Ritesh Agarwal

Founder, CEO

Indian Bissam Cuttack, Odisha

Quick Info

ProfessionFounder, CEO
NationalityIndian
Date of Birth16/11/1993
Age32 years
BirthplaceBissam Cuttack, Odisha

Latest News about Ritesh Agarwal

2023/01/01

Ritesh Agarwal's personal life became public in 2023 when he married Geetansha Sood, a woman from Lucknow who had been his long-time partner. The marriage marked a significant personal milestone for the OYO founder, who had previously kept his relationship status private.

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Bio/Wiki

Ritesh Agarwal is the founder and CEO of OYO Hotels & Homes, one of the world's largest hotel chains. He is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur who revolutionized the budget hospitality sector by identifying and resolving pain points in hotel accommodations.
Ritesh Agarwal is the founder and CEO of OYO Hotels & Homes (formerly OYO Rooms), one of the world's largest hotel chains. He is an Indian billionaire entrepreneur who revolutionized the budget hospitality sector by identifying and resolving pain points in hotel accommodations. He is also the founder of PRISM, a hospitality chain, and was the first Indian to win the Thiel Fellowship.

Educational Qualification(s)

College dropout who chose to pursue his entrepreneurial vision
Schooling in Titlagarh, Rayagada, Odisha
Enrolled in an Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) at age 17 but dropped out shortly after to pursue entrepreneurship
Attended St. Johns Senior Secondary School

Personal Life

Married Geetansha Sood from Lucknow in 2023; she was his long-time partner

Family

From a middle-class Marwari family based in Odisha
From a modest middle-class Marwari family based in Odisha
Parents: Father works with Infrastructure Corporation, Mother is a housewife
Has three siblings (brothers/sisters)

Career

Professional CareerFounder and CEO of OYO Rooms (OYO Hotels & Homes)
Formed Oravel in 2011Started Oravel Stays in September 2012 as a budget accommodation portal which received a grant of Rs 30 lakh from Venture Nursery
Formation of OYO RoomsRelaunched Oravel as OYO Rooms in May 2013 after receiving the Thiel Fellowship grant of USD 100,000
Achievements
  • Named among the top 50 entrepreneurs by TATA first dot awards in 2013
  • Named as one of the 8 hottest teenage startup founders in the world by Business Insider in 2013
  • Honored with TIE Luminous entrepreneurial excellence award in 2014
  • Won the Business world young Entrepreneur award in 2015
  • First Indian resident to win the Thiel Fellowship award
  • Named in the Forbes list of 30 under 30 in consumer Technology Sector in 2016
  • Became the world's second-youngest self-made billionaire at age 25
  • OYO Rooms became India's largest hotel network with operations in 154 cities and over 330,000 rooms globally by 2019
  • OYO valued at over USD 10 billion in 2019
  • First Indian to receive the Thiel Fellowship in 2013
  • Raised $100 million in Series C funding from SoftBank in July 2015
  • OYO Rooms raised $1 billion by September 2018
  • OYO valued at over $10 billion in 2019
  • In July 2019, tripled his stake in OYO with a purchase of another $2 billion worth of shares
  • Net worth exceeds ₹16,000 crores as of 2024
  • Listed among Top 10 youngest Indian billionaires in Hurun Rich List of India 2024 with a net worth of $225 million (₹1,900 crore)
  • Founded PRISM, a hospitality chain

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. He initiated his initial project when he was just 13 years old.
2. He decided to leave college to follow his business vision.
3. An accomplished author, he penned the popular book "Indian Engineering Colleges: A Complete Encyclopaedia of Top 100 Engineering Colleges."
4. He secured funding totaling 30 lakhs from Venture Nursery.
5. Regarded as one of the top 10 Indian entrepreneurs across different sectors.
6. He became the inaugural Indian to clinch the prestigious Thiel Fellowship award.
7. In July 2019, he tripled his stake in OYO with a purchase of USD 2 billion worth of shares.
8. OYO expanded internationally to Malaysia, Nepal, and Britain.
9. Started coding at age 8.
10. OYO stands for 'On Your Own', reflecting the company's mission to provide affordable and comfortable stays for travellers.
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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