3i Member Spotlight

3i Members
  • 4.7 (14)
  • ENTREPRENEURSHIP
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Listen to the 3i Member Spotlight podcast for interviews and insights with notable 3i Members in technology, finance, and real estate. In these thirty-minute episodes, our members share their success stories, lessons learned, and invaluable business wisdom. 3i Members is an invitation-only investment network designed for founders, family offices, and fund managers, founded in 2021 by Mark Gerson (GLG), Billy Libby (Upper90), and Teddy Gold. Learn more at 3imembers.com.

  1. From Broadway to Exit: A Performer’s Path to Impact Investing with Lisa Morris, Founder of Road Concierge and Managing Director of AKS Family Partners

    FEB 26

    From Broadway to Exit: A Performer’s Path to Impact Investing with Lisa Morris, Founder of Road Concierge and Managing Director of AKS Family Partners

    Our latest Member Spotlight podcast features Lisa Morris, Founder of Road Concierge and Managing Director of AKS Family Partners. Her career spans Broadway, entrepreneurship, and investing. After touring internationally as a performer, she identified a gap in entertainment travel and built Road Concierge from the ground up, bootstrapping the company without outside capital and selling it in 2012. In conversation with 3i Members Co-Founder & Chairman Mark Gerson, Lisa reflects on her progression from performer to operator to investor. She discusses her work with family offices and impact-focused capital, along with the framework she uses to evaluate opportunities and guide her philanthropic efforts. In this episode, Lisa shares: • How Lisa built and sold Road Concierge and the concrete lessons it taught her about managing cash, negotiating leverage, and choosing the right moment to exit • A clear, repeatable framework you can use to evaluate investments and allocate capital • Practical lessons from Broadway on resilience, preparation, and adaptability that apply directly to investing

    56 min
  2. Building a Smartphone Earning Platform with Dan Novaes, Founder & CEO of Mode Mobile

    JAN 15

    Building a Smartphone Earning Platform with Dan Novaes, Founder & CEO of Mode Mobile

    Dan Novaes is the Founder & CEO of Mode Mobile, an earning-technology company that has facilitated nearly $1B in earnings and savings to users through everyday smartphone activity. A lifelong entrepreneur, Dan began identifying arbitrage opportunities at an early age and went on to build multiple profitable consumer businesses before graduating high school. Prior to Mode Mobile, Dan founded and scaled top-grossing App Store products, raised venture capital with backing from Mark Cuban, and built consumer platforms reaching tens of millions of users globally. Today, Mode Mobile has just under 200M MAU users across 170+ countries, generated tens of millions in annual revenue, and built one of the largest user-shareholder communities in the world through innovative crowdfunding and Reg A financing. He has been a 3i Member since 2024. Listen to the episode to hear: How Dan’s early arbitrage ventures shaped his entrepreneurial mindsetThe evolution of Mode Mobile and the idea behind “EarnOS”How users can earn real money from everyday smartphone activityWhy Mode pioneered user ownership through innovative crowdfunding while raising $75M from approximately 60,000 investorsLearn more about 3i Members: https://3imembers.com Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3imembers

    48 min
  3. From the Financial Crisis to a Real Estate Empire with Greg Friedman, Founder & CEO of Peachtree Group

    10/30/2025

    From the Financial Crisis to a Real Estate Empire with Greg Friedman, Founder & CEO of Peachtree Group

    Greg Friedman is the Founder and CEO of Peachtree Group, a real-estate investment firm focused on acquisitions, development, and lending across commercial real estate with a strong hospitality footprint. Since launching Peachtree in 2007, Greg has overseen more than $11 billion in real-estate investments and built one of the country’s most active private-credit and loan-acquisition platforms. He has been a 3i Member since 2024.  Listen to the episode to hear: How Greg launched Peachtree on the eve of the 2008 financial crisis and turned it into an advantageThe firm’s philosophy of identifying “mispriced risk” and moving faster than banksPeachtree’s expansion into film financing, tax-credit strategies, and other adjacent venturesLearn more about 3i Members at 3imembers.com and follow us on LinkedIn for updates.

    32 min
  4. The Pioneer of Fintech: How Mitch Caplan Built the First Branchless Bank and Transformed E‑Trade into a Digital Powerhouse

    07/24/2025

    The Pioneer of Fintech: How Mitch Caplan Built the First Branchless Bank and Transformed E‑Trade into a Digital Powerhouse

    Mitch Caplan brings over 30 years of experience leading innovation across the financial‑services industry. He co-founded Telebanc, the first branchless bank in the U.S., and scaled it from $50 M to $5 B in assets before striking a $1.8 B sale to E‑Trade that was negotiated and announced in just nine days. The deal formally closed the following January. He then served as CEO of E‑Trade, cutting $1 B in costs, and building one of the first fully integrated online financial platforms.  Caplan later served as CEO of Jefferson National, where he launched a tech‑enabled, low‑cost tax‑deferred investment platform that was ultimately acquired by Nationwide. Today, he is President of Tarsadia, a $2 B+ investment firm where he oversees strategy and investments across fintech, healthcare, technology, and real estate. Most recently, he was named interim CEO of Yieldstreet, where he also serves as Chairman of the Board. Mitch has been a 3i Member since 2023.  In this episode:  • How Mitch built the first branchless bank, and why it worked when regulators said it wouldn't  • The story behind the $1.8 B E‑Trade deal, and how it was negotiated and announced in just nine days  • Why most fintechs fail, and what Mitch looks for in companies built to last  Learn more about 3i Members at 3imembers.com and follow us on LinkedIn for updates.

