Rishi Khosla: The Entrepreneur Behind OakNorth

Last Updated on July 29, 2026 by Business Blog Media Editorial Team

Introduction

Rishi Khosla is a British entrepreneur, investor and banking executive. He is best known as the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of OakNorth, a digital bank created to support growing businesses.

He founded OakNorth with his long-term business partner Joel Perlman. The two entrepreneurs had previously built Copal Partners, a financial research company that was later sold to Moody’s Corporation.

As of July 2026, Khosla remains the co-founder and CEO of OakNorth. His work focuses on improving business lending by combining banking knowledge, technology and detailed company data.

His main achievement is simple to understand: he identified a problem that his own company had faced and built a new bank to solve it.

Rishi Khosla Quick Facts

Fact	Verified information
Full name	Rishi Khosla
Profession	Entrepreneur, investor and banking executive
Nationality	British
Best known for	Co-founding OakNorth
Current role	Co-founder and CEO of OakNorth
OakNorth co-founder	Joel Perlman
Previous major company	Copal Partners
OakNorth launched	2015
Education	University College London and the London School of Economics
Honour	Officer of the Order of the British Empire
Main industry	Banking and financial technology

Who Is Rishi Khosla?

Rishi Khosla is the entrepreneur who helped create OakNorth Bank.

OakNorth is different from many traditional banks because it concentrates strongly on established businesses that need money to expand. These companies may be profitable and growing, but they can still struggle to receive suitable financing from large lenders.

Khosla experienced this problem while building his first major company. That experience later became the starting point for OakNorth.

According to OakNorth’s official profile of Rishi Khosla, he remains the company’s co-founder and CEO as of July 2026.

Rishi Khosla’s Education

Khosla studied Economics at University College London and completed his degree in 1996.

He later attended the London School of Economics, commonly called LSE. He completed a master’s degree in Accounting and Finance in 1997.

His time at LSE was important for more than education. It was also where he met Joel Perlman, who later became his business partner.

Together, they would build two major companies: Copal Partners and OakNorth.

LSE continues to recognise Khosla as one of its notable business leaders and confirms that he completed his MSc in Accounting and Finance in 1997.

How Did Rishi Khosla Start His Career?

Before becoming a company founder, Khosla gained experience in banking, finance and investment.

His early professional work included positions at ABN AMRO and GE Capital. These roles helped him understand how banks, investment companies and financial markets operate.

He also worked with the investment activities of the Mittal family.

This early experience gave him useful knowledge about company research, financial risks, lending and investment decisions. However, his biggest career change came when he decided to build his own business.

Founding Copal Partners

In 2002, Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman founded Copal Partners.

Copal provided research and analytical services to financial institutions. Its clients included investment banks, private equity companies, hedge funds and other professional investors.

The company helped these organisations with work such as:

• Company research
• Industry analysis
• Financial modelling
• Credit research
• Business valuations
• Due diligence
• Market surveys

Copal began as a small business but later expanded into several international markets.

By the time Khosla and Perlman completed its sale, the company had grown to around 3,000 employees across 11 markets, according to OakNorth.

In November 2011, Moody’s Corporation announced that it had acquired a majority interest in Copal Partners. Moody’s described Khosla as Copal’s CEO and confirmed that the company provided research and analytical services to financial institutions around the world.

The founders completed the wider sale of Copal to Moody’s in 2014.

Why Did Rishi Khosla Start OakNorth?

The idea for OakNorth developed from a real financing problem.

While building Copal, Khosla and Perlman wanted to borrow money to support the company’s growth. Their business was profitable, but traditional lenders struggled to understand its future potential.

Many banks focused heavily on past accounts and physical assets.

Copal was different. Much of its value came from its employees, client relationships, knowledge and future growth. These strengths were more difficult to measure through traditional lending systems.

Khosla and Perlman believed that many other growing companies faced the same problem.

They decided to create a bank that could examine each business more carefully and make faster, more informed lending decisions.

When Was OakNorth Founded?

Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman launched OakNorth in 2015.

The company was created as a bank for entrepreneurs, built by entrepreneurs. Its aim was to help established businesses receive flexible financing for growth.

OakNorth uses technology and detailed credit analysis to understand how a company works.

