Physics Wallah
 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| ISIN | INE0LP301011 |
| Industry | Edtech |
| Founded | 2016 (YouTube channel) 2020 (company) |
| Founder | Alakh Pandey Prateek Maheshwari |
| Headquarters | Noida , India |
Number of locations | 180+ (2025) |
Key people | Alakh Pandey CEO Prateek Maheshwari (Co-founder) |
| Products | Online courses, offline coaching centres, hybrid learning, test series, books |
| Revenue |  ₹3,900 crore (US$460 million) (FY26) |
| Website | www |
Physics Wallah Limited (commonly known as PW or Physics Wallah) is an Indian educational technology company headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. It was started by educator Alakh Pandey as a YouTube channel in 2016 focused on physics for the JEE, NEET, and CBSE examinations. In 2020, Pandey and co-founder Prateek Maheshwari (also known as Prateek Boob) incorporated it as a company.[1]
The company offers affordable online, offline, and hybrid courses for school education (Classes 6–12), competitive exams (JEE, NEET, UPSC, GATE, and others), and upskilling. It became a unicorn in 2022 and went public in November 2025 with a ₹3,480 crore IPO.[2]
History
Alakh Pandey, from Prayagraj, began teaching physics while in school and later dropped out of engineering college. He launched the YouTube channel "Physics Wallah – Alakh Pandey" around 2014–2016 with free physics lectures aimed at students who could not afford expensive coaching.[3]
The channel gained popularity for its simple teaching style. In 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Pandey partnered with Prateek Maheshwari (founder of the edtech platform PenPencil). They launched the Physics Wallah app offering full-year JEE and NEET courses at significantly lower prices (around ₹1,000–₹4,000) compared to competitors. The app saw rapid adoption, with tens of thousands of enrolments in the first days.[4]
The company was formally incorporated in 2020. It expanded into offline centres (branded Vidyapeeth and others), hybrid models, and additional exam categories including UPSC, government jobs, CA, and school curricula. By 2025 it operated over 180 offline centres across India and the UAE.
Funding and IPO
In June 2022, Physics Wallah raised $100 million in its first major funding round at a valuation of over $1.1 billion, becoming a unicorn.
In November 2025 the company completed an IPO of ₹3,480 crore (approximately US$393 million), consisting of a fresh issue of ₹3,100 crore and an offer for sale of ₹380 crore by the co-founders. Shares were listed on the NSE and BSE on 18 November 2025 at a premium, with the company valued at around $3.6–5 billion post-listing. Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari each held approximately 40.31% pre-IPO stakes.[5]
Products and services
Physics Wallah provides:
- Live and recorded online classes
- Offline and hybrid coaching centres
- Test series, doubt-solving, and study materials
- Courses for JEE, NEET, UPSC, school boards, and skill development (PW Skills)
- Content in multiple Indian languages via YouTube channels
It claims tens of millions of students reach through free YouTube content and several million paid learners.[6]
Controversies
In 2023, some former teachers alleged issues with the company’s culture and quality of education at certain centres and launched an independent channel. The company described the claims as a distraction. Other disputes involving faculty departures have been reported in media.
See also
References
- ↑ https://www.forbes.com/sites/anuraghunathan/2025/11/18/college-dropout-who-cofounded-edtech-firm-physicswallah-becomes-indias-youngest-billionaire
- ↑ https://techcrunch.com/2025/11/18/physics-wallah-enjoys-a-rosy-ipo-day-bucking-the-broader-slowdown-in-indian-edtech
- ↑ https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/education/news/from-college-dropout-to-indias-youngest-billionaire-how-alakh-pandey-built-physicswallah/articleshow/129675204.cms
- ↑ https://www.forbesindia.com/article/billionaires/how-physicswallah-has-built-a-business-by-swimming-against-the-tide/2994049/1
- ↑ https://m.economictimes.com/tech/technology/physicswallahs-rs-3480-crore-ipo-to-open-on-november-11-with-price-band-of-rs-103-109-per-share/articleshow/125123837.cms
- ↑ https://www.pw.live/about-us