Alihaiderhussain at 16:33, 28 April 2026

2026-04-28T16:33:37Z

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{{short description|Co-founder and Director of BYJU's}}
{{Indian patronymic|Divya|Gokulnath}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Use Indian English|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Divya Gokulnath
| image = Divya Gokulnath (cropped).jpg
| caption = Divya Gokulnath in 2022
| alt =
| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1987}}
| birth_place =
| spouse = [[Byju Raveendran]]
| children = 3
| father =
| alma_mater = [[R.V. College of Engineering]]
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Entrepreneurship|Entrepreneur]]|[[Educator]]}}
| title = Co-founder of [[Byju's]]
| years_active = 2008–present
| known_for =
| notable_works =
}}

'''Divya Gokulnath''' (born 1987) is an Indian entrepreneur and educator who is the co-founder of [[Byju's]], an [[educational technology]] company founded in 2011 in Bangalore, India.<ref name="Fortune 2020">{{Cite news|url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/mpw/divya-gokulnath?year=2020|title=Most Powerful Women of 2020 by Fortune India|work=Fortune India}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Chen|first1=Benjamin|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wagvEAAAQBAJ&dq=%22Divya+Gokulnath%22&pg=PT172|title=Youth Economist Compilation: For the youth by the youths|last2=Garcia|first2=David Cendon|last3=Caldas|first3=Amy Espinoza|last4=Andrade|first4=Beatriz|last5=Nicholas|first5=Kayla|last6=Dhesi|first6=Kiman|last7=Costa|first7=Luciana|last8=Huemer|first8=Sarah|last9=Shekhawat|first9=Vaidaansh|date=2021-05-23|publisher=Benjamin Chen|isbn=979-8-5056-5091-2|language=en}}</ref>

==Early life and education==

Divya was born and raised in [[Bangalore|Bengaluru]].<ref name="Ghosh 2020"/> Her father worked as a [[nephrologist]] at [[Apollo Hospitals]], while her mother was a programming executive with [[Doordarshan]].<ref name="Ghosh 2020">{{cite news |last1=Ghosh |first1=Debojyoti |title=Byju's better half |url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/people/byjus-better-half/104850 |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=Fortune India |date=21 November 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=STP Team |title=Women Can Take Care And Take Charge. They Needn't Have to Choose says Divya Gokulnath |url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/news/divya-gokulnath-byjus-interview/ |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=[[SheThePeople.TV]] |date=12 March 2021}}</ref> Divya is the only child of her parents.<ref>{{Cite news|last=STP Team|date=12 March 2021|url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/videos/who-is-divya-gokulnath-byjus-co-founder-net-worth/|title=Who is Divya Gokulnath: All You Need to Know About Byju's Co-founder|work=[[SheThePeople.TV]]|access-date=24 March 2021|archive-date=6 March 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220306071937/https://www.shethepeople.tv/videos/who-is-divya-gokulnath-byjus-co-founder-net-worth/amp/|url-status=dead}}</ref> During her childhood, Divya's father taught her science.<ref name="Punj 2021">{{cite news |last1=Punj |first1=Shwweta |title=Start-ups must take quick decisions: Byju's co-founder Divya Gokulnath |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india-today-insight/story/start-ups-must-take-quick-decisions-byju-s-co-founder-divya-gokulnath-1785264-2021-03-30 |access-date=6 April 2021 |work=India Today |date=30 March 2021}}</ref>

Divya, a graduate of [[The Frank Anthony Public School, Bangalore|Frank Anthony Public School]], went on to receive a [[Bachelor of Technology]] in [[Biotechnology]] from [[R.V. College of Engineering|RV College of Engineering]].<ref name="Ghosh 2020"/><ref name="Kapani 2021">{{Cite news|url=https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/366761|last=Kapani |first=Puneet |title=Divya Gokulnath: Educationist,Entrepreneur|date=9 March 2021|work=Entrepreneur}}</ref>

After her graduation in 2007, she met [[Byju Raveendran]],<ref>{{Cite book|last=Vedam|first=Venkatesh|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HKdYEAAAQBAJ&dq=Divya+Gokulnath&pg=PT77|title=The Puffin Book of 100 Extraordinary Indians|date=2022-01-24|publisher=Penguin Random House India Private Limited|isbn=978-93-5492-361-6|language=en}}</ref> her instructor for GRE preparation.<ref name="Ghosh 2020" /><ref name="ET 2020">{{cite news |last1=ET Now Digital |title=With a wealth of over Rs 11,300 crore, meet India's youngest billionaire |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/business-economy/companies/article/with-a-wealth-of-over-rs-22000-crore-these-two-are-indias-youngest-billionaires/664128 |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=TimesNowNews |date=10 October 2020}}</ref> Byju encouraged her to become a teacher due to her questions during breaks between the classes.<ref name="Ghosh 2020" />

