The Inspiring Journey of Ritesh Agarwal – Founder of OYO Rooms

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 The Inspiring Journey of Ritesh Agarwal – Founder of OYO Rooms

In the world of Indian startups, one name stands out for revolutionizing the hospitality industry – Ritesh Agarwal, the founder and CEO of OYO Rooms. His journey from a small-town boy to one of India’s youngest billionaires is a true inspiration for aspiring entrepreneurs.



Early Life and Background

Ritesh Agarwal was born in 1993 in Bissam Cuttack, a small town in Odisha, and raised in Rayagada, a district known for its tribal communities. Coming from a middle-class Marwari family, Ritesh was always inclined towards computers and technology. He started coding at the age of 10 and had a strong desire to explore new ideas and solve real-world problems. After finishing school, he moved to Delhi for college. However, the traditional education system didn’t excite him. He dropped out of college and began exploring business opportunities, often traveling across India on a tight budget and staying in budget hotels.


The Birth of OYO

During his travels, Ritesh noticed a common problem — most budget hotels in India lacked consistency in services, cleanliness, and customer experience. To solve this, he launched a startup called Oravel Stays in 2012, which aimed to aggregate and list budget hotels online, similar to Airbnb.

However, he soon realized that listing hotels wasn’t enough — standardization was the real challenge. In 2013, he rebranded Oravel into OYO Rooms (OYO stands for “On Your Own”) with a focus on standardizing budget hotel experiences by partnering with small hotels and transforming them under the OYO brand.


Rise to Success

Ritesh was just 19 when he launched OYO. His idea quickly gained attention, and he became the first Indian to be selected for the Thiel Fellowship, a program by billionaire Peter Thiel that offers $100,000 to young people who want to build businesses instead of attending college.OYO’s model worked — it offered clean rooms, Wi-Fi, air conditioning, and good service at affordable rates. With aggressive expansion, strong branding, and tech-driven operations, OYO became India’s largest hotel chain within a few years. It also expanded to countries like China, the UAE, the UK, and the USA.


Challenges and Comebacks

OYO’s journey wasn’t without hurdles. The company faced criticism for rapid expansion, financial losses, and hotel partner disputes. However, Ritesh and his team kept innovating and restructuring the business to make it more sustainable, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when the travel industry collapsed.


Achievements and Recognition

Ritesh Agarwal became one of the youngest self-made billionaires in the world.

Featured in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list.

OYO raised funding from top investors like SoftBank, Lightspeed, and Sequoia Capital.

He became a symbol of India’s startup success story globally.


Final Thoughts

Ritesh Agarwal's story is a powerful example of how age, background, or money doesn’t limit success — vision, persistence, and the willingness to solve real problems do. His journey from a dropout to the founder of a global company proves that bold ideas, when executed right, can change the world.


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