3i Member Spotlight

Venture Capital, AI, and the Art of the Long Hold with David Blumberg and Bruce Taragin of Blumberg Capital

Our latest Member Spotlight podcast features David Blumberg, Founder, and Bruce Taragin, Managing Director of Blumberg Capital, a seed-stage venture firm with nearly three decades of investing together and early bets on Nutanix, Braze, and DoubleVerify. In conversation with 3i Members Co-Founder and Chairman Mark Gerson, David and Bruce unpack what it takes to build an enduring venture partnership, how they evaluate startups through their "Six Ts" framework, and why holding conviction when everyone else wants to sell is what separates good returns from great ones. They also share how agentic AI is already delivering measurable productivity gains and where Blumberg is placing its next bets. In this episode, David and Bruce share: * The "Six Ts" framework (theme, team, timing, technology, terrain, and traction) and why team ranks above technology every time * The DoubleVerify decision: why they passed on an 8x offer and held all the way to a 72x return at IPO * Why agentic AI is producing 10x productivity gains right now, and the verticals Blumberg is backing

Inside Commodities: Building a $25B Metals Business with Mark Edelstein, Chief Executive Officer of Auramet International, Inc

Our latest Member Spotlight podcast features Mark Edelstein, Chief Executive Officer of Auramet. His career spans global commodities markets, entrepreneurship, and investing. After immigrating to the U.S. from South Africa in the 1980s, he spent 15 years in commodities before co-founding Auramet in 2004, building the business into a global precious metals trading platform. In conversation with 3i Members Co-Founder & Chairman Mark Gerson, Mark reflects on his experience across commodities markets. He discusses how global metals markets function, how he approaches risk and volatility, and the discipline required to navigate cycles over time. In this episode, Mark shares: • How Mark built and scaled a global metals business, and the lessons it taught him about relationships, risk, and decision-making • A clear perspective on how commodities markets operate and where value is created across the supply chain • Practical lessons from decades in commodities on maintaining discipline, managing volatility, and allocating capital across cycles Learn more about 3i Members [https://3imembers.com/] at 3imembers.com and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3imembers] for updates.

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 Learn more about 3i Members [https://3imembers.com/] at 3imembers.com and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3imembers] for updates.

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/] at 3imembers.com and follow us on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/3imembers] for updates.

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.