About
Leverage Companies is a real estate private equity firm headquartered in Newark, New Jersey.
Five divisions sharing resources to create economies of scale.
Leverage Companies is a vertically integrated real estate private equity firm, founded in 2019 and headquartered in Newark, New Jersey. The firm originates loans through Brick City Capital, buys homes through Leverage Homes, and operates its properties in-house. Sharing one platform gives every division institutional economies of scale.
2019
Founded
2,000
+
Transactions completed
$800M
+
Total loan volume
$60M
+
Assets under management
Leadership
Meet the team behind the firm – operational experience in the form of executive leadership.
Eric Panecki
Chief Executive Officer
Eric Panecki is an experienced operator, investor, and lending strategist who brings a hands-on understanding of DSCR financing, market dynamics, and execution at scale. As CEO of Leverage Companies and Brick City Capital, he oversees lending operations, underwriting strategy, and the company’s end-to-end borrower experience. Eric built Brick City with a simple mandate: deliver certainty, speed, and white-glove service on every deal — regardless of complexity.
With a background spanning real estate acquisitions, private lending, and capital markets, Eric has led the structuring and execution of hundreds of investor loans across the country. His leadership centers on operational excellence, disciplined credit analysis, and an unwavering commitment to solving problems so investors can keep scaling. Under Eric’s direction, Leverage Companies has become a national partner of choice for brokers, investors, and operators seeking reliable, execution-focused DSCR financing.
Eric Panecki
Chief Executive Officer
David Choi
Chief Executive Officer
David Choi is a seasoned real estate entrepreneur and capital markets operator with deep experience across acquisitions, private equity, and high-volume transaction management. Before co-founding Leverage Companies, David oversaw more than $2 billion in real estate and private equity assets — personally touching thousands of transactions ranging from residential portfolios to complex investment deals.
David Choi
Chief Executive Officer
Tae Kim
Director of People Operations
Tae leads People Operations at Leverage Companies, overseeing HR, payroll, compliance, and talent programs across the organization. With 10+ years in people operations and HR leadership at high-growth tech companies, Tae has built HR functions from the ground up, scaled teams through rapid growth, and designed performance, compensation, and benefits programs. At Leverage Companies, Tae focuses on creating a strong, well-supported team that can keep pace with the company's growth.
Tae Kim
Director of People Operations
Sean Shanahan
President, Brick City Capital
Sean leads Brick City Capital’s lending and investment strategy, drawing on 10+ years of experience across acquisitions, credit, fund management, and private real estate investing. Previously CFO of Iridium Capital—where he raised $170M+ for commercial acquisitions—he brings deep expertise in structuring, underwriting, and capital markets execution.
Sean Shanahan
President, Brick City Capital
Nicolette Panecki
Director of Recruitment
Nicolette Panecki is a People Business Partner at Leverage Companies. She helped build the company's recruiting and talent acquisition function from the ground up. She also leads early-career and employer-branding efforts, including the summer internship program and campus partnerships. She represents the company at industry events and conferences.
Nicolette Panecki
Director of Recruitment
Jared Pershad
Managing Director, Leverage Homes
Jared Pershad is Managing Director of Leverage Homes. He leads the division's growth, marketing, and operations. Jared built many of the division's acquisition funnels and also oversees the data behind the business. He works closely with the transactions team to move each deal from contract to closing.
Jared Pershad
Managing Director, Leverage Homes
Dina Tornheim
General Counsel
Dina Tornheim is an attorney and Director of Legal & Closing at Leverage Companies. She oversees the legal review and closing process for the company's real estate transactions, working with buyers, sellers, title agents, and counsel to move each deal from contract to closing.
Dina Tornheim
General Counsel
Anthony Pontoriero
Managing Director
Anthony Pontoriero is Managing Director of Leverage Companies, overseeing Capital Markets, debt placement, and fund management. He has led over $500 million in real estate transactions with a focus on value-add and opportunistic strategies. An expert in syndication, Anthony has raised more than $10 million in equity to capitalize and scale complex projects. In addition to his role at Brick City Capital, he serves as an Adjunct Professor of Real Estate Finance at Rutgers University, where he integrates academic theory with real-world expertise in capital markets, deal structuring, and portfolio optimization.
Anthony Pontoriero
Managing Director
Our divisions
Lending
Brick City Capital
National DSCR lender for real estate investors. Ranked #7 nationally, lending in 46 states, with more than $800M closed.
brickcitycapital.com
Acquisitions
Leverage Homes
Buying 1 - 4 family New Jersey homes by creating customized offers to homeowners and landlords. More than $400M paid to 1,000+ homeowners.
lvghomes.com
Operations
Leverage Holdings
Managing Leverage Companies' real estate portfolio through renovation, leasing, and operations. $60M+ under management across 300+ units.
Leverage Holdings
Media
Leverage Media
The firm’s in-house media team, running the Deals & Dollars podcast, luxury networking events, and the brands’ social channels. 500M+ views, 1M+ followers and 250M+ people reached.
dealsanddollars.com
Nonprofit
Leverage Cares
Charitable nonprofit partnering with established Newark charities to promote financial literacy, entrepreneurship, and independence for the city’s youth and families.
Leverage Cares
2,000+
Transactions completed
$800M+
Total loan volume
100%+
Year over year growth, two consecutive years
“Every division we’ve built started from an investor’s mindset. We understand each asset because we’ve owned it, renovated it, and managed it ourselves.”
David Choi
Chief Executive Officer
“Every loan is qualified on the property’s cash flow. That discipline is what lets us scale nationally without losing the details.”
Sean Shanahan
President, Brick City Capital
“We didn’t grow by chasing volume. We grew by building the infrastructure to handle it before it showed up.”
Eric Panecki
Chief Executive Officer
Our History
2019
Leverage Homes founded
Cash purchases of New Jersey homes.
2021
Brick City Capital launched
DSCR loans for investors.
2023
Leverage Media launched
Podcast and marketing in-house.
2024
The Debt Fund opens
TLC Opportunity Debt Fund I, April.
2025
#7 national DSCR lender
$210M+ originated in one year.
2026
$800M+ loans closed
2,000+ transactions, $60M+ under management.
And we’re just getting started.
We’re hiring
Six departments work on one floor, from acquisitions and underwriting to marketing and technology.
View open roles