Ishraq Khan was already launching his second tech startup as his high school graduation approached. Though the young Orlando-based entrepreneur applied to colleges across the U.S., he wasn’t sure where higher education fit into his plans as he scaled up a global AI enterprise. UF Online allowed him to maintain his company’s momentum while pursuing a degree in business administration.
“After being admitted to UF in 2022, I realized I wanted an academic education alongside building my company,” Khan said. “That decision led me to apply for UF Online in 2023, which gave me the flexibility to fully pursue both paths.”
Khan will receive his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in December 2025, a degree that he earned while maintaining his role as CEO and co-founder of Kodezi, an AI platform that helps companies improve code quality and efficiency.
“It’s been tremendously helpful from a standpoint of [where] I would learn things in the business classes or the finance classes, and then I would show up to investor meetings, and I would realize, ‘Oh, I’m learning in real time from a real standpoint,’” he said.
UF Online Student Scales a Global AI-Focused Company While Completing Business Degree
Building a Company from Scratch
Khan traces his love of tinkering and problem-solving to his childhood in Bangladesh, where curiosity sparked his early experiments. As a child, he dismantled remote-controlled cars with screwdrivers to see how they worked, then tried to design his own versions. His fascination with mechanics evolved into a passion for creating practical solutions. When his family moved to Orlando when he was eight, Khan taught himself English and found new ways to channel his curiosity through technology.
“I really started learning how to code from watching YouTube videos,” he said. “I really fell in love with programming ever since.”
In middle school, he developed a platform called TeachMeCode, a peer-learning tool for students to share and teach coding concepts with one another. By his junior year of high school, Khan began developing what would become Kodezi, transforming his early coding experiments into a formal company that would help businesses and users improve and debug code.
He officially incorporated the business in November 2021 and spent the following year refining prototypes, engaging early users and preparing to enter a broader market. What started as a student project quickly scaled into an international operation that employed five engineers in San Francisco and more than 20 employees in Asia and Europe as of fall 2025, according to Khan.
Learning and Leading at the Same Time
UF Online gave Khan the flexibility to grow his company while earning his degree, letting him tackle a full course load without slowing down Kodezi’s daily operations. “I’ve been taking four or five classes every semester,” Khan said. “There’s this mix of real-world learning and academic structure happening at the same time.” This combination of coursework and hands-on business leadership became a constant source of growth, with lessons from his classes often immediately applying to his real-world challenges as a business founder.
The diverse backgrounds of his UF Online classmates enriched Khan’s academic experience. “Some of my classmates are professionals with decades of experience; others are just starting out,” he said. “It’s interesting to see so many perspectives come together. I learn just as much from them as I do from the coursework.”
Balancing travel, coursework and running a company stretched Khan. He learned the hard way that multitasking had its limits. “I opened my first exam on an airplane because I thought I could do it on an airplane while I was flying,” he said. “I realized that was a horrible idea and had to retake it.” Time management became an essential skill, and Khan credits a rigorous program at Seminole High School for preparing him to manage it all. “Being in IB [International Baccalaureate] in high school taught me the best time management skills,” he said.
Kodezi co-founder and former chief operating officer Mike Walsh credits Khan’s success to his prioritization and time management skills.
“I was impressed by Ishraq’s vision and his ability to get stuff done… He’s accomplished quite a bit at a very young age all through his own motivation and initiative,” Walsh said.
Turning Milestones into Momentum
As his UF graduation approached, Khan reflected on his journey from a curious student experimenting with code to the CEO of a global company. Growing up, his family instilled in him a deep appreciation for education, a value that motivated him every day as he balanced completing his UF bachelor’s degree with leading Kodezi.
On the business front, Khan remains focused on expanding Kodezi’s reach and capabilities. “Right now, we’re mainly targeting B2B, so we’re business-to-business, really focused on enterprises,” he said. The company continues to evolve alongside the rapid growth of AI and automation tools.
Looking ahead, he hopes to continue juggling practical innovation with academic growth. “If I want to pursue higher education from an MBA perspective, I can do that if I want to,” he said.
Earn a Business Administration Degree for Your Career
The University of Florida’s online Business Administration degree program prepares students for the growing business world. With the option to earn either a Bachelor of Science (BSBA) or Bachelor of Arts (BABA) in Business Administration, UF students can earn a nationally-ranked degree at an affordable cost. We are the No. 1 online business bachelor’s degree program in 2025 by U.S. News & World Report. Courses taught by faculty from the Warrington College of Business prepare students for career paths in finance, marketing, human resources, and more. Learn more about the program below.