Her career as a teacher began in 2008<ref name="Ghosh 2020" /> at age 21.<ref>{{cite news |last1=DNA Web Team |title=International Women's Day 2021: Meet the 94-year-old whom Anand Mahindra termed 'Entrepreneur of the year' |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-international-women-day-five-female-entrepreneur-94-year-old-entrepreneur-of-the-year-anand-mahindra-2879555 |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=DNA India |date=7 March 2021}}</ref><ref name="Kapani 2021"/> In 2020, she told ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune India]]'', "It was an auditorium-style class with 100 students. They were just a couple of years younger than me so to look mature I wore a saree to the class."<ref name="Ghosh 2020" /> During her teaching career, she taught mathematics, English, and logical reasoning.<ref name="Ghosh 2020" />

==Career==
In 2011, Divya and her husband co-founded [[Byju's]], an online education platform initially providing in-person education to support school learning, followed by an online app that features video lessons.<ref name="Gilchrist 2020">{{cite news |last1=Gilchrist |first1=Karen |title=These millennials are reinventing the multibillion-dollar education industry during coronavirus |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2020/06/08/edtech-how-schools-education-industry-is-changing-under-coronavirus.html |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=CNBC |date=9 June 2020}}</ref><ref name="Forbes 2020"/><ref>{{cite news |title=Byju's cofounder Divya Gokulnath claims media reports on FY21 financials were misleading |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/startups/byjus-cofounder-divya-gokulnath-says-media-reports-on-fy21-financials-were-misleading/articleshow/94324427.cms |website=The Economic Times|date=20 September 2022 }}</ref> With her expertise, Divya has served as a teacher in some educational videos.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Rai |first1=Saritha |title=Zuckerberg or Gates? Billionaires Try Opposite Paths for Online Education in India |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-20/zuckerberg-or-gates-billionaires-try-opposites-paths-for-online-education-in-india |access-date=27 March 2021 |work=Bloomberg |date=20 June 2017}}</ref>

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Divya took charge of user experience, content, and brand marketing to ensure uninterrupted learning for students.<ref name="Ghosh 2020" /> As a result of these efforts, Byju's educational content was made available for free to students during the pandemic, leading to the addition of 13.5 million new users, bringing the total to 50 million by April 2020 and a total of 70 million students by September 2020, eventually garnering 4.5 million subscribers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2020-03-18 |title=Free access to BYJU's learning program sees 60% increase in online traffic |url=https://www.cnbctv18.com/technology/free-access-to-byjus-learning-program-sees-60-increase-in-online-traffic-5512191.htm |access-date=2022-07-18 |website=cnbctv18.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |agency=Press Trust of India |date=2022-02-10 |title=Edtech firm Byju's plans to expand its free education programme |work=Business Standard India |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/companies/edtech-firm-byju-s-plans-to-expand-its-free-education-programme-122021001528_1.html |access-date=2022-07-18}}</ref><ref name="Insider 2020">{{cite news |title=Roshni Nadar, Divya Gokulnath, Ameera Shah and Vinati Saraf — India's most powerful businesswomen of 2020, according to Forbes |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/list-of-indias-most-powerful-business-women-of-2020/slidelist/78277386.cms |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=Business Insider India |date=23 September 2020}}</ref>

According to ''[[Forbes]]'', as of 2020, Divya, her husband [[Byju Raveendran]] and his brother Riju Raveendran, have a combined net worth of $3.05 billion.<ref name="Forbes 2020">{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/profile/byju-raveendran-and-divya-gokulnath-1/?list=india-billionaires&sh=5e1254e55bb3|title=India's Richest - #46 Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath & family|date=10 July 2020|work=Forbes}}</ref>

