Alternative financing for bridge lending, acquisitions, ground-up construction, short-term refinancing, mortgage takeout and partner buyout.
JLJ Capital provides alternative financing solutions for bridge lending, acquisitions, ground-up construction, short-term refinancing, mortgage takeout, partner buyout, and other real estate projects.
Since its inception in 2017, JLJ Capital has originated approximately $400MM in loans, with a track record of a 99% repayment rate from our borrowers. With the launch of our new open-ended mortgage REIT platform and separate managed accounts, we are continuing to scale and ramp up our loan portfolio.
Decades of combined experience across lending, capital markets, development and finance.
Jonathan Lewis has over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing, and executive management, with more than 25 years in the financial services industry specializing in real estate transactions. Prior to founding JLJ Capital, Jonathan was the Chief Business Development Officer at Customers Bank, where he helped the bank grow ten billion dollars over a five-year time span, with over a 1000% growth rate. Jonathan personally originated and closed more than four billion dollars in loans. Earlier in his career, he was the President of Atlantic Coast Bank Mortgage Division. Jonathan has built and managed several multi-billion dollar commercial and residential lending platforms. Jonathan graduated from Lehigh University with a BA in Economics and English and has completed advanced management coursework at both Harvard and MIT. He serves on the Board of the New Jersey Economic Council and the Regional Board of Washington University. Jonathan and his partners have completed, closed, and managed more than six billion dollars in real estate transactions.
Justin Podolsky is a real estate investor, developer, hotel owner, and commercial real estate finance executive with extensive experience leading complex investments, development projects, and hospitality assets throughout North America. His expertise spans acquisitions, structured finance, development, construction, hospitality operations, asset management, and investment strategy, providing a comprehensive perspective across the commercial real estate lifecycle. As a co-founder of a commercial real estate bridge lending platform, Justin has structured and overseen commercial real estate financing for developers, investors, and institutional-quality real estate transactions. His experience encompasses underwriting, capital structuring, due diligence, risk management, and investment execution across a broad range of asset classes. Throughout his career, Justin has led the acquisition, redevelopment, adaptive reuse, and repositioning of hospitality, multifamily, mixed-use, and commercial properties, consistently creating value through strategic planning, disciplined execution, and operational excellence. His portfolio includes boutique hotels and complex real estate assets that have undergone transformative redevelopment and repositioning, requiring sophisticated coordination of design, construction, financing, and operations. Recognized for combining institutional-quality financial discipline with entrepreneurial execution, Justin has built a reputation for identifying opportunities where others see complexity. His unique experience as an owner, developer, operator, and lender enables him to evaluate investments from every perspective, delivering innovative solutions and long-term value for partners, investors, and stakeholders. Justin earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance from Hofstra University.
Cher is a real estate industry veteran with over 20 years of experience in various capacities. Her diverse experience enabled her to be adept in structuring large complex real estate deals that comprise of a full-stack solution. Furthermore, Cher has extensive investor relationships with institutions, HNWI, and family offices. Prior to JLJ, Cher was the Head of Global Capital Markets for a developer whose parent company owned and managed $8 Billion USD worth of assets globally. Before that, Cher was the Head of Asia Division at the Carlton Group where she was responsible for leading, strategizing and executing capital-raising activities pertaining to Asian institutional and UHNW investors. Before moving to New York City, Cher was in Vancouver, Canada, where she oversaw a family office real estate portfolio. Cher has a B.S. in Biochemistry from UCLA and an M.S. in Real Estate Development from NYU. She is an adjunct professor at the JHU Carey School of Business for their MBA and MSRE programs, an active member in several organizations, and is passionate about promoting AAPI justice and supporting other female leaders in business.
Robert Kim brings a unique accounting and finance background derived from experience across multiple industries. After starting his career as a controller in the digital content and advertising space, he successfully transitioned to the real estate and hospitality industry as a finance analyst — building on his core foundation of accounting and finance and becoming an integral part of the business. Robert graduated from Hunter College with a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree in Accounting.
Senior bridge and construction financing from $10 million up to (but not limited to) $50 million.
JLJ Capital will invest in loans across the U.S. with a focus on the NY Metro area and the Sunbelt states.
With ever-changing market conditions, JLJ understands that location impacts our clients' investment strategies. We maintain a pulse on all markets to evaluate how volatility and risk exposure can affect the value of investments and our exit strategy. To maintain control of risk, we focus our attention on primary and secondary markets.
Submit a LoanSelectively pursue opportunities with measurable risk that is supported by strong underwriting, analysis and structure.
Take advantage of attractive opportunities in extremely fragmented markets to differentiate us and give us a competitive advantage.
Build a high-quality real estate portfolio through a prudent, top-down, data-driven process — determining growth drivers in overlooked areas that support a revenue stream and mitigate risk.
| Fund Manager | JLJ Fixed Dividend Manager, LLC |
|---|---|
| Structure | Open-Ended REIT** |
| Targeted Return | 10% Preferred (for investors)* |
| Liquidity / Redemption | Quarterly with 90 days' notice |
| Minimum Investment | $0 (nominal for KYC/AML onboarding) |
| Fund Administrator | ONE10 |
| Eligibility | Accredited Investors |
*The JLJ Fixed Dividend Fund Summary is not a complete and full representation of the fund information. For detailed information, please refer to the JLJ Fixed Dividend Fund PPM, available upon request.
**The fund REIT structure is designed to provide qualified dividends where non-corporate shareholders may be eligible for a Section 199A deduction. Please consult a tax specialist regarding investing in a REIT.
JLJ Capital's investment philosophy is about achieving a perfect balance of risk and return. Our disciplined underwriting team and credit committee exercise stringent underwriting metrics to mitigate risk exposure. This fund caters to investors with a low-to-moderate risk profile who are seeking a steady monthly dividend.
Our strategy is to deploy capital into short-term fixed and floating real estate loans in first position, senior bridge, and construction. The allocation will be approximately 70% multi-family, with the remainder in industrial and mixed-use assets.
A selection of loans originated across bridge, construction, mezzanine and value-add strategies nationwide.
A sample of loans across the platform · sorted by amount
Representative transactions; not in chronological order. Figures reflect original loan amounts.
1745 Broadway, 22nd Floor
New York, NY 10019
Monday to Friday · 9:00 am to 6:00 pm ET
Whether you're financing a project or exploring an investment in our fixed dividend fund, our team is ready to help.
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