Ritesh Agarwal · CEO & Founder · OYO Rooms · The WLS 100 · 2026 Edition
Business
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Inaugural edition 2026 · Asia

Ritesh Agarwal

CEO & Founder

A fondé OYO à 19 ans. 80 pays.

Education
Thiel Fellowship
Organization
Profile

Raised in the state of Odisha, Ritesh Agarwal dropped out of college and founded OYO in 2013 at the age of 19, betting that technology could bring consistent standards to India's fragmented budget hotels. A recipient of the Thiel Fellowship, he built the start-up into one of the world's largest hospitality chains, present in dozens of countries across Asia, Europe and the United States, with backing from investors including SoftBank. One of the youngest founders to lead a company valued in the billions, he has become a prominent face of India's new generation of entrepreneurs.

Why this selection

His early rise and international expansion illustrate how Indian entrepreneurship can create global players from local needs.

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