In an era where founders across emerging markets continue to battle fundraising biases and limited access to global capital, a new force is reshaping the landscape. UAE Times sat down with the visionary behind Gulf Bridge Venture Partners (GBVP), Priscilla Elora Sharuk a leader who transformed her own entrepreneurial journey into a mission to empower founders worldwide. From building and exiting a tech startup to launching a global fundraising support platform, she is redefining what true founder-first support looks like. In this exclusive interview, she shares her motivations, lessons, and the evolving future of the fundraising ecosystem.
What motivated you to embark on a career in your industry?
I became an entrepreneur early, built MYKI (a password management platform), and lived the entire founder journey from the chaos to the acquisition. After exiting, I realized how rare it is for founders to have someone truly in their corner during fundraising, someone who understands both the emotional and strategic weight of it. That’s what pulled me into this industry: the ability to turn my experience into support, clarity, and real outcomes for founders who deserve a fair shot, that is what led to the creation of Gulf Bridge Venture Partners (GBVP).
What role does Gulf Bridge Venture Partners (GBVP) play in supporting global founders?
Gulf Bridge Venture Partners (GBVP) exists to level the fundraising playing field for founders everywhere, especially those outside the traditional power hubs. We act as a strategic partner from end to end: shaping the fundraise narrative, preparing materials, positioning founders for investor readiness, and opening doors to a global network of capital they otherwise wouldn’t access. Our mission is simple: give great founders the clarity, confidence, and connections they need to raise successfully, no matter where their story starts.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My days are a mix of working closely with founders on their fundraising strategy, refining their story, shaping their investor materials, and activating our global network. I’m constantly toggling between coaching, structuring deals, and taking investor calls, essentially being the bridge that gets great founders in front of the right capital.
How is your industry evolving, and what trends do you foresee?
Fundraising is becoming far more data-driven, global, and relationship-based than ever before. Investors now expect sharper narratives, clearer traction signals, and stronger founder-market fit. I see the industry moving toward more transparency, more specialized capital, and more founders raising from outside their home markets, especially in regions like the GCC where global investor appetite is growing.
What challenges have you overcome, and how?
As a founder, I had to learn fundraising the hard way, navigating rejection, educating investors on a category that barely existed, and building trust in uncharted territory. Those challenges made me disciplined, resilient, and resourceful. They also shaped the way I support founders now: I know exactly what the process demands, and I’ve built systems that help them avoid the setbacks I faced.
Can you share any pivotal career moments?
The acquisition of MYKI was a major turning point, it validated years of grit and gave me the confidence to dedicate myself to helping founders. Another pivotal moment was building Gulf Bridge Venture Partners (GBVP) and realizing how deeply impactful we could be in shaping successful raises, especially for under-networked but high-potential founders.
How do you define your leadership style?
My leadership style is direct, supportive, and execution-oriented. I set a high bar because I want founders to win, but I pair that with a lot of empathy and clarity. I believe in empowering people with the right tools and frameworks so they can make strong decisions independently.
Is your organization leveraging AI or other emerging technologies?
AI plays a role in how we streamline materials, analyze investor fit, and enhance founder readiness at Gulf Bridge Venture Partners (GBVP). It helps us move faster, personalize insights, and spend more human time on the parts that matter most: strategy, investor psychology, and storytelling.
What are your long-term goals for your career or business?
Long term, I want to continue scaling Gulf Bridge Venture Partners (GBVP) into a global fundraising partner that transforms how founders raise capital. Personally, my goal is to stay close to founders, deepen my impact across ecosystems, and keep building platforms that make entrepreneurship more accessible and successful — no matter where a founder is based.
What is one piece of advice you’d give to anyone pursuing big goals?
Don’t wait to feel ready. Start, iterate fast, and let progress be the force that sharpens your direction.
As the global startup ecosystem expands beyond traditional borders, leaders like those behind GBVP are proving that innovation and ambition know no geography. Through strategic guidance and a founder-first approach, Priscilla Elora Sharuk is helping reshape how entrepreneurs access capital, and how they tell their stories.
With a vision grounded in experience, empathy, and global perspective, Priscilla Elora Sharuk continues to influence the next generation of founders striving to turn bold ideas into transformative realities.
