Ritesh Agarwal is known as one of the most successful young entrepreneurs. He is the founder and CEO of OYO which has revolutionised the whole hospitality industry. He had a really inspirational journey of entrepreneurship in his life and thus here I came to present Ritesh Agarwal Biography so that you can learn about his struggle behind the success he owns today.
Ritesh Agarwal has now also become part of Shark Tank India Season 3 as the newest Shark on the Show. OYO Founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal will be the youngest Shark among others. Let’s start this Ritesh Agarwal success story from the beginning.
Table of Contents
Key Points
- Ritesh Agarwal dropped out of college to pursue entrepreneurship as he was selected for the Thiel Fellowship. He was the first Asian who was selected for this Fellowship in 2013.
- Ritesh founded OYO in 2013 when he was just 20 years old.
- In 2020, Ritesh became the Youngest self-made Billionaire according to Hurun Rich List 2020 in the World.
Ritesh Agarwal Biography
OYO founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal was born on 16 November 1993 in Bissam Cuttack, Odisha, India. He was always a curious child with an excellent brain who had started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 13 only when he used to sell sim cards. Often kids are busy gaming and playing at this age but he was busy working on his ideas.
As of 2023, Ritesh Agarwal age is 30 years and he founded OYO when he was 20 years old. This shows his entrepreneurial spirit that needed to be appreciated. Let’s unfold some other important chapters from his life in this Ritesh Agarwal Biography.
| Full Name | Ritesh Agarwal |
| Date of Birth | 16 November 1993 |
| Age | 30 Years (As of 2023) |
| Birthplace | Cuttack, Odisha, India |
| Residence | India |
| Father’s Name | Ramesh Agarwal (Died 10 March 2023) |
| Mother’s Name | Mrs. Agarwal |
| Qualification | College Dropped |
| College Name | Indian School of Business and Finance |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Business Name | OYO |
| Current Position | Co-Founder & CEO |
| Ritesh Agarwal Net Worth | $2 Billion or Rs 16,624 Crore |
Ritesh Agarwal Education
Ritesh was born and raised in Odisha and thus he also completed his early education there. He attended Sacred Heart School of the Rayagada District of Odisha State for his early education as he used to live there with his family.
After that, he also attended St. Johns Senior Secondary School, Kota, Rajasthan from 2010 to 2012 and pursued Mathematics as his mainstream subject. After completing his schooling there, he moved to Delhi to continue his college.
He enrolled himself in the Indian School of Business and Finance, Delhi but dropped off in order to pursue entrepreneurship and joined the Thiel Fellowship program in 2013.
Ritesh Agarwal Family
Ritesh Agarwal belonged to a Marwari family. His family used to run a small shop in Rayagada city of Southern Odisha which includes his parents and three brothers as family members.
Ritesh Agarwa’s father’s name was Ramesh Agarwal he passed on 10 March 2023 due to falling from the 20th floor of a high-rise building in Gurugram while his mother’s and sibling’s names are not available as of now.
Ritesh Agarwal Career
While studying at the Indian School of Business and Finance in Delhi, Ritesh Agarwal was selected for the Thiel Fellowship Program which was an initiative by billionaire Peter Thiel for students of the age of 22 or below who need money and guidance to start their entrepreneurship career.
He dropped out his college and started working on his entrepreneurial journey day and night as he was inspired by world leaders like Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, etc. from 2013 to the present, he is still a Thiel Fellow.
After preparing himself, in June 2013, Ritesh Agarwal founded OYO, right after two months of joining the Thiel Fellowship. This is how Ritesh Agarwal life story was going on.
Ritesh Agarwal OYO
Ritesh Agarwal OYO story begins in 2013 when he launched its website oyorooms.com and opened its first patron as a hotel brand. In 2015, he launched the OYO App and expanded the OYO business to over 100 cities across the nation. Ritesh Agarwal OYO is based on a hospitality chain model. They approached hotels, homes, and living spaces for franchised OYO and offered the best hospitality services.
Ritesh Agarwal OYO created its first out-of-country appearance in Malaysia in 2016 and in the UK in 2018 which was the first expansion of OYO out of Asia.
Ritesh Agarwal OYO also offers other products like OYO Life and OYO Wizard. In 2019, Ritesh Agarwal OYO acquired Leisure Group while in 2021, the company launched OYO360 which allows patrons self onboarding.
As of now, Ritesh Agarwal OYO has a global presence in more than 80 countries with over 1 million rooms.
Ritesh Agarwal Net Worth 2023
The estimated Ritesh Agarwal net worth 2023 is approximately $2 Billion which is around Rs 16,624 Crore and possibly more than that. His main source of earnings is his business OYO. Ritesh is one of the most successful cum young successful entrepreneurs in India who has a massive net worth at the age of 30 years.
Must Read: Top 12 Business Leaders In India 2023 – Inspiration For Youth
Ritesh Agarwal Shark Tank India Season 3
Shark Tank India is an Indian franchise of the US business reality show. Its first season was streamed in 2022 and the second season in 2023. The show is all set to stream its third season Sony Liv soon and for that along with old Sharks Aman Gupta, Peyush Bansal, Namita Thapar, Anupam Mittal, Vineeta Singh, and Amit Jain, Ritesh Agarwal is appointed as the new Shark of the Show.
