Divya Gokulnath became a beacon of transformative education in the busy center of Bengaluru, where old and new ideas come together. Divya was born in 1987 into a middle-class family. Her early life was shaped by her love of learning and her family’s strong values. Her father was a well-known nephrologist at Apollo Hospitals, and her mother was a programming executive at Doordarshan, India’s state broadcaster. They taught her to value knowledge and public service. Divya was the only child in a family that valued education above all else. This set her up for a career that would change the way millions of people learn.
Divya started her academic career at Frank Anthony Public School in New Delhi, where she learned how to think critically. She later went to the well-known RV College of Engineering in Bengaluru to get a Bachelor of Technology in Biotechnology. She graduated in 2007. Divya wanted to study abroad at first, so she signed up for GRE prep classes with a charismatic teacher named Byju Raveendran. She had no idea that these sessions would not only help her study for tests but also start a lifelong relationship. Byju was impressed by her probing questions during class breaks and told her to look into teaching, which would change everything.
From Classroom to Classroom Leader
Divya became a teacher in 2008 when she was only 21 years old and joined Byju’s coaching classes. She focused on math, English, and logical reasoning, and she quickly became known for making hard ideas easy to understand and fun. Her background in biotechnology gave her lessons a unique edge because she could add scientific rigor to them. Students, who were often only a few years younger than her, did well under her guidance, showing that she was naturally good at making school less confusing.
Divya and Byju got married in 2009, and their shared love of learning made them a strong team. In 2011, they started BYJU’S together, with in-person classes to help with schoolwork. What started out as a small business in Bengaluru quickly grew into a digital giant. The launch of the BYJU’S app in 2015 was a turning point. It offered interactive video lessons for students in LKG through 12th grade, as well as competitive exams like JEE, NEET, and IAS. Divya’s focus on making content was very important; she made syllabi that put understanding ahead of rote learning and often recorded videos herself to make sure they were real.
Divya had a huge impact on BYJU’S growth. By 2020, the platform had more than 100 million registered users and 3.8 million paid subscribers every year, making it India’s biggest edtech company. The COVID-19 pandemic made things worse, but Divya led the way in making sure that learning never stopped. Millions of new users signed up, making BYJU’S a lifeline for people who want to learn from home. Her hands-on approach, which focused on fun, adaptive visuals, changed the way Indian students learned about biotechnology, which she personally supported.
A Leader and Advocate with a Vision
Divya’s job is much more than just co-founding. She is in charge of content strategy, global brand marketing, and digital platforms as Director. She makes sure that BYJU’S stays focused on students. In March 2022, she was named Chair of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry’s (FICCI) EdTech Taskforce. This showed how much power she had to shape policy. She has written about women entrepreneurs in Mint’s Startup Diaries and co-written articles about the role of edtech in Vogue India.
Her advocacy shines through in her charitable work, like BYJU’S CSR programs that help poor kids get an education. “Engineer by chance, teacher by choice” is a saying that really speaks to me. In a recent ANI podcast, she called BYJU’S a “students-first company, proudly made in India for the world.” She talked about how it grew from 100 students in a hall to a global force.
Getting Through Tough Times: Staying Strong in the Face of Problems
Every success story has its ups and downs, and Divya’s is no different. By 2022, BYJU’s value had risen to $22 billion thanks to its rapid growth through acquisitions like Aakash Institute (2021) and international ventures. This made the Raveendran family India’s 54th richest, with a total net worth of $3.4 billion. But after the pandemic, things changed and people started to look more closely. Over $2.5 billion in acquisitions, a $1.2 billion loan, and claims of mishandling funds led to layoffs, resignations of auditors, and legal fights.
The Karnataka High Court stopped shareholders from trying to get Divya, Byju, and their brother Riju out of leadership in 2024. Through Glas Trust, U.S. lenders tried to force subsidiaries like Epic and Tynker into bankruptcy by selling their assets for a small fraction of their worth and accusing the founders of hiding $533 million. In July 2025, Divya and Byju filed a $2.5 billion lawsuit against Glas Trust, saying that the company hurt their reputation and used intimidation tactics, such as threats to executives and lawyers.
Divya has stayed strong even though the NCLT is dealing with a BCCI settlement that could lead to bankruptcy. In May 2025, she spoke out against “personal attacks” and made it clear that the money wasn’t being hoarded but rather put into growth. The Supreme Court agreed to hear their appeal against NCLAT’s order of bankruptcy, which could mean relief. Divya’s public defense stressed openness: “If we were sitting on millions, why the struggle?” Recent actions, such as MCA’s refusal to refer SFIO in June 2024 and NCLT’s refusal to listen to U.S. lenders’ pleas in September 2024, show that there was no financial fraud, only problems with governance.
BYJU’S is changing direction by lowering the prices of its courses, switching to counseling-led sales, and paying off debts with private funding. At events like Expand North Star in Dubai in September 2025, Divya showed off new ideas, which showed how committed she was to revival.
Legacy of Learning: An Impact That Lasts
Divya Gokulnath’s story is one of quiet determination. She went from being a curious student to a billionaire teacher (net worth ~₹4,550 crores with family). She has to balance being a mother with being a businesswoman while living with her 11 family members, including her son Nish. She often films lessons with her newborn in tow. What will she leave behind? Showing that technology makes things bigger, but teachers change them.
Divya’s vision of making learning fun and fair lives on as edtech changes. In a world where trends come and go, her “teacher for life” philosophy reminds us that real change begins with one inspired lesson. Her strength gives hope to everyone who is working hard to make their dreams come true, not just BYJU’S.
