Byju Raveendran is one of India’s most talked-about businesspeople. He went from being a teacher to a billionaire and built the world’s most valuable edtech startup. But then he had a dramatic fall from grace that included legal problems, money problems, and problems with running the company. His story of going from a small town in Kerala to making BYJU’S, a platform that millions of students use, is both inspiring and cautionary.
Table of Contents
Byju Raveendran Biography, Age, Birthplace, Net Worth, Wife, Children, and More.
Full Name: Byju Raveendran
Date of Birth: 5 January 1980
Age: 45 years (as of 2025)
Birthplace: Azhikode, Kannur, Kerala, India
Nationality: Indian
Profession: Educator, Entrepreneur, Founder of BYJU’S
Company: Think & Learn Pvt. Ltd.
Education: B.Tech – Government College of Engineering, Kannur
Languages Known: English, Malayalam
Marital Status: Married
Spouse: Divya Gokulnath (Co-founder, BYJU’S)
Children: 2 sons
Net Worth (2025): Declared $0 by Forbes
Active Since: 2007
Famous For: Creating BYJU’S – The Learning App
Residence: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
Byju Raveendran: Early Life & Background
Byju Raveendran grew up in a simple middle-class family where education was a part of everyday life. Both of his parents were teachers. He went to a school where Malayalam was the main language, and people knew him more for his love of sports than for his schoolwork.
But he was able to do well on competitive tests later in life because he was naturally good at learning things on his own.
Byju Raveendran Education & Pre-Entrepreneur Career
He got his B.Tech and then worked as a service engineer for a shipping company based in the UK. In 2003, while on vacation, he helped friends get ready for the CAT exam. This was a turning point that would change his life.
He took the CAT “for fun” and got a score in the 99th percentile twice.
Students saw how good he was at teaching and told him to start coaching. This later became “Byju’s Classes.
Founding of BYJU’S & Meteoric Rise
2007 – Start of Offline Coaching
Byju started offering CAT classes in person. Thousands of students came to him because of his unique way of teaching.
2011 – Think & Learn Pvt Ltd
He started Think & Learn, the parent company of BYJU’S, with his student-turned-wife, Divya Gokulnath.
2015 – Launch of BYJU’S App
The BYJU’S Learning App revolutionized India’s education space with:
- Visualization-based learning
- Animated concept videos
- Adaptive learning paths
Test-prep modules
Peak Success
• Became the most valuable edtech startup in the world
• Investors included Mark Zuckerberg’s Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Tiger Global, and Tencent
• Bought big names like Aakash, WhiteHat Jr., and Toppr
• Value reached $22 billion at its highest point Byju became one of the youngest billionaires in India, which is a sign of the country’s startup boom.
Collapse, Controversies & Legal Troubles (2022–2025)
Net Worth Crash
Forbes said that his net worth had dropped to zero because BYJU’S had huge drops in value and lost money.
US Court Orders $1 Billion Payment
A US bankruptcy court told Byju to pay over $1 billion because it didn’t follow the rules in a loan dispute.
Financial & Governance Issues
• Late filing of audited financial statements
• The resignation of Deloitte, the company’s auditor
• Allegations of mismanagement of funds
• Heavy debt from aggressive acquisitions
• Layoffs and major restructuring
• Investigations into FEMA violations
Byju Admits Mistakes
He openly admitted to:
• Too much growth
• Buying at the wrong time
• A $1.2 billion term loan was one of the company’s worst choices
Conclusion
Byju Raveendran’s life has had some wonderful highs and some very low lows. His rise was wonderful, from teaching math in a small room to building an edtech empire that millions of people use. But the company fell apart like never before because of rapid growth, negligent financial decisions, and regulatory problems.
As 2025 goes on, the world will be watching to see if Byju can rebuild his reputation or if the BYJU’S story will always be a warning for startups around the world.
