OYO founder Ritesh Agarwal to buy back shares from early investors for USD 2 bn

Hospitality firm OYO Friday said its founder Ritesh Agarwal has signed a deal to buy back shares worth USD 2 billion (nearly Rs 13,770 crore) from early investors through his Cayman islands-registered entity, RA Hospitality Holdings, to almost triple his stake in the company.

Lightspeed Venture Partners and Sequoia India, OYO's early supporters, are selling part of their holdings in order to help the founder increase his stake while remaining invested significantly in the company's long-term mission, OYO said in a statement.

"Company's founder and CEO Ritesh Agarwal, through RA Hospitality Holdings (Cayman), has signed USD 2 billion primary and secondary management investment round, supported by global institutional banks and his financial partners," it added.

As per sources in know of the matter, after the entire process is completed, Agarwal's stake in the company will rise from the current 9-10 per cent to around 30 per cent. This would take the valuation of the company to around USD 10 billion.

"As an entrepreneur and on behalf of the company's management, I am thankful to have been given the opportunity to rededicate ourselves to the company's mission of building the world's most loved hospitality brand that is focused on bringing a better lifestyle for the common man," Agarwal said.

The company has attracted some of the world's leading investors, including Airbnb, SoftBank Vision Fund, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Greenoaks Capital, Sequoia India and Hero Enterprise, the statement said.

"I am...delighted to have gotten the support of all our investors, the board and above all the institutionalised financial partners that have provided the necessary financial support towards realising this vision," Agarwal said.

The company is well placed to achieve exponential growth and the capital received through forthcoming primary round will help boost OYO's expansion plan in India, the US, China, the UK, the EU, and Southeast Asia markets, it added.

"We have confidence in Ritesh's vision for OYO and how the team has come together to build a truly global brand from India. It has been an exciting journey so far and we hope to achieve many more milestones together in the time to come," SoftBank Vision Fund Managing Partner Munish Varma said.

Commenting on the association with OYO, Lightspeed India Partners Advisors Partner Bejul Somaia said,"as the company's first institutional investor, Lightspeed is fortunate to have been part of OYO's journey from a fledgling startup in India to a transformative company in the hospitality industry globally".

Lightspeed remains committed to supporting Ritesh and the OYO team as the company embarks on its next phase of growth globally, he added.

Sequoia Capital India Advisors Managing Director Mohit Bhatnagar said,"it has been five years since Sequoia India first partnered with Ritesh and his team....We remain committed to supporting this world-class management team as they continue to create living spaces across the world".

Founded in 2013, OYO Hotels & Homes' current portfolio combines fully operated real estate comprising more than 23,000 hotels and 46,000 vacation homes.