    56 min
  5. Building Businesses at Facebook (now Meta) with Benji Shomair, Former VP of Commerce Business at Meta

    05/29/2025

    Building Businesses at Facebook (now Meta) with Benji Shomair, Former VP of Commerce Business at Meta

    Benji Shomair is an entrepreneurial operator and investor who spent over a decade at Facebook (now Meta), where he built and scaled multiple billion-dollar global businesses across ads, messaging, and commerce. Most recently, he served as VP of Commerce Business at Meta, leading the commerce experiences team and shaping how billions of users engage with shopping on Facebook and Instagram. Benji has had a front-row seat to the evolution of digital platforms— scaling Facebook’s ads business globally, turning messaging into a powerful sales engine, and helping brands adapt to a content-driven commerce world. Benji has been a 3i Member since 2024. In this episode, hear about: • How “following the customer” helped inform the development of new products and business at Facebook (now Meta)  • How messaging became the go-to sales channel for SMBs globally • Why content is the new storefront—and what brands must do to stay relevant

    37 min
  6. The Art of the Name: The Man Behind Swiffer, BlackBerry & Lucid—and 100+ Iconic Brands, with David Placek, President & Founder of Lexicon Branding

    05/01/2025

    The Art of the Name: The Man Behind Swiffer, BlackBerry & Lucid—and 100+ Iconic Brands, with David Placek, President & Founder of Lexicon Branding

    What do BlackBerry, Swiffer, Impossible Burger, Sonos, and Febreze have in common? They were all named by one man—David Placek, founder of Lexicon Branding, the agency behind more than 100 iconic brand names. Fast Company calls Lexicon “the most envied branding agency in the world.” A 3i Member since 2024, David has spent decades naming companies—from Silicon Valley startups to global giants like Apple and Coca-Cola—craft the language that defines their brands. He also lectures on creativity at Stanford GSB and UC Berkeley Haas, advises startups, and runs River Lane Vineyard in Sonoma. In this episode, David sits down with Mark Gerson to reveal the surprising stories behind some of the world’s most recognizable names—and why the best ideas often come from unexpected places. He explains: • How Lexicon’s three-team system helps spark creativity through controlled chaos • The strategy behind names like Impossible, PowerBook, and Dasani • Why the sound of a name matters just as much as its meaning • How risk, discomfort, and even polarization signal a name that has real power • What entrepreneurs often get wrong when naming their company or product

    34 min
  7. Proptech, AI, and Building to Exit in 11 Months with Ankur Bansal, President of HomeLight Inc.

    04/17/2025

    Proptech, AI, and Building to Exit in 11 Months with Ankur Bansal, President of HomeLight Inc.

    A 3i Member since 2024, Ankur Bansal is the President of HomeLight Inc. He brings over a decade of experience as a founder, operator, and investor in the technology space. Ankur began his career in private equity before launching SnapSaves, a receipt-scanning cashback app that was acquired by Groupon in just 11 months. He later served as a founding executive at SnapTravel (now Super.com), where he helped scale the business from inception to over $175 million in revenue in just two years. In this episode, Ankur talks about:  • Lessons from building and exiting SnapSaves in under 12 months  • Opportunities and emerging trends in proptech—and where the space is heading  • How AI is already reshaping mortgage operations and real estate workflows  • Why product-market fit is a spectrum—and how entrepreneurs should think about raising capital

    44 min
  8. Global Perspectives: Investing in China and Beyond with Adam H. Schwartz, Partner & Portfolio Manager at First Manhattan

    04/03/2025

    Global Perspectives: Investing in China and Beyond with Adam H. Schwartz, Partner & Portfolio Manager at First Manhattan

    A 3i Member since 2022, Adam H. Schwartz is a Partner and Portfolio Manager at First Manhattan, where he has worked since 2001. Adam played a pivotal role in launching the FM First China Funds in 2009—First Manhattan's China-focused investment vehicles—and regularly travels to China to collaborate on research, portfolio management, and due diligence. He holds a BA in Economics and International Relations from Brown University and an MBA from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.   First Manhattan has a deep-rooted legacy of partnership and investment alignment with Warren Buffett. Throughout his 25 years at First Manhattan, Adam has embraced and carried forward this tradition, fostering lasting relationships with Berkshire Hathaway and securing exclusive access to the Annual Shareholder Meeting on behalf of 3i members for the third consecutive year.   In this episode, Adam shares: • Effective strategies for investing in China • Importance of management incentives and compensation • Long-term discipline in navigating technological disruption

    37 min
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4.7
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Listen to the 3i Member Spotlight podcast for interviews and insights with notable 3i Members in technology, finance, and real estate. In these thirty-minute episodes, our members share their success stories, lessons learned, and invaluable business wisdom. 3i Members is an invitation-only investment network designed for founders, family offices, and fund managers, founded in 2021 by Mark Gerson (GLG), Billy Libby (Upper90), and Teddy Gold. Learn more at 3imembers.com.

Information

  • Creator
    3i Members
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    31
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023
  • Show Website
    3i Member Spotlight

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