Latest news with #AlakhPandey
Business Standard
22-07-2025
- Science
- Business Standard
PhysicsWallah Announces PWNSAT 2025 to Offer Scholarships for NEET/JEE Aspirants
VMPL New Delhi [India], July 22: Education company PhysicsWallah (PW) announced its fourth edition of PWNSAT (PhysicsWallah National Scholarship Cum Admission Test) 2025, a scholarship test. This initiative attempts to support NEET-UG and IIT-JEE aspirants by making education and guidance accessible to students, regardless of their financial background. The PWNSAT 2025 exam will be conducted across both online and offline modes, trying to make the exam more accessible to students across regions. Students choosing the online mode can appear for the exam between October 1 and October 15, 2025. For those opting for the offline mode, the exam will be conducted on October 5 and October 12, 2025, at all PW Vidyapeeth and Pathshala centres. Registration for the exam is free and now open to students from Class V to XII, as well as those who have completed Class XII, across both PCM and PCB streams. Results are scheduled to be announced on 25th October, 2025. Alakh Pandey, Educator, Founder and CEO of PhysicsWallah, said, "Many students give up on their dreams, not because of a lack of potential, but because of financial barriers. PWNSAT 2025 is our effort to change that. Every child deserves a fair chance, and through this initiative, we're trying to reach every student, tell them that their dreams matter, and we're here to support them." The top performers in these exams will be awarded cash rewards as well as a 100% scholarship, covering the entire fee. These students will also gain access to an Exclusive Rankers' Group, directed towards giving them focused mentorship and strategic guidance, trying to help them perform well in competitive exams like NEET-UG and IIT-JEE. About PhysicsWallah: PhysicsWallah (PW), an education platform, was founded in 2020 by Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari. Headquartered in Noida, Uttar Pradesh, PW aims to democratize education through online, offline and hybrid platforms. Initially launched as a YouTube channel in 2016, PW now offers education to students through its YouTube channels, including vernacular languages. PW aims to create a hybrid education ecosystem in the country by establishing tech-enabled offline and hybrid centres in cities nationwide. PW's offerings span various educational segments, including test preparation, a skilling vertical, higher education, and education abroad. PW has raised funding from investors, including Hornbill Capital, Lightspeed Ventures, Westbridge and GSV Ventures.
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
PhysicsWallah partners with SSB Sandiksha to offer scholarships for SSB personnel families
PhysicsWallah (PW), an education platform, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the SSB Wives Welfare Association, Sandiksha, to try and support the education of the families of Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) personnel. The inception of this partnership is a step in trying to enable access to online and offline learning opportunities through a comprehensive scholarship program. As a part of this initiative, PW will offer full tuition waivers for the children of SSB martyrs and personnel who lost their lives in the line of duty. Along with this, a 35% scholarship on offline coaching programs and a 25% scholarship on online courses will be offered to the children of serving and retired SSB personnel. To avail the benefits, applicants will need to apply with valid identification and service-related documents. All applications will undergo a joint verification process conducted by PW and the SSB. The scholarships will apply to an array of competitive exam preparation courses, including JEE, NEET, UPSC, SSC, Banking, and more, which will be accessible through PW's online platform and at its offline centres across India. Alakh Pandey, Educator, Founder and CEO of PhysicsWallah, said, 'We are honoured to support SSB families through this partnership. This is our attempt to support their families by expanding access to education. We believe education is one of the powerful tools for empowerment and long-term well-being.' Shikha Prasad, President of Sandiksha, added, 'Sandiksha works for the welfare of the brave SSB personnel's families and this partnership with PW strengthens that commitment. Our children will now have access to PW's educational network and digital resources, which this initiative seeks to channel for lasting academic support and growth.'
