Today everyone has heard about OYO, one of the successful hotel and motel chains around the globe. But do you know about the person who founded this company chain? Well if you do not know then do not worry.
Here in this article, we are going to tell you about the OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal. In this article, we will give you brief details of Ritesh’s life including his age, his educational background, and his personal and professional career. Along with this, we will tell you about Ritesh Agarwal Net Worth. So get connected to the website.
Ritesh Agarwal Biography

Ritesh Agarwal is an Indian businessman, Entrepreneur, and founder of a hospitality chain group OYO Rooms. Agarwal’s entrepreneurial journey began when he dropped out of college early to start his own company. He recently made his debut in the television industry in the popular SonyLiv show “Shark Tank India.”
Today OYO Rooms has 3000+ employees in 800 cities across 80 countries. In 2024, Agarwal debuted in the list of the top 10 youngest billionaires in India with a net worth of $ 225 million or INR 1,900 crore.
Name | Ritesh Agarwal |
Profession | Entrepreneur |
Famous For | Founder of the OYO |
Date of Birth | 16 November 1993 |
Age | 31 Years |
Birthplace | Bissam Cuttack, Rayagada, Odisha |
Zodiac sign | Scorpio |
Nationality | Indian |
Hometown | Cuttack, Odisha, India |
Religion | Hinduism |
Marital Status | Married |
Ritesh Agarwal Net Worth
In 2025, Ritesh Agarwal’s Net Worth is estimated to be around INR 16000 crore or $2.1 billion. His story, which began as a young man selling SIM cards and ended with him becoming a self-made billionaire, demonstrates an optimistic outlook on success. Besides his company, Ritesh has also made multiple investments given below list lift of:-
Companies in which Ritesh has invested
Company | Deals with |
---|---|
SelFin | It is a fintech company that offers working capital to different MSMEs in India. When it was established in 2016, its goal was to assist businesses with their financial needs |
ZingBus | Zingbus, an online bus ticketing startup founded in 2019, uses technology to standardize and enhance the nation’s intercity travel experience. |
FWD Learning | FWD Learning, which operates in the Edtech sector, offers skill-development courses that are pertinent to the industry and improve graduates’ employability. |
MagicPin | It’s a platform that helps local merchants grow their businesses by offering incentives and promotions. Agarwal took part in Magicpin in 2020, helping to contribute to its $165 million post-money valuation. |
Orange Health | This health technology business was established in 2002 and provides diagnostic services on demand. It embodies the expanding Indian industry’s ability to use technology to deliver quick diagnoses and treatments. |
Pepper Content | Ritesh has made a significant investment of $14.3 million in this enterprise application sector company. |
Josh Talks | It is a fintech company that offers working capital to different MSMEs in India. When it was established in 2016, its goal was to assist businesses with their financial needs. |
Ritesh Agarwal Age
Ritesh comes from a Hindu background family where he was born on 16 November 1993 in Bissam Cuttack, Rayagada, Odisha. And today in 2025, Ritesh Agarwal’s age is about 31 years.
Ritesh was born on 16 November and has the Zodiac sign of Scorpio. According to the horoscope, Scorpio zodiac signs represent loyalty and devotion — and also their passion in every human benign.
Ritesh’s Physical Appearance
Ritesh has always carried a charming personality that attracts multiple people. His personality includes his height of 5 feet 9 inches and body weight of 70kg. He also has dark brown color eyes that complement her overall face. Along with this, he has dark black long hair.
Height | 5 feet 9 inches |
Weight | 70 Kg |
Eye Colour | Dark |
Hair Colour | Black |
Ritesh Agarwal Education
Ritesh has always had the dream of creating something new in the world and beginning his journey. He started going to the “Sacred Heart School” that is located in Odisha. In this school, he completed his education up to class 10th.
Afterward, he moved to “St. John’s Senior Secondary School” and in this school, he completed his higher secondary education.
Later in 2011, he moved to Delhi for his higher degree, and that led him to get admission into the University of London’s International Programme run by the Indian School of Business and Finance.
However, he left college to follow his dream because he was more interested in launching his own business.
School | Sacred Heart school, Rayagada, OdishaSt. John’s Senior Secondary School |
College/University | Indian School of Business and Finance, New Delhi |
Educational Qualification | College Dropout |
Ritesh’s Family Members
Ritesh comes from a middle-class Hindu family. The entire family of Ritesh lives in Odisha. As per research, his family has 5 members that include his father, mother, brother, wife, and son. The details of them are included below:-
Ritesh Agarwal Father
Ritesh Agarwal’s father’s name is Ramesh Agarwal. By profession, he runs a small grocery store in his hometown Rayagada, Odisha. His father also wants his son to be an engineer, but Ritesh has some other plans in life. He dropped out of college to start his own business.
Later in 2023, Ritesh Agarwal’s father passed away because falling from the 20th floor. According to Dr. Sudhir Kumar, his rib cage was destroyed during the post-mortem.
Police believed it was a suicide attempt because Ritesh’s mother and wife were home and were unaware that someone had fallen from the apartment’s balcony. However, the building’s security guard saw that the person was lying in a pool of blood and notified the supervisor.
Ritesh Agarwal Brother
Ritesh’s brother’s name is Aashish Agarwal. He is older than Ritesh and by profession, he runs his father’s store.
Ritesh Agarwal Wife

