🚀 From ₹0 Investment to ₹36,000 Crore Brand:Ritesh Agarwal’s Real OYO Story of a 12th Pass Graduate Dropout Who Changed Indian Hospitality.💡 Ritesh Agarwal didn’t invest a single rupee of his own to build OYO.

Story Covered By:

📚 Story Covered By:

✍️ Abhijit R Patil

🏫 Founder, Patil Share Market Institute

📧 Email: patil4abhi@yahoo.in

🕗 Published on: 21 May 2025 at 11:20 PM

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🏨 OYO: A Small-Town Teen Who Built a ₹36,000 Crore Company

🔍 1. A Big Problem in a Small Room

Ritesh Agarwal came from a small town in Odisha called Rayagada.

He loved to travel. But every hotel he stayed in had problems — dirty beds, no hot water, poor service.

Most people ignored it.

But Ritesh asked, “Why can’t budget hotels be clean and reliable?”

That simple question became the start of something huge.

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🚀 2. His First Step — Oravel Stays (2012)

At age 18, he started a company called Oravel Stays.

It was like Airbnb, to book budget hotels in India.

But Ritesh soon realized — people didn’t want more hotel options.

They wanted better rooms they could trust.

So he shut it down… and restarted with a clearer goal.

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🎓 3. A Big Grant and a Brave Decision (2013)

In 2013, Ritesh became the first Indian to win the Thiel Fellowship — a global program by billionaire Peter Thiel, co-founder of PayPal.

He received a ₹60 lakh grant — with one condition: drop out of college.

He said yes.

With that money and belief in himself, he started OYO Rooms — short for “On Your Own.”

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🏘️ 4. A Business Without Owning Anything

Ritesh went to small hotels and said:

"Let me clean up your rooms, train your staff, give you tech tools, and put the OYO brand. I’ll help you get more guests."

It worked.

Soon, hotels across India joined OYO.

OYO didn’t own hotels — it managed and improved them.

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🌍 5. Growing Across India… and the World

OYO grew quickly. It reached hundreds of Indian cities and then expanded to countries like China, UAE, UK, and USA.

It became one of the biggest hotel brands in the world — started by a teenager with no degree.

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💼 6. Big Investors, Big Support

From 2014 to 2024, OYO raised over ₹28,800 crore in funding from top global investors:

SoftBank Vision Fund

Lightspeed Ventures

Airbnb

Sequoia Capital

The company kept growing.

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⚠️ 7. Then Came COVID — The Toughest Time

In 2020, COVID hit. Travel stopped. Hotels closed. Business dropped.

OYO lost money. People said it wouldn’t survive.

But Ritesh didn’t give up.

He reduced costs, used technology, and focused on profit over speed.

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♻️ 8. The Comeback and Today’s OYO

OYO came back stronger. It became profitable again, with smart operations and better tech.

As of January 3, 2025, OYO’s company is valued at ₹36,000 crore.

It is one of India’s most successful startup stories — and it’s still growing.

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🔮 9. What’s Next?

Ritesh is planning for an IPO (stock market listing).

He now wants OYO to become the tech platform that powers hotels globally — not just rooms, but full hotel systems.

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✨ The Final Word: No Money, No Backup — Just One Big Idea

Ritesh had no MBA.

He had no family money, no big contacts, no investor backing in the beginning.

Just one simple idea, a strong belief in solving a real problem, and the courage to try.

He didn’t copy anyone. He didn’t inherit anything.

OYO was his idea, started from scratch, built with his own effort.

Today, that one idea has turned into a company worth ₹36,000 crore.

This isn’t just a business story — it’s a reminder that big things can begin in the smallest places, if you believe hard enough...

Here’s the closing call-to-action + hashtags block in the exact format and tone you requested, perfectly suited for your OYO story post:

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💬 Inspired by OYO’s journey from ₹0 to ₹36,000 Cr?

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