Elaha
_
Gurgani
Elaha
_
Gurgani
I’m an Afghan immigrant, raised in the Middle East and moved to Australia six years ago. As one of five siblings, I learnt how to be resilient when moving homes (and countries) and become adaptable to new environments from a very young age. I’ve always suspected that my upbringing set the scene for my startup-focused career in their dynamic and fast-paced environment.
I’ve always been curious about everything and how the world around me works. Growing up, I wanted to be a scientist so that I could understand it all. I ended up earning a double degree in Finance and Management. This study allowed me to both gain insights into the psychology of people and how they behave at work, as well as the financial intricacies of running a company.
Even though I grew up fascinated with businesses, I didn’t fully realize the potential in the startup space until I did the Startmate student Fellowship during my final year at university. Through the fellowship, I stumbled upon like-minded, driven and kind peers who were going to do ambitious things in life. By the time I graduated, I came across an early-stage startup, Relevance AI – which I then went on to join in a BizOps role. It was around the same year that Earlywork community launched, and I got to see how a community grows from zero to thousands of members, both as their early member and community advisor.
Curating information and bringing people together are two things I love to do most. I feel deeply committed to creating the kind of startup ecosystem needed for it to thrive — one that is diverse, empathetic, and imaginative. I am driven to support the larger community of startups and investors in ANZ – which is one of the reasons I joined EVP. I really can’t imagine a more exciting time to be working in the rapidly growing and changing startup ecosystem.
Empathy, competence and humility are my core values. I don’t think you can grow up moving to different places and cultures without cultivating a deep sense of empathy for people’s stories and backgrounds. Being an immigrant, I was raised to value hard work, and since moving to Australia, I've been inspired to cultivate humility by seeing how humble others are despite their success and achievements.
I’m inspired a lot these days by two tech founders and investors; Reid Hoffman and Arianne Huffington. I admire Reid's curiosity and the philosophy of the way he cultivates friendships by being helpful. Arianne embraces her uniqueness as a female founder and puts a strong emphasis on work-life balance and wellness to lead more effectively. They teach me to play to my strengths in cultivating meaningful relationships with authenticity and curiosity.
When I’m not supporting ANZ’s startup ecosystem, I enjoy journaling, meditation, and reading self-help books. Ever since moving to Sydney last year, I've organised dinners and meetups to connect brilliant minds in tech and business. If you're an operator, founder or investor in the tech space, feel free to say hi!
I’m an Afghan immigrant, raised in the Middle East and moved to Australia six years ago. As one of five siblings, I learnt how to be resilient when moving homes (and countries) and become adaptable to new environments from a very young age. I’ve always suspected that my upbringing set the scene for my startup-focused career in their dynamic and fast-paced environment.
I’ve always been curious about everything and how the world around me works. Growing up, I wanted to be a scientist so that I could understand it all. I ended up earning a double degree in Finance and Management. This study allowed me to both gain insights into the psychology of people and how they behave at work, as well as the financial intricacies of running a company.
Even though I grew up fascinated with businesses, I didn’t fully realize the potential in the startup space until I did the Startmate student Fellowship during my final year at university. Through the fellowship, I stumbled upon like-minded, driven and kind peers who were going to do ambitious things in life. By the time I graduated, I came across an early-stage startup, Relevance AI – which I then went on to join in a BizOps role. It was around the same year that Earlywork community launched, and I got to see how a community grows from zero to thousands of members, both as their early member and community advisor.
Curating information and bringing people together are two things I love to do most. I feel deeply committed to creating the kind of startup ecosystem needed for it to thrive — one that is diverse, empathetic, and imaginative. I am driven to support the larger community of startups and investors in ANZ – which is one of the reasons I joined EVP. I really can’t imagine a more exciting time to be working in the rapidly growing and changing startup ecosystem.
Empathy, competence and humility are my core values. I don’t think you can grow up moving to different places and cultures without cultivating a deep sense of empathy for people’s stories and backgrounds. Being an immigrant, I was raised to value hard work, and since moving to Australia, I've been inspired to cultivate humility by seeing how humble others are despite their success and achievements.
I’m inspired a lot these days by two tech founders and investors; Reid Hoffman and Arianne Huffington. I admire Reid's curiosity and the philosophy of the way he cultivates friendships by being helpful. Arianne embraces her uniqueness as a female founder and puts a strong emphasis on work-life balance and wellness to lead more effectively. They teach me to play to my strengths in cultivating meaningful relationships with authenticity and curiosity.
When I’m not supporting ANZ’s startup ecosystem, I enjoy journaling, meditation, and reading self-help books. Ever since moving to Sydney last year, I've organised dinners and meetups to connect brilliant minds in tech and business. If you're an operator, founder or investor in the tech space, feel free to say hi!
