Stephenson Harwood advised Physicswallah on acquisition of Knowledge Planet

Stephenson Harwood advised Physicswallah on acquisition of Knowledge Planet

The ed-tech unicorn plans to reach the maximum number of students in the MENA region

Law firm Stephenson Harwood LLP has advised Physicswallah Private Limited on acquiring Knowledge Planet Centre Group, Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE).

PhysicsWallah is an Indian-headquartered online education platform, launched during the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. Established by Alakh Pandey and Prateek Maheshwari, it became a unicorn recently.

Knowledge Planet, having 13 centres operating across the Middle East, is one of UAE’s most-trusted entrance exam preparation institutions for students. It caters to students of CBSE, ICSE, British, American and IB Curriculums.

Commenting on the development, Diwakar Agarwal, a partner at Stephenson Harwood said, "This is a significant deal for PhysicsWallah and its first in the MENA market. Our extensive knowledge of the technology and education sectors, coupled with our experience in handling cross-border M&A matters, meant we were well-placed to advise on this strategically important commercial matter. I look forward to assisting our client on any future growth plans in the region."

Stephenson Harwood acted as the UAE counsel, advising on aspects of the transaction documents, on the cross-border matter spanning across India and the UAE. The team advised on an appropriate structure for the deal and navigated various regulatory issues in both the technology and educational spheres.

The Stephenson Harwood team was led by partner Diwakar Agarwal and supported by managing associate Toufic Safie and associate Phathu Rambau. The team worked in association with the Indian law firm Indus Law.