The Hindu
18-06-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Physics Wallah's journey from YouTube to unicorn: IPO, expansion, and what's next
Physics Wallah's report card shows a swift rise since 2016, successful investment rounds, national footprint and the down-to-earth attitude of founders. But the answer awaited is the market reaction to its upcoming Initial Public Offering. First, let's look at the edtech company's core: academic coaching. The exam prep and subjects covered are hardly limited by the name, Physics Wallah. From Class 7 to 12, from UPSC exams to NEET, IIT-JEE to IIM, CA to NDA, and Upskilling to Mentoring, the Institute set up by a physics enthusiast is now an all-rounder that helps students prepare for more than 35 exam categories. Over 36 million students log on to its channels and 15 million use the PW App for competitive exams preparation. As a company, Physics Wallah (PW) has set new financial benchmarks and emerged as a unicorn, meaning its value has crossed $1 billion. Currently, PW has filed draft papers for an initial public offering of around $500 million, as per media reports. Impact of fundraising The consistent growth and funding rounds have had an impact on ground. Scaling from a model of online education, Physics Wallah now operates more than 130 offline centers under four categories: 'Vidyapeeth,' which is completely offline, 'Pathshala,' hybrid learning centre, 'PW Tuition' for offline tuition and the 'Vidyapeeth Residential Program.' The offline Vidyapeeth model is restricted to Foundation programs for Class 8 to 10 students, IIT-JEE for Class 11 and 12, and NEET coaching for Class 11 and 12 students. 'Dropper' batches are designed for students keen on a second attempt at NEET or JNV Olympiad. SIP, School Integrated Learning Center by Physics Wallah, is a hub within a school's campus and is blended with online interactive classes. Going a step further, PW has set up its school brand 'Gurukulam School,' at Varanasi, Indore and Gurugram under the CBSE curriculum. Admission is open to students from the age of three years, though the age category may vary depending on the location. Not everything in academics is about learning, not every student can excel in exams, and there are obstacles in the prep process for every aspirant. 'PW Prerna,' staffed by counselors, is a free teleconsultation platform that students can dial into to overcome exam stress, anxiety and nervousness. In Kota and Patna, they can walk in for an in-person consultation. With all the positives outlined herein, is Physics Wallah an almost perfect example of an educator-turned-entrepreneur success story? Time to find out more. Riding the wave It all started with a man named Alakh Pandey. Hailing from Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, Alakh Sir, as he would be affectionately called later by millions of students, began teaching while he was in school. The story goes that around 2016 he started a YouTube channel with an investment of ₹30,000. By 2019, the subscriber base had increased to 2 million and scaled to 6.8 million in 2022. COVID came into our lives, and into Alakh Sir's life came a spark… in the name of Prateek Maheswari, a Mechanical Engineering graduate from IIT-BHU, who helped build the PW App, which students could download during the pandemic and the lean times thereafter. PW was charging one-tenth of the price of competitors, and the quality was as good as anyone else's, reports say. His teachers were rated highly; hence poached periodically. Alakh Sir put an end to this by raising funds from investors and strengthening the business with the help of Maheswari, who had become a co-founder. From 2022 onwards, Physics Wallah found its place in India's edtech map as a brand that delivered quality coaching at an affordable price, and at nil or subsidized cost to several segments. The man who started the company from humble beginnings did not forget his roots. In June 2025, PW signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the CRPF Family Welfare Association (CWA) to provide educational support to the families of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel. The initiative outlines multiple tiers of scholarships, including full scholarships for the families of CRPF martyrs and personnel who passed away during service. Additionally, families of serving and retired CRPF members are eligible for a 35% scholarship on offline coaching and a 25% scholarship for online courses. According to CSR Mandate magazine, for the 2023-24 academic session, PW granted a full fee waiver to 51,000 students at a total cost of ₹17 crore, to those from economically weaker sections of society. Further, as it has been from day one, students have free access to the content on PW's YouTube channel. Co-founder Maheswari said in a media interview last year that Physics Wallah hosts 81 YouTube channels with the total number of subscribers exceeding 36 million and the count of daily active users (DAU) exceeding 2.1 million. Alakh Sir's and his co-founder's natural ability to address the TG of students who may not be comfortable in English is evident from the repertoire of over 12 vernacular channels on YouTube, such as Teluguwallah, PW Gujarati and PW Bangla, which cater to K-12 and IIT-JEE/NEET preparations. Empathizing with the challenges faced by first-generation, first-time entrepreneurs, Alakh Sir and his co-founder launched in 2024 the PW School of Startups (SOS) with an initial corpus of ₹100 crore. The entity will nurture at least 100 startups over the next five years. Too much growth? If we look back in time, how have the last three years been in terms of financial performance? In edtech, the fashion or trend for a company on a growth curve is the acquisition of allied enterprises, and while it seems the right step, it is also a reason the acquirer starts to falter. Consider this: With a strategic intent of increasing market share and widening its product suite, Physics Wallah made a series of investments and acquisitions in 2022 and 2023, according to data published on industry portals. These include: Xylem Learning, a hybrid learning platform in South India; Knowledge Planet, a UAE-based K-12 online and offline learning startup; iNeuron, a platform focused on upskilling; Altis Vortex, a publisher and supplier of NCERT-based books for classes 11 and 12, along with NEET, and CUET-UG exam preparations; PrepOnline, an online learning platform for NEET, board exams, and state-level government exams preparation; FreeCo, a doubt-solving and resource management company in the edtech space. For FY 24, as per regulatory filings, Physics Wallah reported an operating revenue increase of 161% from ₹744 crore in FY 23 to ₹1,940 crore in FY 24. However, for the year under review, the company's losses jumped from ₹84 crore to ₹1,130 crore. A company spokesperson, while commenting on the financials of that period, has said that the losses were higher due to non-cash expenses such as Compulsorily Convertible Preference Shares (CCPS) to the extent of 756 crores. Despite the loss figure, the confidence of equity investors is evident from the fund raise in September 2024. Investment platform Zerodha says Physics Wallah raised $210 million in a funding round led by Hornbill Capital, boosting its valuation to $2.8 billion - a 2.5x increase from the previous round. Other backers from the investment world include Westbridge Capital, GSV Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners. The IPO date is yet to be announced, but indications are it will be sooner than later. Meanwhile, questions being asked by PW watchers and analysts are: Will retail and bulk investors give the public offering a thumbs up? Will the market condone last year's losses and wait for FY 25 results, and for what is projected by its founders as its highest ever EBITDA year? Will doomsayers be proved right, specifically those who contend Physics Wallah has not learnt a lesson from the errors of erstwhile peers, which went on an acquisition spree and expansion into offline centers? Doubt-solving is integral to a teacher's DNA. Likely that Alakh Sir will clarify… and list with a premium on the issue price. (The writer is a former journalist and advertising professional now serving as a communications advisor. Views expressed are his own).
