PrimeStart Capital — This Week Inside the Founder Ecosystem

Weekly Newsletter | 18 February 2026

Inside the Founder’s Mind — Tony Lit MBE (Full Episode Launch)

Last week we launched the full episode of Inside the Founder’s Mind featuring Tony Lit MBE, Managing Director of Sunrise Radio — the UK’s first British-Asian commercial radio station and a cornerstone of community broadcasting for over three decades.

Tony shared what it takes to keep a legacy media brand relevant, profitable, and trusted in 2025 — 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.

This wasn’t a conversation about nostalgia. It was about execution, reinvention, and understanding audience trust in a fragmented media landscape.

Testing Radio Advertising in 2025 — A PrimeStart Experiment

Following the conversation, PrimeStart Partner Suleman Sacranie was challenged to answer a practical question:

Does radio advertising still work in a digital-first world — and how effective can it be?

To find out, PrimeStart has allocated portfolio company 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 in 2025.

🎧 Watch the full episode → https://www.primestart.capital/videos/tony-litt----culture-media-staying-relevant-in-the-age-of-ai🎬 Watch the trailer  → https://www.primestart.capital/videos/radio-ai-the-art-of-discovery

Portfolio in Motion — Gene Fuel Completes Phase 1 Trials

This week, Gene Fuel completed Phase 1 trials — a major milestone for our longevity and precision health platform.

What’s been achieved:

• Phase 1 trials successfully completed with strong clinical feedback
• Blood testing partnerships secured
• At-home DNA collection and lab testing infrastructure established
• Formulation protocols refined based on Phase 1 results
• Wearable device partnerships confirmed for Gene Fuel app integration

Phase 2 is now preparing to launch, with a full public rollout planned for June 2026.

The clinical and operational foundations are in place: lab partnerships, at-home logistics, personalised formulation processes, and real-time tracking through wearable integration.

People can now join the waiting list:
👉 https://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 — from clinical oversight and protocol refinement to operational build-out and platform readiness.

PrimeStart is supporting Gene Fuel’s fundraising round as the company prepares for its UK market launch. The groundwork is established: validated protocols, operational partnerships, and early participant data from Phase 1. We’re excited to support the next stage of responsible scaling within the longevity and precision health space.

What This Week Reinforces

Both updates this week — one in media, one in healthcare — point to the same pattern:

Legacy brands must evolve or decline.
Tony’s insights on Sunrise Radio mirror what we’re building with Gene Fuel: 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.

Long-term value requires consistent execution.
What endures is built through clinical rigour, operational discipline, and teams that show up daily.

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

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.

This week’s updates:

• Full Inside the Founder’s Mind episode with Tony Lit MBE (Sunrise Radio)
• PrimeStart launches a radio advertising experiment — The GP Service × Sunrise Radio (3-month trial)
• Gene Fuel Phase 1 trials complete — Phase 2 launching, public rollout June 2026
• PrimeStart supporting Gene Fuel’s fundraising round ahead of UK market launch

Explore our founder insights and weekly ecosystem updates:
👉 https://www.primestart.capital/founders-insights

Join the PrimeStart community:👉 https://www.primestart.capital/join-us-now