Pandey was a 22-year-old, he dropped out of his engineering college and went back to hometown Allahabad to teach physics. He used to earn Rs 5,000 per month
Pandey wanted to be an IITian, he failed to crack the entrance exam. However, he continued his studies at Kanpur's Harcourt Butler Technical Institute but ultimately left. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Pandey started making educational videos on YouTube from a small room in Uttar Pradesh. His popularity led him to launch Physics Wallah, an ed-tech company, now recognised as India's 101st unicorn.
The success of Alakh Pandey extends beyond online learning environments. He grew his business to hire 100 technical professionals and more than 500 teachers. With over 100 million subscribers on YouTube, he is reportedly worth over Rs 2000 crore, according to sources. Pandey is a prime example of the transformational power of perseverance and dedication because of his ascent to fame and prosperity throughout difficult circumstances. While accumulating an enormous fortune for himself, the man who previously struggled to pay for tuition is now assisting thousands of people in realizing their aspirations of education.