OYO founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal will be the youngest Shark on the show Shark Tank India Season 3. Ashneer Grover and Ghazal Alagh were part of the first season but they did not appear in season 2. Ritesh Agarwal Shark Tank India will be great fun and a fresh experience for him.
Must Read: Everything About Shark Tank India Seasons.
Ritesh Agarwal Wife
Ritesh Agarwal wife’s name is Geetansha Sood she is from Lucknow. They both get married on 7 March 2023.
Ritesh Agarwal Social Media
In this OYO Founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal biography, I have shared his whole life story and you might be interested in following him as he is available on various social media platforms Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. where you can find him and can stay connected with him.
Ritesh Agarwal Instagram username is @riteshagar and he has more than 372K followers on Instagram and his Facebook username is Ritesh Agarwal.
Ritesh Agarwal Twitter handle name is @riteshagar and he has more than 236.3K Followers on Twitter. His LinkedIn username is Ritesh Agarwal and he has more than 473,796 followers and 500+ connections on LinkedIn.
Check Also: Who Has Been Featured On The Entrepreneur 35 Under 35 List of 2023?
Ritesh Agarwal Awards & Recognition
Through this Ritesh Agarwal OYO founder story, we have learned everything about his success story, and for his ultimate contribution to the hospitality industry, he has been honored with several awards and recognitions. So here I am sharing the list of Ritesh Agarwal awards and recognitions below.
- First Resident Asian to win ’20 Under 20’ Thiel Fellowship in 2013.
- One of the Top 50 Entrepreneurs by TATA First Dot Awards in 2013.
- One of the 8 Hottest Teenage Start-up Founders in the World by Business Insider in 2013.
- Received TiE-Lumis Entrepreneurial Excellence Award in 2014.
- Forbes “30 Under 30” in the Consumer Tech Sector.
- Young Entrepreneur Award by Business World.
- Featured in the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality list in 2022.
Want To Know: Who has been named to Forbes 30 Under 30 List?
Interesting Facts About Ritesh Agarwal
In this OYO Founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal biography, I have shared all the details about the entrepreneurs and thus you must have read up on these facts about Ritesh Agarwal. So here I am sharing some interesting and lesser-known facts about Ritesh Agarwal below.
- When Ritesh was 13 years old, he used to sell SIM cards.
- Ritesh Agarwal OYO Founder dropped off his college to pursue his entrepreneurship career.
- Ritesh Agarwal was the first Asian to receive a Thiel Fellowship in 2013.
- As of 2020, he was the youngest self-made Billionaire according to Hurun Rich List 2020 in the World.
- Ritesh Agarwal had to pay a $200,000 fine charged by California regulators as the company promised franchises in the country without proper registration.
- Ritesh Agarwal OYO had to face backlash from 10,000 Hotels because according to them OYO took more than half of revenue and this was not disclosed when the hotels joined OYO.
- There were some cases of fraud also filed against him in 2019 and 2020.
- OYO co-founder Manish Singh accused him of cheating during the early days of OYO.
- He was Featured in the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality list in 2022.
- Ritesh Agarwal has been appointed as the new Shark for the Shark Tank India Season 3, he will be the youngest Shark on the Show.
Read Also: Who has been named to Fortune India 40 Under 40?
Final Words
Through OYO founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal success story, we have learned that entrepreneurs have the spirit to revolutionize every existing and non-existing industry. The real entrepreneur can accomplish their ambitions by not being afraid of any obstacles that come their way.
In this Ritesh Agarwal biography, I have shared all the crucial details about the entrepreneur including Ritesh Agarwal date of birth, Ritesh Agarwal age, Ritesh Agarwal birthplace, Ritesh Agarwal career, Ritesh Agarwal life story, Ritesh Agarwal family, Ritesh Agarwal parents, Ritesh Agarwal wife, Ritesh Agarwal Shark Tank India S3, Ritesh Agarwal net worth, Ritesh Agarwal social media, Ritesh Agarwal awards & recognitions, some interesting facts about Ritesh Agarwal, etc.
Want To Read: The Biography of Your Favorite Entrepreneur?
Hope this OYO Founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal biography was inspirational for you and the content I have provided was also useful and informative enough for you. Thanks for reading.
FAQs
Who is Ritesh Agarwal?
Ritesh Agarwal is the founder and CEO of OYO Rooms. He is also the new Shark in the Shark Tank India season 3.
Is Ritesh Agarwal India’s youngest self-made billionaire?
According to the Hurun Rich List 2020, Ritesh Agarwal was the Youngest self-made Billionaire in the World.
Who is CEO of OYO Rooms?
Ritesh Agarwal is the founder and OYO Rooms.
Where was Ritesh Agarwal born?
Ritesh Agarwal was born in Bissam Cuttack, Odisha, India.
What is the qualification of Ritesh Agarwal?
Ritesh Agarwal dropped off his college in order to pursue entrepreneurship as he was selected for the Thiel Fellowship.
What is net worth of Ritesh Agarwal?
As of 2023, Ritesh Agarwal net worth is approximately $2 Billion or Rs 16,624 Crore and it could be more than that.
Who is the owner of Oyo on Shark Tank?
Ritesh Agarwal is the owner of Oyo on Shark Tank. He is the CEO of OYO rooms and is appointed as the new Shark for the Shark Tank India Season 3.
What is Ritesh Agarwal age?
As of 2023, OYO Founder Ritesh Agarwal age is 30 years. He was born on 16 November 1993 in Bissam Cuttack, Odisha, India.