Instead of looking only at its past performance, the bank can also examine:

• The company’s market
• Its management team
• Future growth plans
• Possible financial risks
• Competitors
• Business models
• Industry conditions
• Different financial scenarios

This process allows the bank to create financing that better matches the needs of an individual company.

What Does OakNorth Do?

OakNorth provides business loans, business banking and savings products.

Its lending work mainly supports lower mid-market companies. These are established businesses that are larger than very small companies but smaller than major international corporations.

They may need financing to:

• Open new locations
• Purchase another company
• Develop property
• Buy equipment
• Hire employees
• Launch new services
• Enter another market
• Refinance existing debt

OakNorth says it has provided billions in financing to businesses across the United Kingdom and the United States.

The company has worked with businesses in sectors including property, healthcare, education, hospitality and specialist finance.

How Did OakNorth Become Successful?

OakNorth entered a market where many business owners felt poorly served.

Traditional business loans can involve long application processes, general lending rules and limited contact with decision-makers.

OakNorth tried to improve this experience through a combination of human expertise and technology.

Its model was based on several important ideas.

Understand Each Business

Two companies operating in the same industry may have very different strengths and risks.

OakNorth examines individual businesses instead of treating every borrower in the same way.

Use Detailed Data

The company uses financial information, industry research and different business scenarios to understand possible outcomes.

This can help its teams make more informed lending decisions.

Make Decisions Faster

Growing businesses sometimes need to act quickly.

A long delay may cause a company to miss the chance to purchase property, acquire another business or enter a new market.

OakNorth aimed to create a faster and more direct process.

Focus on Growing Companies

The bank concentrates on businesses that often fall between small-business banking and large corporate finance.

This focus helped OakNorth build specialist knowledge in a part of the market that traditional banks did not always serve well.

Readers interested in other founders who simplified financial services can also explore the story of Romi Savova and the growth of PensionBee.

Rishi Khosla’s Major Career Milestones

1996: Graduated From University College London

Khosla completed a BSc in Economics at University College London.

1997: Completed His LSE Master’s Degree

He earned an MSc in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics.

2002: Founded Copal Partners

Khosla and Joel Perlman established a financial research and analytical services company.

2011: Moody’s Acquired a Majority Stake

Moody’s Corporation purchased a majority interest in Copal Partners.

2014: Completed the Sale of Copal

Khosla and Perlman completed the sale of their first major business to Moody’s.

2015: Launched OakNorth

The two founders introduced OakNorth as a bank focused on helping growing businesses.

2020: Received an OBE

Khosla was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire for services to business.

The honour was included in the official 2020 New Year Honours List.

2023 Onward: Expanded in the United States

OakNorth began increasing its lending activities in the US market while continuing to serve British businesses.

What Is Rishi Khosla Doing Now?

As of July 2026, Rishi Khosla remains OakNorth’s co-founder and Chief Executive Officer.

He is responsible for helping guide the company’s strategy, business growth and international development.

OakNorth’s official leadership page also lists him as a member of its executive committee and board.

His current work includes expanding the bank’s business lending activities, developing its technology and supporting entrepreneurs in the United Kingdom and United States.

Why Is Rishi Khosla Important in Financial Technology?

Khosla is important in financial technology because he helped apply modern data systems to an old banking problem.

Business lending has traditionally depended on historical accounts, security and standard financial models. These methods can be useful, but they may not fully explain the potential of a fast-growing company.

OakNorth added more detailed business and industry analysis to the lending process.

The goal was not to remove human bankers. It was to give them better information so they could understand each company more clearly.

This combination of banking experience, human judgement and technology became an important part of OakNorth’s identity.

Another relevant financial-technology story is Errol Damelin’s journey from company founder to technology investor.

Rishi Khosla’s Leadership Approach

Khosla’s career offers several clear business lessons.

Build From a Real Problem

OakNorth was created because Khosla and Perlman had personally experienced difficulty receiving suitable business financing.

Understanding a problem directly can help a founder design a more useful solution.

Learn From the First Company

The founders did not begin OakNorth without experience.

They had already spent more than a decade building Copal, managing employees, serving international clients and expanding into new markets.

The knowledge gained from Copal helped them understand the needs of growing companies.

