At 13, Bekhzod Khoshimov was no ordinary schoolboy. Balancing precariously on his bicycle, he navigated the streets of Tashkent, Uzbekistan, with a unique business plan. His cargo? Wholesale cooking oil, which he would carefully transport to local retailers, offering them a flexible payment system that solved their cash flow challenges.     

This early entrepreneurial venture emerged from a complex backdrop. Uzbekistan, a former Soviet country, had decriminalized entrepreneurship only a decade earlier - an act that was considered a serious offense before the country was granted independence in 1991. Growing up in this transformative environment, Bekhzod witnessed firsthand how owning a business could dramatically improve people's lives.     

“My dad and uncle were in business, and I interacted with entrepreneurs quite frequently while growing up, which shaped how I think,” says Khoshimov. “My experience with entrepreneurship was like a phenomenon, and it definitely started early.”    

As Khoshimov’s interest grew, so did his concern about the economic disparities between countries. This unease deepened during his bachelor’s degree in Applied Mathematics studies at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

“I spent quite a bit of time in Southeast Asia, and you could fly for two hours in any direction and see how opportunities differ for neighboring people who are so geographically close but economically worlds apart. I wanted to know what caused that disparity.”    

Khoshimov moved to the US from Singapore, earning a master’s degree in Economics and a PhD in Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Now, as an Assistant Professor of Business, Organizations, and Society at NYU Abu Dhabi, his research focuses on analyzing communication methods and biases in entrepreneurial funding.    

"My research aims to uncover the hidden communication biases that can unfairly restrict entrepreneurial funding," he says. "By understanding how investors make decisions, we can create more equitable pathways that recognize talent regardless of background. The goal isn't just academic—it's about ensuring that promising entrepreneurs aren't overlooked simply because they don't communicate in a way investors expect."

For Khoshimov, who spent a portion of his school days in Dubai, arriving in Abu Dhabi felt like a “homecoming” and also offered a fascinating case study for entrepreneurship.    

“The rise of the UAE has to do a lot with the way that entrepreneurs are given opportunities to pursue their businesses without interference,” he says. “The diversification from oil also means that a significant portion of the GDP is now generated by entrepreneurship."  

As the UAE corporate landscape continues to grow, Khoshimov sees the region as a critical player in shaping the future of global entrepreneurship.  

“Entrepreneurship is not just about starting a business; it's about unlocking potential, overcoming challenges, and turning bold ideas into impactful realities,” he says. “I hope I can guide the next generation of innovators on that journey.”