Rishi Khosla OBE
Summary
Rishi Khosla is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, and investor. He is the CEO and co-founder of leading financial technology company, OakNorth, which is focused on helping SMEs scale.
This vision led Rishi to build his first business, Copal Partners (which later became Copal Amba) in 2002 with his business partner, Joel Perlman. Together, they grew the business to 3,000 employees across 11 markets, before selling it to Moody’s Corporation in 2014.
In 2015, they launched OakNorth with the aim of empowering high-growth businesses struggling to access fast, flexible finance, what OakNorth calls the ‘Missing Middle’. OakNorth developed ON Credit Intelligence to transform commercial banking, making it more granular, data-driven and forward-looking. The neobank, which began as an entrepreneurial vision, has supported the creation of tens of thousands of new jobs across the UK, and is helping tackle the UK’s housing crisis through supporting the development of tens of thousands of new social and affordable homes.
Rishi promotes the culture of entrepreneurship through his involvement in initiatives such as a ‘Mentorpreneurship’ Programme, in partnership with the London School of Economics.
Through his family foundation, Rishi and Milan Khosla Foundation, he supports work to nurture agency, creativity, and curiosity in early childhood development that will enable people to unleash their potential later in life, as well as supporting medical research into rare diseases, and initiatives which support female empowerment.
Rishi is an early-stage investor in Paypal and Indiabulls, with other investments including About Energy (battery technology), Spiracheck (biotech), and Xometry (3D printing and manufacturing).
Biography
Rishi was educated at Merchant Taylors' School (1987-1992) and holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from University College London, and a Master's in Accounting & Finance from the London School of Economics, where he was awarded a scholarship by the Economic and Social Research Council.
After leaving the LSE, he started his career in banking at ABN Amro, before joining GE Capital’s London-based business development group in 1999. Here he focused on mergers and acquisitions. During his tenure, he established an early-stage tech venture fund for GE Capital, which he co-managed. He subsequently joined the family office of steel baron Lakshmi Mittal, the current president and CEO of ArcelorMittal, to manage their venture capital and private equity investments.
Rishi was one of the co-founders of Copal Amba along with his LSE classmate Joel Perlman. Copal Amba was an outsourced research company for investment banks, which was acquired by Moody's Corporation in 2014. In mid-2008, Copal Amba was ranked the Number One Investment Research and Analytics KPO in Brown and Wilson Group's annual 'Black Book of Outsourcing 2008'.
Rishi and Joel have since founded OakNorth Holdings, a fintech firm focused on unlocking the potential in bespoke SME lending globally using its data and technology platform, OakNorth.
OakNorth Holdings has attracted over $1bn from several investors, including Clermont Group, Coltrane, EDBI of Singapore, GIC, Indiabulls, NIBC, Toscafund, and SoftBank Vision Fund. In its most recent round in February 2019 led by SoftBank Vision Fund, it was valued at $2.8bn.
Vision
Rishi believes that entrepreneurs are the real drivers of innovation, social progress, and economic growth, and that everyone can prosper by adopting an entrepreneurial mindset.
Rishi Khosla envisions a world where bespoke SME lending is unlocked globally through the power of data and technology. With a strong educational background in economics and finance, Rishi's vision is centered around leveraging innovative solutions to empower small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to reach their full potential.
Having co-founded OakNorth Holdings, Rishi aims to revolutionize the financial landscape by providing tailored lending solutions that cater to the unique needs of SMEs. Through the company's data and technology platform, OakNorth, he envisions a future where businesses can access the capital they require to thrive and expand.
Recognition and Awards
References
- Rishi Khosla Speaker Profile l World Economic Forum
- Rishi Khosla profile l EverybodyWiki
- Rishi Khosla: Those Who Think Young l Entrepreneur India
- The man who built a unicorn: an interview with Rishi Khosla l Business Leader
- About The Founder l Rishi and Milan Khosla Foundation
- Rishi Khosla profile l Bloomberg
- How Lakshmi Mittal's teachings helped Rishi Khosla build a billion-dollar business l The Economic Times Panache
- What excites me most is that we have a profitable unicorn: Rishi Khosla l Forbes India
- How OakNorth’s stingy strategy made it profitable in six months l Wired
- 6 Indian billionaires, who're the newest additions to Hurun India Rich List 2020 l GQ India
- Rishi Khosla Profile l MarketScreener
- Ex-Mittal adviser Rishi Khosla opens UK bank with Wadhwani, Turner help l LiveMint
- Rishi Khosla OBE, Co-Founder and CEO of OakNorth, London, UK l The Marque
- Rishi Khosla, Copal Partners: The New Delhi pioneers on Wall Street l EuroMoney
- Rishi Khosla has won Ernst & Young’s prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year Award for London and The South l Acuity Knowledge Partners
- Secrets of my success: Rishi Khosla, chief executive of OakNorth Bank l Evening Standard
- Rishi Khosla, CEO - on OakNorth's deep roots and big ambitions l 11 FS
- Rishi Khosla l Innovate Finance
- OakNorth chief Rishi Khosla interview l This is Money
- Biography of Rishi Khosla l The Official Board
- Tory donor's digital bank OakNorth hires Goldman to land new funding l Sky News
- OakNorth CEO Rishi Khosla OBE, Pioneer of Challenger Banking l The Ice
- CEO and Co-Founder l Altfi
- SoftBank-backed OakNorth leans towards U.S. IPO in overseas push l Reuters
- Rishi Khosla l Crunchbase
- Rishi Khosla OBE l Filecoin
- About Rishi Khosla l Fintech Finance News
- Behind the Idea: OakNorth l Fintech Times
- Founders Circle l British Asian Trust
- E2E Unfiltered with IWG plc l e2exchange
- HAYSTO RECEIVES INVESTMENT FROM RISHI KHOSLA AND STEVE GARNETT l Haysto
- New entrants on Hurun India Rich List 2020 l Business Insider India
- ‘The best time to start a business is now’: Rishi Khosla OBE (Co-Founder and CEO of OakNorth) l UCL Fintech Society
- Rishi Khosla l WikiData
- OakNorth CEO Rishi Khosla OBE, Pioneer of Challenger Banking l Inside The Ice House Apple Podcast
- Rishi Khosla l Owl Tail
- Unfiltered' with IWG plc: Rishi Khosla OBE, Co-Founder of OakNorth Bank l E2E
- Merchant Taylor's: Producing gentlemen since 1561 l Merchant Taylor's School
- Expert Panel at The Great Big Indian Money Show l iGlobal
- Rishi Khosla: The youth who think l Crast.net
- Leon secures £19 funding towards expansion l Big Hospitality
- Brasserie Bar Co secures £20m finance deal to open 24 new sites l The Caterer
- Meal kits and online shop help Ottolenghi improve margins l The Caterer
- It's terrifying but we had to do it, say Deliciously Ella founders l The Times
- Challenger bank Oaknorth loans a further £7.3m to Z Hotels for new London sites in Covent Garden, Holborn and Tottenham Court Road l City AM
- OakNorth Bank completes £50m loan to Arora Group l Business Leader
- Staycity takes loan with OakNorth and opens its largest property in Europe l Serviced Apartment News
- Inception Group secures OakNorth funding for three new bars l Specialist Banking
- OakNorth mobile banking l Apple
- MoneyComms Top Performers 2020 l MoneyComms
- Moneyfacts Award Winners 2020 l Moneyfacts