3i Member Spotlight

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 mindset * The evolution of Mode Mobile and the idea behind “EarnOS” * How users can earn real money from everyday smartphone activity * Why Mode pioneered user ownership through innovative crowdfunding while raising $75M from approximately 60,000 investors Learn more about 3i Members: https://3imembers.com [https://3imembers.com] Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/3imembers [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3imembers]

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 advantage * The firm’s philosophy of identifying “mispriced risk” and moving faster than banks * Peachtree’s expansion into film financing, tax-credit strategies, and other adjacent ventures Learn more about 3i Members [https://3imembers.com/] at 3imembers.com and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3imembers] for updates.

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.

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

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