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Rishi Khosla, OBE

Co-Founder and CEO of OakNorth

London, UK


Rishi Khosla
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Rishi Khosla’s Biography

Rishi Khosla OBE is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and investor. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of leading financial technology company, OakNorth, which provides banking services to lower mid-market businesses across the UK and the United States.

As a capitalist, he sees entrepreneurs as the driving force behind innovation, economic growth, and social progress, believing that an entrepreneurial mindset can enable anyone to succeed.

Driven by this belief, in 2002 Rishi teamed up with Joel Perlman to found Copal Partners (which would later become Copal Amba). The venture grew substantially under their leadership, employing 3,000 people across 11 different markets. When Moody's Corporation acquired the business in 2014, early investors saw returns of over 200 times their initial investment.

In 2015 Rishi and Joel launched OakNorth with a mission to empower entrepreneurs through providing them with bespoke debt finance and personalized banking services. To date, the bank has lent billions of dollars to businesses across the UK and US, directly helping with the creation of tens of...
Rishi Khosla OBE is an entrepreneur, philanthropist and investor. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of leading financial technology company, OakNorth, which provides banking services to lower mid-market businesses across the UK and the United States.

As a capitalist, he sees entrepreneurs as the driving force behind innovation, economic growth, and social progress, believing that an entrepreneurial mindset can enable anyone to succeed.

Driven by this belief, in 2002 Rishi teamed up with Joel Perlman to found Copal Partners (which would later become Copal Amba). The venture grew substantially under their leadership, employing 3,000 people across 11 different markets. When Moody's Corporation acquired the business in 2014, early investors saw returns of over 200 times their initial investment.

In 2015 Rishi and Joel launched OakNorth with a mission to empower entrepreneurs through providing them with bespoke debt finance and personalized banking services. To date, the bank has lent billions of dollars to businesses across the UK and US, directly helping with the creation of tens of thousands of new homes and jobs.

Through their family Foundation, Rishi and his wife, Milan, aim to support and boost early childhood development, nurturing the agency, creativity and curiosity to unleash every child’s potential. The Foundation supports cutting-edge medical research with institutions such as Boston Children’s Hospital and Columbia University, and is also dedicated to promoting diversity within the entrepreneurial community. This includes encouraging female empowerment in disadvantaged communities, providing support for women setting up micro-enterprises.

Rishi was an early investor in PayPal and has also backed innovative technology companies such as Xometry (3D printing and manufacturing), Spiracheck (biotech), and About Energy (battery technology).

Rishi was awarded an OBE in HM The Queen’s 2020 New Year Honours list for his services to business.
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Rishi Khosla’s Background

OakNorth Bank
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Sep 2015 - Present
London, UK
Launched in 2015, OakNorth Bank helps the UK's most ambitious firms access the rapid, flexible debt finance they need to expand, while helping savers make their money go further. With capital ranging from £250,000 to millions of pounds, the bank has lent several billion pounds to firms across a variety of sectors, directly contributing to the creation of thousands of new jobs and affordable homes.
 
ONCI
Co-Founder
Sep 2015 - Present
London, UK
ONCI (OakNorth Credit Intelligence), founded by Joel Perlman and Rishi Khosla, provides advanced credit intelligence software to banks. It helps lenders make faster, smarter lending decisions by offering insights into borrowers, supporting businesses and aiding economic growth.
 
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Rishi Khosla’s Gallery

Current Board Positions

OakNorth Bank
Board Member
London, UK
OakNorth Bank is a UK bank that provides fast, flexible and accessible debt finance to fast-growth businesses and established property developers.
 
ONCI
Board Member
London, UK
ONCI is a fintech platform that enables lenders to originate, underwrite, monitor, and book bespoke loans to SMEs faster, more efficiently and with more rigour.
 

Philanthropy

Rishi & Milan Khosla Foundation
Co-Founder
London, UK
The Rishi and Milan Khosla Foundation is a private family foundation founded by Rishi and Milan Khosla focused on supporting new and innovative projects which deal with some core societal issues, including early childhood development, female empowerment, the environment.
 

