Forbes’ 2026 List of the World’s Billionaires is out. And among the record 229 billionaires that India produced this year, are PhysicsWallah cofounders Alakh Pandey and Prateek Boob, who made their debut in the list after their edtech firm went public last year.
A college dropout, Pandey joins the global rich list following a sharp rise in his wealth after PhysicsWallah’s November IPO, mentioned Forbes.
PhysicsWallah – the Noida-based company, which began as a YouTube channel in 2016 – has grown into a major education platform offering a slew of test prep courses. Its rapid expansion and strong market debut played a key role in elevating Pandey’s net worth into billionaire territory.
As of March 10, 2026, Alakh Pandey’s net worth stands at $1 billion.
Where does Pandey rank on Forbes 2026 Billionaires List?
At the age of 34, Alakh Pandey debuts on the Forbes Billionaires list at a global rank of 3332.
Not just a debut on the rich list — the PhysicsWallah co-founder is also among five entrepreneurs who have made it to the world’s richest ranks, in their 30s.
A key turning point for PhysicsWallah came in November 2025, when the edtech firm made its stock market debut.
PhysicsWallah IPO
PhysicsWallah made a strong listing on the Indian stock markets – listing at a 33% premium over the IPO price of ₹109 per share.
The IPO had opened for subscription on 11 November and closed on 13 November, 2025. The mainboard IPO saw an overall subscription of 1.81 times.
Retail individual investors (RIIs) subscribed 1.06 times the allotted portion, while non-institutional investors (NII) segment was subscribed 48%. The qualified institutional buyers (QIBs) category received the highest interest, with a subscription level of 2.70 times.
The PhysicsWallah IPO was priced between ₹103 and ₹109 per share. The offering raised a total of ₹3,480.71 crore through a combination of a fresh issue of 28.45 crore equity shares worth ₹3,100.71 crore and an offer-for-sale (OFS) of 3.49 crore shares amounting to ₹380 crore.
From dropping out of college to launching YouTube channel
Alakh Pandey pursued a Bachelor’s degree in Technology with a major in Mechanical Engineering at Harcourt Butler Technical University in Kanpur, but dropped out of the course in the third year.
In 2016, Alakh Pandey launched his YouTube channel, PhysicsWallah, and ventured into the edtech industry through an online platform. Soon after the YouTube channel, Pandey started to gain popularity among students who were aspiring to secure a seat at IITs across the nation.
According to the data collected from the social media platform LinkedIn, Alakh Pandey started his company in Uttar Pradesh in April 2014.