Divya also writes online, including about the future of education, parenting, and women's participation in [[Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics|STEM]] fields<ref name="Chand 2020" /><ref name="Priya 2021">{{cite news |last1=Priya |first1=Ratan |title=10 Female Leaders On LinkedIn Who Are A Must-Follow for 2021 |url=https://www.shethepeople.tv/home-top-video/10-female-leaders-on-linkedin-who-inspire-us/ |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=SheThePeople.TV |date=7 January 2021}}</ref> and has been an advocate for mitigating the [[gender pay gap in India]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-03-29 |title='First acknowledge pay gap, then devise a long-term strategy to fix it': BYJU'S co-founder Divya Gokulnath |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/byjus-co-founder-divya-gokulnath-teaching-learning-womens-day-empowerment-pay-gap-strategy-organisation-employees-female-interview-7806344/ |access-date=2022-04-04 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref> She has also spoken with ''Mint Startup Diaries'' about challenges for women entrepreneurs,<ref>{{cite news |title=Byju's Divya Gokulnath: Why Women Entrepreneurs are missing from India's Start-Up Story |url=https://www.livemint.com/videos/byjus-divya-gokulnath-why-women-entrepreneurs-are-missing-from-india-s-start-up-story-11617635183763.html |access-date=10 April 2021 |work=LiveMint |date=5 April 2021}}</ref> and co-written an opinion article with [[Byju Raveendran]] in ''[[Vogue India]]'' about educational technology in India.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Raveendran |first1=Byju |last2=Gokulnath |first2=Divya |title=Byju Raveendran and Divya Gokulnath on India's growth potential: "The power of education and technology can transform our country" |url=https://www.vogue.in/magazine-story/byju-raveendran-and-divya-gokulnath-on-indias-growth-potential-the-power-of-education-and-technology-can-transform-our-country/ |access-date=10 April 2021 |work=Vogue India |date=21 October 2020}}</ref>

In March 2022, Divya Gokulnath was appointed as the [[Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry]]'s EdTech Taskforce Chair.<ref name='fc'>{{Cite web |title=FICCI announces the appointment of Divya Gokulnath, Co-founder, BYJUS as Chair of the FICCI EdTech Taskforce,Mar 23, 2022 |url=http://www.ficci.in/pressrelease-page.asp?nid=4411 |access-date=2022-06-10 |website=ficci.in}}</ref>

In February 2024, the Karnataka High Court stopped an attempt by some Byju's shareholders to remove leadership roles from Byju Raveendran, Divya Gokulnath, and Riju Raveendran, pending further court proceedings on 13 March.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mathew |first=George |date=2024-02-23 |title=Byju's shareholders vote to oust founder Raveendran, seek board revamp; company calls EGM invalid |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/business/companies/byjus-shareholders-vote-to-remove-ceo-byju-raveendran-family-9177457/ |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=The Indian Express |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=BYJU's investors seek ouster of founders Byju Raveendran, Divya Gokulnath |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/business/report-byju-s-investors-seek-ouster-of-founders-byju-raveendran-divya-gokulnath-egm-notice-3076527 |access-date=2024-02-29 |website=DNA India |language=en}}</ref>

== Honours and awards ==
{| class="wikitable"
! scope="col" | Year
! scope="col" | Title
! scope="col" | {{Tooltip|Ref|Reference}}
|-
|2019
|rowspan="2"|[[LinkedIn]] Top Voices: India
|<ref>{{cite news|title=Here is the LinkedIn Top Voices 2019 India|work=Business Insider|url=https://www.businessinsider.in/slideshows/here-is-the-linkedin-top-voices-2019-india-list/slidelist/72357075.cms}}</ref>
|-
|2020
|<ref name="Chand 2020">{{cite news |last1=Chand |first1=Abhigyan |title=LinkedIn Top Voices 2020: India |url=https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-top-voices-2020-india-abhigyan-chand |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=LinkedIn News |date=17 November 2020}}</ref>
|-
|2020
|''[[Business Today (India)|Business Today]]'' Most Powerful Women in Indian Business
|<ref>{{cite news |title=BT MPW 2020: Business Today honours 'Most Powerful Women' who lead from the front |url=https://www.businesstoday.in/current/corporate/businesstoday-honours-most-powerful-women-in-business-and-economy-who-lead-from-front/story/417721.html |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=[[Business Today (India)|Business Today]] |date=4 October 2020}}</ref>
|-
|2020
|''[[Femina (India)|Femina]]'' Power List
|<ref name="Priya 2021" /><ref>{{cite news |last1=Kamdar |first1=Shraddha |title=Femina Power List: BYJU'S Co-Founder Divya Gokulnath Is A Teacher at Heart |url=https://www.femina.in/trending/achievers/femina-power-list-byjus-founder-divya-gokulnath-is-a-teacher-at-heart-178273-1.html |access-date=7 April 2021 |work=[[Femina (India)|Femina]] |date=23 November 2020}}</ref>
|-
|2020
|''[[Forbes]]'' Asia's Power Businesswomen
|<ref>{{cite news |last1=Watson |first1=Rana Wehbe |title=Asia's Power Businesswomen 2020: Highlighting 25 Outstanding Leaders In Asia Pacific |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/ranawehbe/2020/09/14/asias-power-businesswomen-2020-highlighting-25-outstanding-leaders-in-asia-pacific/?sh=1ffd06f5b5fa |access-date=26 March 2021 |work=Forbes |date=14 September 2020}}</ref>
|-
|2020
|''[[Fortune India]]'' Most Powerful Women
|<ref name="Fortune 2020"/>
|-
|2021
|[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]] 50 Most Powerful Women In Business
|<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ghosh|first=-Debojyoti|title=Divya Gokulnath - Most Powerful Women in 2021 - Fortune India|url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/mpw/divya-gokulnath?year=2021|access-date=2022-02-24|website=www.fortuneindia.com|language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2021
|[[Kotak Mahindra Bank|Kotak Private Banking]]'s Hurun Leading Wealthy Women List for 2021
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Sethi |first=Vamanna |title=Meet Divya Gokulnath, Ruchi Kalra and Neha Bansal — the richest women startup entrepreneurs in India |url=https://www.businessinsider.in/business/news/meet-divya-gokulnath-ruchi-kalra-and-neha-bansal-the-richest-women-startup-entrepreneurs-in-india/slidelist/93213069.cms |access-date=2022-10-08 |website=Business Insider}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://images.kotak.com/bank/mailers/2022/files/Kotak%20Private%20Banking%20Hurun%20Leading%20Wealthy%20Women%202021.pdf |title=Kotak Private Bank Hurun Leading Wealthy Lady 2021 |publisher=[[Kotak Mahindra Bank|Kotak Private Bank]] |year=2022 |location=Mumbai |pages=18}}</ref>

