Monthly Newsletter | February 2026 : A Month of Momentum: Execution, Experimentation, and Responsible Scaling

A Month of Momentum: Execution, Experimentation, and Responsible Scaling

February has been one of the most active months yet across the PrimeStart Capital ecosystem. Across four weeks of founder conversations, portfolio milestones, ecosystem events, and media recognition, one message has remained constant: momentum is built through cadence, not intensity.

This monthly recap brings together the full picture — from long-form podcast episodes and real-world experiments to clinical trial completions and platform launches. It reflects how PrimeStart Capital operates day to day: close to founders, embedded with operators, and focused on building long-term, defensible businesses across health, wellbeing, and essential services.

Inside the Founder’s Mind — February Episodes

This month, PrimeStart Partner Suleman Sacranie recorded and released four high-signal conversations with founders, operators, and investors. Each brought a distinct lens to the shared themes of execution, conviction, and long-term value creation.

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Nic Brisbourne — Partner, Molten Ventures

The conversation drew on Nic’s journey from co-founding Forward Partners to helping shape Molten Ventures into one of Europe’s leading publicly listed venture firms. Rather than focusing on short-term market cycles, the discussion centred on long-term conviction, judgement under pressure, and what genuinely differentiated founder support looks like in practice. A recurring theme was clear: the best investors don’t just allocate capital — they build frameworks and cultures that help founders make better decisions over time.

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Lord Leigh (Howard Leigh) — Co-Founder, Cavendish Corporate Finance

Lord Leigh shared what founders actually need to build long-term capital value: understanding risk rather than avoiding it, knowing what not to do, and why sustained pressure on policy — particularly around capital gains tax — matters for the UK’s entrepreneurial ecosystem.

🎧 Watch the full episode → primestart.capital/videos/lord-leigh

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Tony Lit MBE — Managing Director, Sunrise Radio

Tony shared what it takes to keep a legacy media brand relevant, profitable, and trusted — from Sunrise’s deep community roots to how modern distribution across TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify is reshaping attention and discovery. The core lesson: legacy is only powerful if it adapts. Trust doesn’t transfer automatically across generations or platforms — it has to be rebuilt.

🎧 Watch the full episode → primestart.capital/videos/tony-lit

🎬 Watch the trailer → primestart.capital/videos/radio-ai-discovery

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Felix Danczak — Pembroke VCT

Felix’s perspective centred on practical growth systems — not one-off initiatives, but a repeatable operating rhythm that helps teams learn quickly and compound results. The conversation explored the importance of weekly testing, clearer journeys from attention to conversion, and staying close to what the market is telling you — then executing with focus over 90-day cycles.

Felix’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/felix-danczak

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Gemma Bloemen — Systemiq Capital

Gemma shared a grounded view of scaling responsibly — balancing ambition with commercial clarity, focus, and the discipline required to build credibility over time. The conversation reinforced how strong operators keep execution tight, remain close to outcomes, and build trust through consistency — even as the wider market shifts.

Gemma’s LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/gemmabloemen

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Portfolio in Motion — Milestones and Execution

Gene Fuel — Phase 1 Trials Completed; Phase 2 Underway

Gene Fuel, PrimeStart’s longevity and precision health portfolio company, completed Phase 1 trials this month — a major milestone. Blood testing partnerships have been secured, at-home DNA collection and lab testing infrastructure is established, formulation protocols have been refined based on Phase 1 results, and wearable device partnerships are confirmed for Gene Fuel app integration.

Phase 2 is now preparing to launch, with a full public rollout planned for June 2026. PrimeStart is supporting Gene Fuel’s fundraising round as the company prepares for its UK market launch.

Earlier in the month, Suleman Sacranie and Dr Zahra Jivraj spent time at Gene Fuel’s laboratory facilities reviewing the scientific, clinical, and operational foundations as the company entered its trial phase.

Join the waiting list: genefuel.co.uk

A huge thank you to Dr Zahra Jivraj, Ali Abbas Jaffari, and Shakila for the precision, discipline, and execution behind this milestone.

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Care Hires — Agency Accelerator Launch

This month marked the launch of Agency Accelerator for Care Hires, PrimeStart’s healthcare staffing portfolio company. Week-one results were immediate: reduced operational friction across shift management, faster shift fulfilment, lower admin overhead, and improved team coordination. Not in months. Not eventually. Week one. Strong execution, supported by the right systems, compounds quickly.