Choose the Right Business Partner

Khosla and Perlman met while studying at LSE.

Their partnership continued through the creation, growth and sale of Copal and the launch of OakNorth.

Long-term business partnerships require clear responsibilities, shared goals and trust.

Focus on an Underserved Market

OakNorth did not try to offer every banking service to every type of customer.

It built specialist knowledge around growing businesses that often struggled to find suitable loans.

A clear market focus can help a company develop stronger skills and a more useful service.

Combine Technology With Human Knowledge

Technology can process large amounts of information, but business lending also requires professional judgement.

OakNorth’s model combines data analysis with the experience of lending teams.

Rishi Khosla’s OBE

Rishi Khosla received an OBE in the 2020 New Year Honours.

OBE means Officer of the Order of the British Empire. It is a British honour given to people who have made an important contribution in their professional field or community.

Khosla received the honour for services to business.

The award recognised his work as an entrepreneur and his role in creating companies that supported employment, financial services and business growth.

Supporting Future Entrepreneurs

Khosla has also been involved in projects that encourage entrepreneurship among younger people.

OakNorth developed a Mentorpreneurship programme in partnership with the London School of Economics and Founders4Schools.

The programme aims to provide students with:

• Business mentoring
• Career information
• Mathematics support
• Workplace experience
• Access to entrepreneurs
• Greater understanding of company building

OakNorth states that the programme aims to reach 100,000 secondary-school students, including 40,000 from disadvantaged backgrounds.

What Can Entrepreneurs Learn From Rishi Khosla?

Rishi Khosla’s career shows that a business problem can become an opportunity.

He and Joel Perlman faced difficulty when trying to finance Copal. Instead of treating that experience as only a setback, they studied the wider problem.

They realised that many other business owners faced similar difficulties.

Their response was to create a new company with a clearer approach to business lending.

Entrepreneurs can learn several lessons from this journey:

• Study problems that customers experience repeatedly.
• Build knowledge before entering a complex industry.
• Use technology to improve a real service.
• Choose a clear market instead of serving everyone.
• Work with people who have complementary skills.
• Learn from an earlier business before starting the next one.
• Make complicated services easier to understand.
• Develop systems that can support long-term growth.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who is Rishi Khosla?

Rishi Khosla is a British entrepreneur, investor and banking executive. He is best known as the co-founder and CEO of OakNorth.

What is Rishi Khosla famous for?

He is famous for co-founding OakNorth, a digital bank that provides financing and banking services to growing businesses.

Is Rishi Khosla still the CEO of OakNorth?

Yes. As of July 2026, OakNorth lists Rishi Khosla as its co-founder and Chief Executive Officer.

Who founded OakNorth?

OakNorth was founded by Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman.

When was OakNorth launched?

OakNorth launched in 2015.

What company did Rishi Khosla start before OakNorth?

Before OakNorth, he co-founded Copal Partners, a financial research and analytical services company.

What happened to Copal Partners?

Moody’s Corporation acquired a majority stake in Copal Partners in 2011. Khosla and Perlman later completed the sale of the business to Moody’s in 2014.

Where did Rishi Khosla study?

He studied Economics at University College London and later completed a master’s degree in Accounting and Finance at the London School of Economics.

Why did Rishi Khosla create OakNorth?

He helped create OakNorth after experiencing difficulties obtaining suitable growth financing for Copal Partners. He believed that other growing businesses faced the same problem.

Did Rishi Khosla receive an OBE?

Yes. He received an OBE for services to business in the 2020 New Year Honours.

What does OakNorth do?

OakNorth provides loans, banking services and savings products. Its business lending activities mainly support established companies that want to grow.

Conclusion

Rishi Khosla is best known for turning a financing problem into a new banking business.

After studying at University College London and the London School of Economics, he gained experience in banking and investment. He then co-founded Copal Partners with Joel Perlman in 2002.

The founders grew Copal into an international financial research company and later sold it to Moody’s.

Their experience of trying to finance that business helped inspire OakNorth. They launched the bank in 2015 to provide growing companies with faster, more flexible and better-informed lending.

As of July 2026, Khosla remains OakNorth’s co-founder and CEO.

His career shows how entrepreneurs can use personal experience, specialist knowledge and technology to solve a problem faced by many businesses.