Ritesh Agarwal of PYO is a top Indian CEO who failed even before making it big. This is his story.
He started Oravel Stays which operated as a marketplace for budget stays and bed and breakfasts. But they failed to gain success because he didn’t have the right team backing him, leading to infighting.
By 2013, Ritesh Agarwal changed the name of Oravel Stays to OYO Rooms to make budget hotel booking hassle-free, with the added benefit of the OYO quality assurance.
He soon became a top Indian CEO had led his firm to 4000-rooms, 450-hotels, and over 500-employees along with 3-rounds of growth and funding.
In 2018, OYO established operations in the UK, UAE, Dubai, China, Singapore & Indonesia and became a unicorn. And by 2019, they gained more than 330,000 rooms in 500 cities globally.
Between OYO Rooms, Townhouse and other offerings, Ritesh today is more than just a poster boy of success - he has shown the world that an Indian company truly can go global!