BYJU'S
Company History
BYJU'S History: Founding, Growth & Key Milestones
Founded 2011 in Bengaluru, India
When was BYJU'S founded?
BYJU'S was founded in 2011 in Bengaluru, India by Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath, making it 15 years old.
- Founded
- 2011
- Founding place
- Bengaluru, India
- Founders
- Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath
- Headquarters today
- Bengaluru, Karnataka, India
- Milestones documented
- 16 (2011–2026)
- Current CEO
- Byju Raveendran
- Acquisitions
- 8
| Year | Event |
|---|---|
| 2011 | Think and Learn is founded in Bengaluru |
| 2015 | The BYJU'S app launches |
| 2016 | Chan Zuckerberg Initiative invests |
| 2019 | Osmo deal and Indian cricket team jersey sponsorship |
| 2020 | WhiteHat Jr bought for $300 million |
| 2021 | Aakash, Epic and Great Learning deals and a $1.2 billion loan |
| 2022 | Valuation peaks at $22 billion |
| 2023 | Auditor resigns and lenders declare default |
| 2024 | FY2022 accounts show an Rs 8,245 crore loss |
| 2024 | Insolvency begins on a BCCI claim |
| 2025 | Epic and Tynker sold at a fraction of cost |
| 2025 | Learning app pulled from Google Play |
| 2025 | $1.07 billion default judgment against the founder |
| 2026 | Singapore court sentences founder for contempt |
| 2026 | NCLT pauses the buyer search |
| 2026 | Aakash rights issue dispute settled |
- Where was BYJU'S founded?
- BYJU'S was founded in Bengaluru, India in 2011.
- Who founded BYJU'S?
- BYJU'S was founded by Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath.
- When did BYJU'S start?
- BYJU'S was founded in 2011.
- How old is BYJU'S?
- BYJU'S is 15 years old as of 2026.
Founding Story
Byju Raveendran grew up in Azhikode, Kerala, the son of two teachers, and worked as a service engineer for a shipping company. On a break in Bengaluru he helped friends prepare for the CAT, the entrance test for India's IIMs, then sat the exam himself and scored in the 100th percentile, and did it again. His classes grew from small groups to auditoriums and stadiums holding thousands of students. In 2011 he and Divya Gokulnath, one of his former students, set up Think and Learn to put the teaching on video, first on SD cards and tablets and from 2015 in the BYJU'S app.
Founders
Byju Raveendran
Byju Raveendran founded Think and Learn Private Limited, the company behind BYJU'S, in 2011, after his CAT and school maths classes had grown to fill auditoriums and stadiums. He launched the BYJU'S Learning App in 2015, built a large field sales force and raised money from investors including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, General Atlantic and Silver Lake, taking the company to a $22 billion valuation in 2022. He bought Aakash, Epic, WhiteHat Jr, Great Learning, Toppr, Tynker and Osmo between 2019 and 2021 and took a $1.2 billion term loan. After lenders declared default and accounts ran late, Think and Learn entered insolvency in July 2024 and his powers as a director were suspended. He faces lender litigation in the US over funds moved out of BYJU'S Alpha and was sentenced to six months in jail for contempt by a Singapore court in May 2026. He denies wrongdoing. Education: Government College of Engineering, Kannur. Byju Raveendran was born in 1980.
Divya Gokulnath
Divya Gokulnath co-founded BYJU'S with Byju Raveendran in 2011 and was one of the teachers in its early video lessons. She is married to Raveendran and served as a director of Think and Learn, working on content, brand and the Education for All programme, until the board's powers were suspended when the company entered insolvency in July 2024. She is a defendant, with Raveendran and executive Anita Kishore, in a BYJU'S Alpha lawsuit in the US bankruptcy court in Delaware. Divya Gokulnath was born in 1987.
Key Milestones
Think and Learn is founded in Bengaluru
Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath set up Think and Learn Private Limited to turn Raveendran's CAT and school maths classes into recorded video lessons.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgThe BYJU'S app launches
The BYJU'S Learning App launched in 2015 with animated lessons for school maths and science, moving the company from SD cards and tablets to phones.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgChan Zuckerberg Initiative invests
A $50 million round led by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative in 2016 was the initiative's first investment in Asia.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgOsmo deal and Indian cricket team jersey sponsorship
BYJU'S bought Tangible Play, maker of the Osmo learning games, in February 2019 and became the Indian cricket team's jersey sponsor in September 2019.
Source: entrackr.comWhiteHat Jr bought for $300 million
BYJU'S acquired the children's coding start-up in 2020 as school closures pushed demand for online classes.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAakash, Epic and Great Learning deals and a $1.2 billion loan
In 2021 BYJU'S agreed to buy Aakash Educational Services for about $950 million, Epic for $500 million and Great Learning for $600 million, and raised a $1.2 billion term loan in November.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgValuation peaks at $22 billion
BYJU'S was valued at $22 billion in 2022, making it India's most valuable startup, and sponsored the FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Source: en.wikipedia.orgAuditor resigns and lenders declare default
Deloitte resigned as auditor in June 2023 citing delays in the FY2022 accounts, term loan lenders declared the $1.2 billion loan in default, and Arjun Mohan became CEO of the India business in September.