|-
|2022
|[[Fortune India]] 40 under 40
|<ref>{{Cite web |last=Dey |first=-Asmita |title=Divya Gokulnath - India's Young & Brightest Entrepreneurs in 40 Under 40 2022 - Fortune India |url=https://www.fortuneindia.com/40under40/divya-gokulnath?year=2022 |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=www.fortuneindia.com |language=en}}</ref>
|-
|2022
|[[The Indian Express]]' ExpressAWE
|<ref>{{Cite web |title=ExpressAWE 2022 Highlights: Anu Aga gets Lifetime Achievement award, Nykaa's Falguni Nayar named newsmaker of the year |url=https://www.financialexpress.com/india-news/expressawe-2022-live-updates-indias-top-women-entrepreneurs-felicitated-sheryl-sandberg-to-speak/2406785/ |access-date=2022-05-07 |website=Financialexpress |date=7 March 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
|}

==Personal life==
Divya is married to [[Byju Raveendran]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Byju Raveendran's wife pens emotional post on his struggles, says 'it was tough' |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/business/byju-raveendran-s-wife-pens-emotional-post-on-his-struggles-says-it-was-tough-101664336163340.html |website=Hindustan Times |language=en |date=28 September 2022}}</ref> As of April 2020, Divya lived with eleven other family members, including their young son<ref name="Phadnis 2020">{{cite news |last1=Phadnis |first1=Shilpa |title=How Women Executives Run Businesses From Home |url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/how-women-executives-run-business-from-home/articleshow/75116109.cms |work=Times of India |date=13 April 2020}}</ref> and then their second child was born near the beginning of 2021.<ref name="Narayanan 2021">{{cite news |last1=Narayanan |first1=Jayashree |title='Take time out for yourself': Successful women entrepreneurs share mantra for work-life balance |url=https://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/life-style/international-womens-day-take-time-out-women-entrepreneurs-work-life-balance-mental-health-7212714/ |access-date=6 April 2021 |work=The Indian Express |date=8 March 2021}}</ref> Before the COVID-19 pandemic, she worked long days at the office, but during the lockdown, began working from home.<ref name="Ghosh 2020" /><ref name="Phadnis 2020"/><ref>{{cite news |last1=Alves |first1=Glynda |title=Byju's co-founder has turned her bedroom into a work studio during WFH |url=https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/magazines/panache/byjus-co-founder-has-turned-her-bedroom-into-a-work-studio-during-wfh/articleshow/76436531.cms |access-date=6 April 2021 |work=The Economic Times - Panache |date=18 June 2020}}</ref>

In 2021, she told ''The Indian Express'', that her typical day includes "juggling son's online classes, meetings, recording video lessons and spending time with a newborn."<ref name="Narayanan 2021" />

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{sister project links|d=Q106122307|c=Category:Divya Gokulnath|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|m=no|mw=no|wikt=no|s=no|q=no|species=no}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gokulnath, Divya}}
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Indian company founders]]
[[Category:Indian billionaires]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Kerala]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian businesswomen]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian businesspeople]]
[[Category:Businesspeople from Bengaluru]]
[[Category:Businesspeople in education]]
[[Category:1987 births]]
[[Category:Byju's]]
[[Category:Female billionaires]]

Divya Gokulnath - Revision history

Alihaiderhussain at 16:33, 28 April 2026