In 2007, 21-year-old Divya Gokulnath walked into her first classroom wearing a saree, not out of tradition, but to be taken seriously by her students. Barely out of college and only a few years older than her learners, she was understandably nervous.
But one question changed everything:
“What if learning didn’t have to be hard? What if it could be joyful?”
That pure and yet great curiosity was the seed of all her future edifice.
From teaching a small classroom to reaching more than 250 million learners worldwide, from teaching a small number of learners to co-founding one of the most influential education movements, Divya has experienced a phase of learning, adapting, and reimagining what education can be.
This website is her digital home, a space where she shares the lessons, innovations, challenges, and vision that continue to shape her mission.
It’s not just the story of building a company. It’s the story of how she was able to ignite minds, including her own.
Divya never planned to become a teacher. An engineering graduate from RV College of Engineering in Bangalore, she once envisioned a quiet career in science. But life had other plans.
She was preparing for the GRE. That is when she discovered Byju Sir’s CAT classes. The syllabus overlapped for the CAT and the GRE. She did exceedingly well. Got accepted into global universities.
Divya Gokulnath first encountered Byju Raveendran in 2007 when she walked into his math workshops at Jyotinivas College. She was preparing for the GRE and wanted to sharpen her quantitative skills. Byju was already well known among CAT aspirants, but his sessions drew a broader group of students looking to strengthen math foundations. Divya entered as just another student aiming to improve her score and evaluate her options while waiting for her GRE results.
Divya’s immediate goal was academic: perform well on the GRE and secure admission to a suitable graduate program. Byju, on the other hand, was expanding his teaching practice and seeking people to support the growing demand for his workshops. The moment Divya joined his class, both were pursuing separate objectives, yet the environment created room for a deeper collaboration.
Impressed by her clarity and ability to grasp concepts quickly, Byju asked Divya to start teaching with him as she awaited her results. What began as a teaching opportunity evolved into a structured collaboration. Together, they decided to create a book that captured all of Byju’s shortcut techniques across quantitative aptitude, data interpretation, and English. They operated without an office, spending full days at a Coffee Day cafe, turning Byju’s mental notes into publishable content. Divya typed everything on the laptop she borrowed from her father, documenting techniques that eventually became foundational learning material for students. Her role expanded rapidly as she began teaching multiple batches, building credibility and operational momentum.
This period of shared work became the genesis of their company. The partnership matured into co-creators of content, and eventually evolved into co-builders of a teaching venture that would later expand into a full-fledged edtech company. They formalised the business, fell in love, and married eventually when Divya was around twenty-two.
In 2011, Divya and her husband, Byju Raveendran, asked themselves a bold question: What if learning could be made visual, engaging, and personal for every child?
What was initiated in the classrooms and crowded auditoriums quickly expanded into a complete digital revolution. They together co-founded Think and Learn Pvt. Ltd. (BYJU’S), a company built to transform education from rote memorisation to conceptual understanding.
Their philosophy was clear and simple:
When the BYJU’S app launched in 2015, it took learning beyond classrooms and into millions of homes, from metros to remote villages. Today, BYJU’S serves 150+ million students in 120+ countries, offering content in 12+ regional languages.
“We didn’t just build an app. We democratised education. We built a movement, one that proved education could be engaging, accessible, and transformative at scale.”
For Divya, success was never about numbers or valuations, it was about access. She has always asked one guiding question: Are we reaching the children who need us most?
This conviction led to the creation of Education for All (EFA), BYJU’S flagship social initiative that aims to provide free, high-quality education to underserved children across India.
The Impact:
“Education is not a privilege. It’s a right. And every child, regardless of where they’re born or what language they speak, deserves the chance to learn and dream.”
At every EFA partner school, Divya witnesses the transformative power of learning, girls in remote villages mastering algebra, children with learning disabilities gaining confidence, and teachers blending technology with empathy.
“For every paid student who uses our platform, we wanted to ensure one underserved child gets access for free. That’s not charity, that’s responsibility.”
Divya has gained international recognition through her work over the years. However, she does not consider every award as her own success, but a show of the entire team’s efforts to make learning inclusive and enjoyable.
Highlights include:
“Every recognition isn’t about me. It’s about the millions of students whose lives have changed through education, and the teachers who make that change possible.”
“Being called one of the world’s most powerful women in business is humbling. But the real power? It’s in the hands of a 10-year-old girl in a village school who just discovered she loves math.”
Divya’s identity extends far beyond the boardroom. She is a teacher, a mother of three, and a passionate advocate for women in leadership.
When asked how she manages it all, her response is simple yet profound:
“I don’t balance, I integrate. Every role I play makes me better at the others.”
At BYJU’S, these values are evident:
“I refuse to choose between being a mother and a leader, between being an educator and an entrepreneur. We don’t need to choose, we need to change the systems that make us feel like we have to.”
This is not just a portfolio website, it is an idea, a story, and a collaboration that reflects Divya’s mission to humanise learning and spark dialogue about the future of education.
Here, visitors can explore:
“I started teaching because I loved that moment when someone’s eyes light up with understanding. This website is an extension of that same passion, helping people learn, grow, and believe in their potential.”
This quest has started with a single question: What if learning could be joyful?
Eighteen years later, that question continues to guide her every step.
What’s next:
“The question isn’t whether we can transform education, it’s whether we have the courage to try. And I’m betting everything on yes.”
If you’re a teacher, you know the power of igniting a mind.
If you’re a parent, you know the joy of seeing a child discover something new.
If you’re an entrepreneur, you understand the thrill of building something bigger than yourself.
And if you’re someone who believes that education can change the world, this space is for you.
Welcome to a journey of learning, leading, and igniting minds.