Source: cnbc.comFY2022 accounts show an Rs 8,245 crore loss
Accounts filed in January 2024, about 22 months after the year ended, showed FY2022 revenue of Rs 5,298 crore and a loss of Rs 8,245 crore.
Source: businesstoday.inInsolvency begins on a BCCI claim
On 16 July 2024 the NCLT in Bengaluru admitted Think and Learn into insolvency over Rs 158.9 crore of unpaid sponsorship dues owed to the BCCI. The NCLAT closed the case after a settlement in August, but the Supreme Court restored it on 23 October 2024.
Source: indianexpress.comEpic and Tynker sold at a fraction of cost
On 20 May 2025 a US bankruptcy court approved the sale of Epic to TAL Education for $95 million and of Tynker to CodeHS for $2.2 million.
Source: entrackr.comLearning app pulled from Google Play
The main BYJU'S Learning app was removed from Google Play in May 2025 after unpaid dues to Amazon Web Services.
Source: timesofindia.indiatimes.com$1.07 billion default judgment against the founder
On 20 November 2025 the US bankruptcy court in Delaware entered a default judgment of about $1.07 billion against Byju Raveendran over funds moved out of BYJU'S Alpha. He said he would appeal, and the damages question was later reopened.
Source: techcrunch.comSingapore court sentences founder for contempt
In May 2026 a Singapore court sentenced Byju Raveendran to six months in jail for contempt after finding he had disobeyed orders about his assets.
Source: economictimes.indiatimes.comNCLT pauses the buyer search
On 22 July 2026 the NCLT told the resolution professional not to issue Form G or finalise the list of prospective bidders until the next hearing.
Source: livemint.comAakash rights issue dispute settled
Think and Learn and Aakash told the NCLT on 23 September 2026 that they had settled their dispute over Aakash's rights issue. Think and Learn's recorded stake in Aakash was 13.72% on 31 March 2026.
Source: outlookbusiness.comMajor Acquisitions
Tangible Play (Osmo)
2019Bought the US maker of Osmo, whose camera-and-reflector kits turn physical play into iPad learning games, as BYJU'S first step into the US market.
WhiteHat Jr
2020Bought the live one-to-one coding classes platform for children as school closures pushed demand for online classes.
Aakash Educational Services
2021Bought India's large NEET and JEE classroom coaching chain to combine offline centres with BYJU'S online content.
Epic!
2021Bought the US digital reading library for children under 12, used in many American elementary classrooms, in cash and stock.
Great Learning
2021Bought the Singapore-headquartered professional and higher education platform in a deal of cash, stock and earnout.
Toppr
2021Bought the Mumbai after-school learning and doubt-solving app, announced alongside Great Learning in a combined $750 million of deals.
Tynker
2021Bought the US coding education platform for children to add to WhiteHat Jr in the US.
GeoGebra
2021Bought the Austrian maths software used worldwide for geometry, algebra and graphing.
Keep researching BYJU'S
BYJU'S Company History FAQ
When was BYJU'S founded?
Think and Learn Private Limited, the company behind BYJU'S, was founded in Bengaluru in 2011 by Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath. The BYJU'S Learning App launched in 2015.
When did BYJU'S become a unicorn?
BYJU'S crossed a $1 billion valuation in 2018, becoming India's first edtech unicorn. Its valuation peaked at $22 billion in 2022.
How did the pandemic change BYJU'S?
School closures in 2020 drove a surge in users and funding. BYJU'S used the money to buy WhiteHat Jr in 2020 and Aakash, Epic, Great Learning, Toppr and Tynker in 2021.
When did BYJU'S go into insolvency?
On 16 July 2024 the NCLT in Bengaluru admitted Think and Learn into insolvency over Rs 158.9 crore of unpaid BCCI sponsorship dues. The NCLAT closed the case after a settlement in August 2024, but the Supreme Court restored it on 23 October 2024.
What happened to BYJU'S in 2025 and 2026?
Epic and Tynker were sold through a US bankruptcy court in May 2025, the main app was removed from Google Play that month, a Singapore court jailed Byju Raveendran for contempt in May 2026, and the NCLT paused the bidding process in July 2026.
Is BYJU'S shut down?
Not formally. Think and Learn still exists and is run by a resolution professional while creditors decide on a resolution plan. If no plan is approved, the company would be liquidated.
How did BYJU'S start?
It was founded in 2011 by Byju Raveendran, who was originally an engineer that became famous for packing massive stadiums in India to teach students highly effective shortcuts for passing the CAT exam.
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