RA
Bissam Cuttack, Odisha
OYO
Ritesh Agarwal
Dropped out at 17. Slept in cheap hotels across India to understand the problem before solving it.
Conviction at extreme youthResilienceOperator's grit
Struggles
Pandemic nearly broke OYO — laid off thousands, took personal pay cuts, rebuilt under public scrutiny.
Family
From a small business family in Odisha. Married to Geetansha Sood — kept the wedding small and private.
The full story
From day one to today.
The journey
Milestones, not magic.
2012
Dropped out at 17. Slept in budget hotels to understand the problem.
2013
Thiel Fellowship. Started OYO from a single hotel in Gurgaon.
2018
Bought back family stake. World's 3rd-largest hotel chain.
2024
Rebuilt post-pandemic. Profitable.
Wins
- Built OYO into a defining brand from Bissam Cuttack, Odisha.
Setbacks
- Pandemic nearly broke OYO — laid off thousands, took personal pay cuts, rebuilt under public scrutiny.
News, interviews & references
Read, watch, dig deeper.
Live links — open the latest articles, interviews and profiles about Ritesh Agarwal across the web.
Next journey
Bhavish Aggarwal — Ola