Ritesh Agarwal’s wife’s name is Geetansha Sood. She is a Lucknow-born businesswoman and director of the company Formation Ventures Limited.
The couple legally got married to each other on 7 March 2023. And later the couple got their first baby on 7 December 2023 as Aryan Agarwal.
Career: College Drop Out to $9.6 billion Company
- At the age of 16, Ritesh participated in the Asian Science Camp that was organized by the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR) in Mumbai.
- At the age of 17, Ritesh wrote his first book “The Encyclopedia of Indian Engineering Colleges,” and the book received a fabulous response among the youth.
- In 2012, Ritesh launched his first company with the name “Oravel Stays, The company offers affordable pricing stays across the country.
- The idea behind the launch was that when he was traveling the country he faced multiple challenges in finding the perfect hotel. This led to the start of “Oravel Stays” But later in 2013, the name was changed to OYO Rooms.
- OYO Rooms expanded quickly under Ritesh’s direction to rank among the top providers of lodging, residences, and hotels worldwide. OYO began by concentrating on low-cost hotels before growing internationally to include markets in Malaysia, Nepal, the UK, the UAE, Sri Lanka, and other countries.
- Today, the company employs more than 17,000 people, including about 8,000 in India and South Asia, and operates in more than 800 cities across 80 countries. Additionally, OYO has set up 26 training facilities throughout India to develop talent in the hospitality industry.
Timeline Of the Oyo Business
2013 | Ritesh Agarwal receives a Thiel Fellowship grant worth $100,000. |
2014 | Secures first series A funding |
2015 — March | $25 million in funding |
2015 – April | Launches OYO app, initiating rapid expansion |
2015 – July | $100 million in series C funding from SoftBank |
2016 | Go the milestone of 1 million check-ins |
2017 | Ventures into Nepal market |
2018 | Expands globally in UK, UAE, Dubai, China, Singapore, and Indonesia, Also got the status of unicorn |
2019 | Offers more than 330,000 rooms in more than 500 cities worldwide. |
Awards and Achievements of Ritesh

Year | Award Name |
---|---|
2022 | Jay Chiat Award Presented by Grand Prix |
2020 | Millennial Maverick Award |
2019 | ASEAN-India Excellence and Achievement Award |
2019 | BTVI National Award for Marketing Excellence |
2019 | BTVI National Award for Marketing Excellence |
2019 | The Open Republic Achievers Award |
2019 | CNBC’s Young Turk of the Year Award |
2018 | Dataquest IT Person of the Year Award |
2018 | Forbes India Tycoons of Tomorrow Award |
2018 | StartAP Entrepreneur of the Year Award |
2018 | Startup of The Year Award |
2017 | Real Innovation Award |
2017 | Gaurav Samman Award |
2017 | Asian Centre’s New Age Entrepreneur Award |
2016 | NDTV Dream Chaser of the Year Award |
2015 | Digital Champion of the Year |
2015 | Business World Young Entrepreneur Award |
2014 | TiE — Lumis Entrepreneurial Excellence Award |
Controversy in which Ritesh Involved
- Engage in Fraudulent Activities
Hotelier Betz Fernandez, who owns the Roxel Inn in Bengaluru, filed a legal complaint against Agarwal in November 2019 for failing to pay Rs 35 lakh in outstanding debts. According to OYO’s official statement, they would bring a counter-FIR against Betz.
- Cheating Co-founders of Oravel Travels
Ritesh is often accused of using tactics against the founders of Oravel Travels. According to many who have worked with him, he lies about his inability to code. Kunal Pandya of NCrypted Technologies, a technology company based in Gujarat, claimed that Ritesh had never fulfilled the terms of the license he had given him for his vacation rental portal “BistroStays” in exchange for some shares.
- $202,500 Fine in USA
In 2020, OYO received a $202,500 fine from the California Department of Business Oversight for expanding its operations in the US without the necessary permission. Several hotel owners across the nation accused OYO of entering into an agreement with them to take over the operations of their establishments without disclosing to them that OYO lacked a government-issued No Objection Certificate (NOC).
Ritesh’s Social Media Handle
Ritesh has been a successful business model around the globe and this helps him to gain a tremendous fan base over the social media platform. Today, Ritesh has been an active member of Instagram, X, LinkedIn and Thread. The details of his platform are given below.
Platform | Username | Followers |
---|---|---|
@riteshagar | 9.6 lakhs+ | |
X | @riteshagar | 263.1k + |
Ritesh Agarwal | 9.6 lakhs + | |
Threads | riteshagar | 111 k + |
FAQs Related to Ritesh
Ritesh Agarwal launched the hospitality business OYO Rooms, formerly OYO Hotels & Homes, in 2013. It now offers standardized lodging in more than 800 cities across 80 countries by collaborating with small hotels.
Ritesh founded OYO after dropping out of college to follow his passion for technology and entrepreneurship.
OYO, which stands for “On Your Own,” reflects the company’s goal of giving tourists comfortable and reasonably priced lodging.
At the age of 13, Ritesh started his own business by selling SIM cards. Later on, he established Oravel Stays, which was the forerunner of OYO.
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