This as-told-to narrative originates from an extended conversation with Mahmoud Ashraf Mahmoud Mohamed—better known by his professional moniker, Komy A.—a 22-year-old entrepreneur who represents a new wave of young, globally minded innovators. At the time of the conversation, he was completing his final undergraduate year at the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity. The following account, carefully revised for length and lucidity, retains his words and experiences as faithfully as possible. Business Insider has verified both Mahmoud’s academic background and his professional record.

While immersed in his degree program in cybersecurity, Mahmoud simultaneously began professional work in 2023 with a UK-based firm specializing in the development of sophisticated software solutions. This position offered him firsthand exposure to technological innovation and the growing influence of artificial intelligence across the digital landscape. When OpenAI released its groundbreaking AI models, Mahmoud swiftly recognized the potential to incorporate such technology into his own software projects. Experimenting with integration, he used AI to automate portions of his professional duties, crafting tools that could perform repetitive or procedural tasks with remarkable efficiency. Over time, his experimentation matured into a cohesive AI-driven architecture—an autonomous system of interlinked digital agents—capable of simultaneously managing workflows for as many as four separate clients. The promise contained within that automation struck him immediately: it was powerful, scalable, and filled with possibility. Energized by that realization, Mahmoud made the courageous choice to leave his position and channel his efforts fully into building an enterprise centered on AI automation. That decision gave birth to Genta AI, the startup he officially established in November 2024.

Genta AI grew quickly, faster in fact than Mahmoud had initially anticipated. To strengthen its capabilities, he recruited an accomplished team that included professionals with more than a decade of experience in software development—an impressive feat for a venture founded by a university student still juggling coursework. Yet the excitement of growth came with emotional and logistical challenges. Mahmoud reflected that although he had worked throughout his academic life, founding a company revealed an entirely different magnitude of responsibility. The demands of entrepreneurship soon began to eclipse nearly every other aspect of his university existence. His days became punctuated by back-to-back meetings, development sprints, and strategic planning sessions, leaving little space for formal study or leisure. Friends, mentors, and relatives urged him to decelerate, to focus on completing his degree before immersing himself fully in business—but Mahmoud found that impossible. His commitment to Genta had become the central axis around which his entire routine revolved.

As he entered the final stage of his studies, Mahmoud admitted that anxiety about the future often intruded. With Genta expanding at a rapid pace, he foresaw that his academic obligations and professional pursuits would increasingly collide. The notion of leaving university sometimes crossed his mind; however, despite the temptation, he had no desire to abandon his degree. Nevertheless, he acknowledged that the lifestyle of a student-founder inherently required sacrifices. There were moments of melancholy, born from the recognition that he was relinquishing many of the traditional joys associated with student life—socializing, attending events, forming new friendships, and participating in the vibrant university community surrounding him. Gradually, his absence from campus groups, events, and recreational activities created a quiet distance between him and the typical collegiate experience. The realization of that gap often carried the sting of loneliness: while his peers lived what seemed to be the archetypical youth of study and camaraderie, his reality revolved around management dashboards, client calls, and AI implementation cycles.

A typical day in Mahmoud’s dual existence illustrated the relentlessness of that commitment. He began most mornings around eight o’clock, immediately immersing himself in messages, emails, and updates on Slack before commuting to the university. Classes served largely a procedural purpose: he attended primarily to satisfy attendance requirements, often working unobtrusively on projects during lectures. Despite attempts to avoid business meetings during class hours, overlaps were inevitable, compelling him occasionally to leave partway through sessions—or even to skip them altogether. Each afternoon, once classes concluded, he relocated to a coworking space or café, where he continued long stretches of collaboration and operational management, typically until seven or eight in the evening. Upon returning home, his obligations hardly ceased. Because several of Genta’s clients were based in the United States, Mahmoud dedicated the late-night hours—sometimes extending past one or two in the morning—to coordinating with them across time zones. Weekends, though conceptually reserved for rest, often became his most intensive periods for developing internal processes and refining Genta’s product strategies. Only on rare Sundays did he permit himself a respite: short bike rides beyond the city limits, brief swims, or precious hours catching up with friends and family served as reminders of the life outside constant productivity. After nearly a year of this demanding rhythm, he acknowledged that it had been far from easy. Yet, paradoxically, he confessed an affection for the structure it imposed and the sense of purpose it continually reinforced.

Mahmoud also reflected deeply on the broader notion of age as a factor in entrepreneurship. He dismissed the idea that youth should ever constitute a legitimate barrier to founding a company but conceded that it frequently complicated professional interactions. In dealings with large clients, his youth—and the comparatively recent establishment of his firm—sometimes provoked doubt or hesitation. There were instances, he explained, in which clients withheld contracts despite his evident capability, concerned predominantly by the combination of his limited years and the fledgling status of his company. Yet, in the rapidly advancing field of technology, and particularly within the domain of artificial intelligence, he believed the ability to adapt, iterate, and learn quickly mattered far more than chronological seniority. Those qualities, he argued, often flourished most naturally among younger generations.

Nonetheless, his experience revealed the less generous side of such perceptions. Some potential clients attempted to exploit his youth, assuming his inexperience translated into financial or professional vulnerability. They would request additional work without compensation or try to negotiate rates far below reasonable value, dismissing the effort as a negligible risk given his age. Mahmoud regarded such behavior as both condescending and unethical, and he sought to counter it by grounding all interactions in measurable outcomes—demonstrating clear returns on investment through quality and execution. With time, his results commanded respect; clients who initially underestimated him often became loyal advocates once the evidence of his competence became irrefutable.

Despite his progress as a founder, Mahmoud remained candid about his continuing learning curve, especially regarding leadership. Managing a distributed team of sixteen individuals across multiple countries introduced an entirely new set of challenges, from communication barriers to cultural differences. He aspired to cultivate an atmosphere defined by approachability and mutual respect, deliberately avoiding the pitfalls of oppressive supervision. Micromanagement, in his view, stifled creativity and trust. Even so, he maintained high expectations, striving to strike a balance between empathy and accountability. Each new experience—every successful launch or internal misstep—reinforced for him how much more there was to master, not only technically but also interpersonally.

Reflecting on what his journey might mean for other university students, Mahmoud delivered a simple yet powerful message: never wait for perfect circumstances. Too many aspiring innovators, he believed, postponed starting because they imagined they needed greater preparation or comprehensive knowledge. In his perspective, action is the true teacher. Begin now; understanding will follow. Experience, iteration, and persistence forge capability far more effectively than hesitation ever could. This conviction became his guiding philosophy—and perhaps the clearest encapsulation of what it means to build something meaningful at twenty-two while the world, quite literally, is still being coded around you.

If you are a young founder navigating similar challenges at the intersection of academia and technology, Mahmoud’s story stands as an invitation to share your own. Those interested can reach out to the reporter at cmlee@insider.com or through Signal at @cmlee.81.

Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/young-university-ai-founder-startup-losing-student-life-komy-genta-2025-11