3i Member Spotlight

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

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

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 [http://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

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

Craig Weiss is a leading Entrepreneur, Investor, and an Author. Currently, he is the Managing Partner of Flagstaff Ventures, where he brings entrepreneur-focused perspective to the venture capital field as one of the few institutional investors to have both built a unicorn as a CEO and also identified and invested in an early-stage startup that has achieved unicorn status. Craig has been a 3i Member since 2023. In this episode, Craig discusses his experience writing two books on Israel's War of Independence, coining the concept of a "karmapreneur," and finding deep community value in Зі. He reveals how spiritual and commercial aims merge to create both financial and societal impact. Listen to the podcast to learn more about: Lessons from Authorship: Through archival research, interviews, and declassified military documents, Craig uncovered overlooked historical narratives-an approach he sees as mirroring the diligence required in startup investing. Pivoting from Patent Attorney to CEO: How a background in patent law primed Craig for evaluating inventions and led to growing a vaping-tech startup that helped bring about a near smoke-free generation. Integrating Business & Spirituality: Craig reflects on seeing seemingly different domains—venture investing, intellectual life, and moral purpose—as fundamentally connected, guiding his vision for future “karmapreneurs.” Craig's Books: * I Am My Brother’s Keeper: American Volunteers in Israel's War for Independence 1947-1949 [https://a.co/d/ilOtqvy] * Fighting Back: Stan Andrews and the Birth of the Israeli Air Force [https://a.co/d/0gRPpvh] Documentary: * Above and Beyond (2014 documentary featuring Craig Weiss) Craig's Professional Links: * Flagstaff Ventures (Craig Weiss's Venture Firm) [https://flagstaffventures.com/] * Craig Weiss LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/in/craig-weiss-9890127/] Additional References from Conversation: * Reason.com article covering Sen. Rockefeller’s vaping remarks [https://reason.com/2014/06/25/jay-rockefellers-vaping-vapors/] * Cast a Giant Shadow (1966 film about Mickey Marcus, mentioned in episode) [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060218/] 3i Members Links: * 3i Members Official Website [https://3imembers.com/] * 3i Members LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3imembers/]