Ritesh Agarwal is the founder and CEO of OYO Hotels & Homes. At age 17, he traveled across India and stayed in over 100 budget hotels, realizing a need for affordable, good quality options. This inspired him to launch OYO in 2013. As a college dropout pursuing entrepreneurship, Ritesh first launched Oravel Travels, modeling it after Airbnb, before rebranding as OYO Rooms to address broader issues in budget hotels. OYO has since grown into a leading global hotel chain through an asset-light model, a focus on customer experience, technology, acquisitions and feedback-driven improvements.