Media

What Makes The UK Such a Powerful Base For Building a Tech Business.
Video Interview
Jun 2025
London, UK
Rishi Khosla participated in Tech Nation's "It Takes a Tech Nation" campaign in London to stress how the UK's dynamic ecosystem and strategic policymaking has played a crucial role in scaling OakNorth and driving innovation in British tech.
 
Revolutionizing Banking: How OakNorth Built a Cloud-Native Bank
Video Interview
Feb 2025
OakNorth co-founder Rishi Khosla offers perspectives on creating a cloud-first bank, harnessing technology to stay agile, and supporting the growth of scaling companies. He explores OakNorth’s growth across the UK and US, highlights India’s strength in fintech talent, and reflects on how cloud-based banking is transforming the financial industry.
 
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Interviews

SoftBank-Backed OakNorth Partners With OpenAI to Expand AI Users
Interviewee
May 2025
London, UK
Rishi Khosla, emphasised that the bank's new partnership with OpenAI will integrate custom-built GPT tools throughout its operations.
 
SoftBank-Backed OakNorth Bank Targets U.S.Expansion to Keep Up Momentum - Interview
Interviewee
Mar 2025
New York, NY, USA
OakNorth Bank's CEO, Rishi Khosla, discusses plans to grow the bank's presence in the U.S., positioning itself to fill the void left by the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank two years ago.
 
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Thought Leadership

Everyone Should Be a Chief Innovation Officer
Author
Jun 2025
London, UK
In a LinkedIn post, Rishi Khosla asserted that “everyone should be a Chief Innovation Officer.” He advocated for an inclusive, company-wide approach to innovation, focusing on how OakNorth’s widespread adoption of AI tools enables every employee to contribute to creativity and efficiency.
 
WEF: In 2025, businesses will embrace risk. Here's why
Author
Jan 2025
Davos, CH
In 2025, Rishi Khosla believes businesses will embrace risk to drive growth amid economic recovery. The UK's Regulatory Innovation Office aims to reduce red tape, while the US focuses on AI and cryptocurrency advancements. AI adoption will enhance data analysis, improving risk exposure.
 
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Features

PISCES: How the London Stock Exchange Plans to Lure Firms to a Private Market.
Contributor
London, UK
In this article, Rishi Khosla points out that without sufficient liquidity PISCES, the London Stock Exchange’s new venue for unlisted shares, could become a vulnerable platform.
 
How to fix charitable giving (in time for Christmas?)
Nov 2024
London, UK
Rishi Khosla, co-founder and CEO of OakNorth, believes corporate giving should be driven by genuine social purpose and long-term commitment. He shared that OakNorth began donating as soon as it became cash flow positive, later formalising its 1% profit donation model and adding 1% of employee time to charitable causes in 2023. For Khosla, supporting communities is a core value, not just a corporate initiative.
 
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Publications

How can banks continue digital transformation in a downturn?
Journal of Digital Banking, Henry Stewart Publications, pp 6-12
Jun 2023
 

Awards & Recognition

New Year Honours
Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)
2019
London, UK
Rishi, Co-Founder of OakNorth, was awarded an OBE for services to business.
 
The Telegraph's Tech Hot 100
Winner
2019
London, UK
Rishi was voted #1 on The Telegraph's Tech Hot 100 list in 2019.
 
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Speaking Engagements

Fireside Chat at London Tech Week
Speaker
Jun 2025
London, UK
Rishi Khosla was a speaker at London Tech Week 2025, talking on the subject of ‘Second Time Around: Lessons, Learnings, and What I Chose to Leave Behind’’.
 
World Economic Forum’s Industry Strategy Meeting.
Panel Member
Jun 2025
London, UK
At the WEF’s Industry Strategy Meeting in London, Rishi Khosla joined a panel to discuss the topic ‘Shaping the future of intelligent business’.
 
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Rishi Khosla’s Education

University College London
BSc in Economics
London School of Economics
Masters in Accounting & Finance