Inside the Founders Mind

n this episode of Inside the Founder's Mind, Suleman Sacranie speaks with Gemma Bloemen — Venture Partner at Systemiq Capital — about what it really takes to scale a business in the physical world. Drawing on four years at Uber, three and a half years as COO of Elder, and a career in early-stage investing at Creandum, Norrsken VC, and now Systemiq Capital, Gemma shares the frameworks she applies both as an operator and as an investor. The conversation covers Uber's international expansion model and the team autonomy principle behind it, why early-stage hiring should focus on aptitude and attitude over experience, why engagement is the only metric that matters at seed stage, the structural challenge UK healthtech founders face when trying to scale cross-border, and why the best founders execute fast, deploy fast, and learn fast — rather than waiting for the perfect product. A practical, direct conversation for founders building businesses that operate in the real world.

‍

In this episode of Inside the Founder's Mind, Suleman Sacranie speaks with Felix Danczak — Head of AI & Growth at Pembroke VCT and author of Market-Led Growth — to explore what it really takes to build a business that keeps pace with a market that never stops moving. From his early work at Signal AI and the $50M sale of Zephr to Zuora, through to the $1.7B Zuora exit and his current role embedding inside Pembroke's portfolio companies, Felix shares practical frameworks on growth strategy, AI adoption, and why constant experimentation beats the strategy deck. The conversation covers why data is a lagging metric, how to run five campaigns a week and let the results lead, what hands-on venture investment actually looks like in practice, and why the traditional SaaS moat is already dead. A must-listen for founders navigating growth, AI, and the question of what kind of investor actually helps you build.

‍

In this episode of Inside the Founder’s Mind, Suleman Sacranie sits down with Stephen Johnson, Fund Principal at Mercia Ventures, to unpack how UK investors are thinking in today’s market — what types of bets are being made, what signals matter most, and how founders can position their story when capital feels tighter.

Stephen shares how he evaluates markets and teams, why the best founders can articulate a clear future *and* the assumptions that need to be true for it to happen, and what he looks for across B2B software and the wider technology landscape. The conversation also explores the realities of fundraising at different stages, including why Series A can be the most pivotal moment, and how regional ecosystems and specialist capital play a growing role in supporting UK scale-ups.

A practical listen for founders raising capital, refining their narrative, or trying to understand what investors are optimising for right now.

‍

In this episode of Inside the Founder’s Mind, Suleman Sacranie sits down with Steve Schlenker, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at DN Capital, to explore what it really takes to turn an early idea into a company that can scale. Drawing on decades of investing across multiple market cycles – and lessons from backing category-defining businesses such as Shazam, Auto1 Group and Remitly – Steve breaks down how investors assess markets, teams and timing, and what founders should focus on before (and after) raising capital. The conversation goes beyond hype: from recognising the shift from product-customer fit to true product-market fit, to building a defensible moat, staying disciplined on focus, and understanding what ‘fundable’ really means in today’s environment.

‍

In this episode of Inside the Founder’s Mind, Suleman Sacranie sits down with Tony Lit MBE, Managing Director, Sunrise Radio, to explore what it really takes to keep a legacy media brand relevant, profitable and trusted in 2025. From Sunrise Radio’s origin story and deep community roots to the modern realities of TikTok, YouTube and Spotify, Tony shares how live radio still wins on discovery, companionship and trust - and how the business has evolved its commercial model, audience strategy and distribution to stay resilient through major shifts (including COVID and the digital ad boom). A candid conversation on media, culture, attention, and practical lessons for building a modern brand within a legacy channel.

‍