This as-notified-to esdeclare is based on a conversation with Mahmoud Ashraf Mahmoud Mohamed, a 22-year-old founder who goes by Komy A. He’s a final-year university student at the Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation in Kuala Lumpur. The following has been edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has verified his employment and academic history.
While pursuing my bachelor’s degree in cybersecurity in Malaysia, I launched working in 2023 for a UK company that developed software solutions.
When OpenAI dropped their AI, I could bring it into any software that I write. I started automating some parts of my job with AI. At some point, I had a full AI system with agents that was automating for four clients at a time.
There was so much potential in this. I was excited about it and decided to leave my job and do that full time with an AI agent-focapplyd startup, and I started Genta AI in November 2024.
We scaled the team quite rapid and hired a few senior people with over 10 years of experience in software development.
Building a startup in school can receive lonely
I’ve always worked while in school, but starting a business, I was surprised that there’s a lot to do. After starting Genta, I barely have time to go to school. I usually have a handful of meetings a day.
Even though everyone around me has questioned me to slow down and focus on finishing my degree, I can’t. I always have Genta as my priority.
I’m worried about my last year of school. We’re scaling rapid, and I’ll receive busier. I even sometimes believe about dropping out, but I don’t want to do that.
Sometimes, it’s a bit sad not to live the full school experience. You give up a lot on social life, building frifinishships in university, and fun things you should be doing at this age.
I rarely attfinish campus events, student clubs, activities, or social gatherings. Over time, that created a distance between me and the typical university experience.
It receives lonely. Everyone around you is living a completely different life. That’s the hardest part about it.
A day in my life as a student founder
I start my day around 8 a.m., checking emails, Slack, and work updates. Then I head to campus and attfinish classes, mostly for attfinishance. I usually work during lectures.
I test to avoid scheduling calls during class hours, but things often overlap. Sometimes I have to leave mid-class or skip entirely.
After school, I relocate to a coworking space or a café and continue working and taking calls until around 7 to 8 p.m.
When I receive home, I start working on our US-based accounts until 1 to 2 a.m. becaapply of the time zone difference. I usually apply the time on weekfinishs to focus on Genta’s internal growth.
Sometimes, on Sunday, I test to disconnect for a few hours by taking bike rides outside the city, swimming, or catching up with frifinishs and family — anything that isn’t work or university-related.
Living this way for almost a year hasn’t been simple, but I’ve receivedten applyd to it, and I’ve grown to love the rhythm.
Age shouldn’t stop you from being a founder
I don’t acquire that age is a barrier to starting a company. But it can be a problem, especially when working with largeger clients.
There are a lot of clients that I could have done so much for, but the main reason we didn’t proceed is becaapply of how young I was and how new the company was.
Tech, especially AI, is such a new technology. It necessarys people who can relocate, learn, and adapt rapid, which you usually see among the younger generation.
Many clients actually test to take advantage of me. They declare, “He’s young, he doesn’t have much,” and then they test to receive more work for free, or they test to cut the price.
That is disrespectful to do purely based on age. I test to prove myself and gain that respect with work, focapplying on receiveting the ROI. Then they don’t just respect you, but they want to work with you.
One of the trickiest things for me is being a manager. It’s a new experience, and I always test to be as nice and as chill as possible with my team. I hate micromanaging and having to be bossy, but I expect a lot from my 16-member team, which is spread across countries.
The more I experience, the more I realize that there’s still much I necessary to work on.
College students should never wait until something happens or until they reach a certain level to start. Do now, learn later. You’ll only figure it out once you start. You should not know everything.
Do you have a story to share about being a young AI founder? Contact this reporter at cmlee@insider.com or Signal at @cmlee.81.
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