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The GP Service — Execution Systems and Radio Advertising Experiment

Across the PrimeStart ecosystem, repeatable loops of testing, measurement, and iteration continue to strengthen operating cadence. For The GP Service, this means improving how demand is captured and converted through clearer patient journeys — and building the operational rhythm required to support consistent growth.

Following the conversation with Tony Lit MBE, PrimeStart has allocated The GP Service to work directly with Sunrise Radio to test the impact of radio advertising on patient acquisition and brand awareness. The experiment will run for three months. Suleman will return for a follow-up discussion with Tony to share the results, the data, and what founders can learn about radio as a viable channel.

Ecosystem Events — Building Relationships Beyond the Boardroom

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium — Spurs vs Borussia Dortmund

PrimeStart attended the Tottenham Hotspur vs Borussia Dortmund fixture at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, kindly hosted by James and Guy, including a behind-the-scenes tour of the stadium and its hospitality facilities.

Suleman Sacranie was joined by Dr Zahra Jivraj (Gene Fuel), Moe Hassan (City Dock Pharmacy), and Constantine (Good Life Sorted / Blackfinch Ventures). The experience highlighted the stadium as a world-class venue for bringing together founders, operators, and partners. Looking ahead, this presents a strong opportunity for PrimeStart Capital to host future founder and operator gatherings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

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Manchester City — Man City vs Galatasaray

PrimeStart also attended the Manchester City vs Galatasaray fixture, with thanks to Ross and the wider Manchester City team for their hospitality. Suleman was joined by Avihu Tamir and Hiren Patel, co-founders of The GP Service.

Beyond the match itself, the visit created space for thoughtful discussion around how healthtech is evolving — from standalone digital tools to integrated platforms embedded within broader ecosystems. These conversations reinforced a wider theme: healthtech doesn’t move forward in isolation. It progresses through collaboration, trust, and long-term partnerships that align technology, regulation, and real-world delivery.

Media Recognition

Executive’s Diary Magazine Feature

Suleman was featured in Executive’s Diary Magazine, reflecting on the journey of building The GP Service, Care Hires, and Gene Fuel — ventures now collectively serving hundreds of thousands of patients across the UK.

The feature reinforced a core principle: companies aren’t built by individuals. They’re built by teams. Progress across the ecosystem is only possible because of the people who show up and execute — including Tharaka de Alwis, whose vision and leadership shaped the foundation of what PrimeStart is building today. His legacy continues in everything we do.

📖 Read the full feature → executivesdiary.com/suleman-sacranie

What February Reinforces

Across every conversation, milestone, and event this month, the same patterns have emerged:

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• Legacy brands must evolve or decline. Institutions built on trust cannot rely on reputation alone. Relevance must be earned repeatedly.
• Distribution channels change. Trust principles don’t. Whether it’s community radio adapting to TikTok or longevity platforms shifting from reactive treatment to proactive optimisation, the medium evolves — credibility remains constant.
• Momentum is built through cadence, not intensity. The best founders create a repeatable process: test weekly, learn quickly, execute consistently, and compound trust over time.
• Long-term value requires consistent execution. What endures is built through clinical rigour, operational discipline, and teams that show up daily.

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That philosophy continues to underpin how PrimeStart Capital works alongside founders and operators across the ecosystem.

February 2026 at a Glance

• Four Inside the Founder’s Mind episodes: Nic Brisbourne (Molten Ventures), Lord Leigh (Cavendish), Tony Lit MBE (Sunrise Radio), Felix Danczak (Pembroke VCT), plus Gemma Bloemen (Systemiq Capital)
• Gene Fuel Phase 1 trials completed; Phase 2 preparing to launch; public rollout June 2026
• Care Hires Agency Accelerator launched with week-one results already visible
• Radio advertising experiment launched: The GP Service × Sunrise Radio (3-month trial)
• Two ecosystem events: Tottenham Hotspur Stadium and Manchester City hospitality
• Executive’s Diary Magazine feature on Suleman Sacranie and the PrimeStart healthcare portfolio
• PrimeStart supporting Gene Fuel’s fundraising round ahead of UK market launch

Join the PrimeStart Ecosystem

PrimeStart Capital backs healthcare and essential-services businesses built to scale responsibly — where clinical rigour, operational discipline, and long-term intent are non-negotiable.

We’re building a connected ecosystem of founders, operators, clinicians, and investors who think long-term and execute consistently.

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Explore our founder insights and ecosystem updates:

👉 primestart.capital/founders-insights

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Join the PrimeStart community:

👉 primestart.capital/join-us-now

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