OakNorth and LSE: Building futures together
OakNorth Bank recently marked five years of partnership with LSE, celebrating its long-standing support for student entrepreneurship and social impact. At a special campus event, LSE President and Vice Chancellor Professor Larry Kramer presented alumnus and OakNorth founder Rishi Khosla (MSc Accounting and Finance 1997) with a commemorative Fabian Window plaque, recognising the bank’s philanthropic contribution and long-term collaboration with the School.
The plaque, inspired by a stained-glass window designed by LSE founder George Bernard Shaw in 1910, symbolises the values of the Fabian Society and its historic ties to LSE. The original window, gifted to the School in 2006, is housed in the Shaw Library.
OakNorth’s name was also added to the LSE Benefactors Board, which honours individuals and organisations that have donated over £1 million to the School.
Founded in 2015 by LSE alumni Rishi Khosla and Joel Perlman, OakNorth was born out of a desire to connect ambitious entrepreneurs with the banking tools and technology they need to scale their businesses and make data-driven decisions.
Since 2020, OakNorth has partnered with LSE Generate to deliver the Schools Programme (also known as the Mentorpreneurship Programme), which challenges and inspires school students to develop socially conscious ventures. This initiative combines mentorship, hands-on learning in bootcamps, and real-world impact to foster entrepreneurial thinking.
Five years ago, when we partnered with LSE Generate to launch the Mentorpreneurship Programme, our shared vision was simple but ambitious - to help young people develop the entrepreneurial skills, confidence, and curiosity to shape a better future for themselves and their communities. Since then, more than 11,000 students across over 120 schools have taken part, with almost half coming from low-income or ethnic minority backgrounds. Seeing students go from initial ideas to launching social enterprises, pitching to panels, and building solutions with real-world impact has been incredibly inspiring.
Some of those inspiring bootcamp students were on hand in the GenDen, the home of LSE Generate, to share their ideas with Rishi and hear from him about his entrepreneurship journey. They were also joined by LJ Silverman, Head of LSE Generate, and Chardee Ezadkhasty, LSE alumna, entrepreneur and founder of Persian Kitchen. What followed was an inspiring discussion about the essence of entrepreneurship and the key ingredients for success. Rishi encouraged them to be committed to their idea, to learn when things go wrong, to have a growth mindset and to stick with it.
OakNorth also announced a renewed commitment to LSE, pledging an additional £1 million over the next five years to expand its support for student-led innovation. The funding will help scale the Schools Programme, enabling it to reach thousands more students, giving them the opportunity and tools to not only learn about business, but also to learn how to lead, collaborate and create change.
As we look to the next five years, we’re excited to expand this reach even further, empowering the next generation of changemakers to innovate with empathy and purpose, and helping them see that no matter their background, their ideas can make a lasting difference.
This partnership goes far beyond a standard funding arrangement. As LJ explains, it has helped spark a movement of socially conscious innovators who are ready to shape the future. With the help of OakNorth, LSE Generate continues to equip students and alumni with the skills, confidence and networks to build purpose-driven businesses and drive innovation across the UK and beyond.
OakNorth’s funding, vision, and network have empowered us to totally reimagine entrepreneurship at LSE and beyond. With their support, we’ve created a space where thousands of students from all disciplines and backgrounds can experiment, collaborate, and innovate with purpose. By connecting them to our incredible LSE founder-mentors, OakNorth has helped us design new avenues for students to address the most pressing issues of our age from climate resilience to digital inclusion while importantly building the confidence and capability to bring their ideas to life.
If you work for a business that is keen to make an impact through a partnership with LSE, please contact Charlotte Rossan.