Time of India
16-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
NEET aspirant sold mobile covers by day and studied at night; his NEET score stuns Physics Wallah
Support from Physics Wallah and a Life-Changing Batch Humble Beginnings and an Early Inspiration Balancing Work and Study with Sheer Grit Recognition and a Symbolic Gift Highlights from NEET-UG 2025 In the bustling town of Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, a young man named Rohit Kumar, who earns his livelihood by selling mobile phone covers on a roadside cart, has achieved something truly extraordinary. Against all odds, he scored an impressive 549 marks in the NEET-UG examination, earning an all-India rank of 12,484, as per a Mint report. With this score, he now aspires to secure a seat at a government medical college in Jharkhand—a dream built from years of perseverance, hard work, and unshakable in a viral video, Rohit shared how he managed to prepare for NEET along with running a successful mobile phone cover was a student of the 'Ummeed Batch'—a special initiative by Physics Wallah that offers free coaching for students preparing for NEET. His achievement caught the attention of Alakh Pandey, the founder and CEO of Physics Wallah, who visited Rohit at his street stall to personally congratulate him. In a touching moment captured on video, Pandey acknowledged Rohit's efforts and dedication and celebrated his from a modest background, Rohit's father worked in a local vegetable market. After completing his 12th grade, Rohit decided to pause formal education and focus entirely on preparing for the medical entrance exam. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he took up a job at a medical store. It was during this time that he became fascinated by the medical profession and began nurturing a deep desire to become a preparation journey was far from conventional. Throughout his NEET preparation, he continued to run his phone cover stall to support himself and his family. He would work all day at the cart and begin studying only late i night. Often, his study sessions stretched until 3 in the morning. Despite limited sleep, he would wake up by 7 am and return to his stall—repeating this exhausting routine daily, driven by an unwavering focus on his another emotional moment shared online, Alakh Pandey gifted Rohit a white doctor's coat—symbolizing the bright future awaiting him. The gesture was not just a token of appreciation but also a recognition of the incredible determination and sacrifices Rohit had year, Mahesh Kumar from Rajasthan secured the top rank in NEET-UG 2025. Utkarsh Awadhiya from Madhya Pradesh stood second, while Delhi's Avika Aggarwal emerged as the highest-scoring female candidate, finishing fifth overall. A total of 22.09 lakh candidates appeared for the exam this year—slightly lower than last year's 23.33 lakh—with a notable drop in qualifying students compared to the previous cycle.
Time of India
15-06-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
All govt schools in T to get free tech-enabled coaching
Hyderabad: The Telangana govt on Sunday signed memoranda of understanding (MoUs) with six NGOs, including Nandan Nilekani's EkStep Foundation and Alakh Pandey's Physics Wallah, to provide govt school students across the state free AI-powered learning platform and coaching for competitive exams such as NEET, JEE and CLAT. The MoUs were signed between the department of education and the NGOs in the presence of chief minister A Revanth Reddy. Apart from EkStep Foundation and Physics Wallah the govt will collaborate with Sunitha Krishnan's Prajwala Foundation, Khan Academy, Shoaib Dar's Pi Jam Foundation and Safina Hussain's Educate Girls. CM Revanth Reddy said the MoU aims to introduce technology-enabled teaching solutions, entirely free of cost. "This initiative is part of the state govt's vision to enhance access to quality education for underprivileged students. By partnering with reputed organisations, we hope to bring about transformative change in education. We are laying the foundation for a knowledge-driven future," he said. "These partnerships reflect our commitment to ensuring that no child is left behind in this digital age. The govt firmly believes that collaborating with India's leading educational organisations will bring about a revolutionary improvement in educational standards both within the state and across the country," he added. Under the agreement, the EkStep Foundation will expand its AI-driven learning platform from 540 schools to more than 5,000 primary schools across all 33 districts. The platform offers multilingual foundational learning in Telugu, English and Mathematics for pupils in Classes 3 to 5. Physics Wallah will provide free, high-quality coaching for competitive examinations including NEET, JEE, and CLAT to govt students at the Intermediate level, with an emphasis on early preparation during school years. Khan Academy will deliver curriculum-aligned, video-based instruction in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) subjects for classes 6 to 10, enabling students to learn at their own pace. The Prajwala Foundation will implement comprehensive child safety and protection programmes aimed at students from classes 6 to 12. The Pi Jam Foundation will offer training in coding and computational thinking for students in classes 1 to 10, fostering digital literacy and problem-solving skills from an early age. Educate Girls, which has already facilitated the enrolment of over 16,000 out-of-school children in Telangana, will continue to focus on improving literacy among girls.
