Inside OYO CEO Ritesh Agarwal’s Bag
Have you ever wondered what a billionaire CEO carries in his bag? OYO founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal recently shared a fun video on YouTube where he showed everything he carries around in his backpack. The video was filmed while he was taking a break during the shoot of Shark Tank India. In it, the 31-year-old entrepreneur gives fans a peek into his daily essentials.
Who is Ritesh Agarwal?
Ritesh Agarwal is a young Indian entrepreneur best known as the founder and CEO of OYO Rooms, one of the world’s largest hotel chains. Born on November 16, 1993, in a small town called Rayagada in Odisha, India, Ritesh had a passion for technology and business from a very young age.
A Gift from His Wife
To start with, Ritesh said the bag itself is a gift from his wife. He joked that the contents of the bag are “neither aesthetic nor aspirational.” In other words, they don’t look fancy or stylish, but they’re very practical and useful.
Three Phones – Including an Old One
One of the first things Ritesh showed was his three smartphones. Yes, three!
Work Phone: This is his regular phone, mainly used for work-related calls and messages.
US Phone: This one has a US number. He uses it when he’s in America, especially to talk with hotel owners and customers there.
Ancient iPhone: The third phone is an old iPhone – possibly an iPhone 7 or 8. Ritesh called it “ancient” and admitted that he’s been carrying it for years because it holds important old data. He said he never had the time to move the data to a newer phone, so he just keeps it with him.
He said carrying two phones is normal, but even he admits three is a bit much.
Travel Essentials – Including Four Passports
As the CEO of a global hospitality company, Ritesh travels a lot. That’s why he always keeps his passport with him. But not just one – he actually carries four full passports! This shows just how often he travels around the world.
Other Items in His Bag
Apart from his phones and passports, here are a few more things Ritesh keeps in his bag:
MacBook: His work laptop.
Floss: For dental hygiene.
Protein Water: Since Ritesh is a vegetarian, he says it’s hard to get enough protein through food alone. That’s why he drinks protein water regularly to stay healthy.
Honest and Funny
In a short clip shared on Instagram, Ritesh called the bag reveal “mildly existential.” He said the things in his bag aren’t fancy, but they’re practical and a little funny. His exact words were:
“Bag reveal, but make it mildly existential. I finally did it. It’s neither aesthetic nor aspirational. But somewhere between practical and borderline ridiculous.”
The Beginning of OYO
Ritesh loved traveling and noticed that budget hotels in India had many problems—unclean rooms, no proper service, and lack of trust. In 2013, at the age of just 19, he started OYO Rooms (short for “On Your Own”) to solve this issue.
The idea was simple: work with small hotel owners, help them improve their service, and then list them on a common platform where customers could book reliable and affordable rooms.
He was the first Indian to be selected for the Thiel Fellowship, a program started by PayPal founder Peter Thiel. The fellowship gave him $100,000 (about ₹80 lakh) and guidance to build his business, with the only condition that he shouldn’t go back to college.
Summary:
Ritesh Agarwal’s bag is not full of luxury items but rather useful things he needs for work, health, and travel. From multiple phones and passports to floss and protein water, his bag reflects his busy lifestyle as a young CEO constantly on the move.