November 2025 Member of the Month

Thinking Outside the Bank: Alex Elezaj and the Rise of Black Mountain Capital

For Alex Elezaj, founder of Black Mountain Capital and supporter of the Greenwich Chamber of Commerce, success has always come from persistence, creativity, and an ability to see opportunity where others see risk.

Elezaj began his career in the early 2000s with the New York Mortgage Company, which, he says, “provided the best of both worlds in mortgage banking. It gave me and my team the ability to bank our loans but also bring in outside investors to fund more complex deals.” Within a few years, he became one of the company’s top originators, known for both “volume and creativity.”

That success led to a position at a large money-center bank where, despite tighter credit limits, he and his team “generated the most amount of volume and units in the entire nation, hitting billions of dollars annually in originations.” But when “the world of credit came to a screeching halt in the late 2000s,” Elezaj saw a new path. “This was the opportunity I envisioned would open the door to take advantage of a market starving for alternative options which was badly needed.”

Building from the Ashes

During the financial crisis, “many banking institutions refused to provide credit for borrowers and even their own clients.” Drawing on his past experience, Elezaj recognized “a void in the market and an incredible need for borrowers to have greater flexibility and options for their real estate investment strategies.” With “some seed money and a stomach for taking a big risk and lots of praying,” Black Mountain Capital was born in 2010.

Its founding vision was simple but bold: “The ability to say yes more often than no. Finding a way to cater to a client’s needs is not an easy lift.” Custom-tailoring lending solutions, he explains, “is not an easy lift as not every client looks the same on paper nor has similar situations. That’s the difference between Black Mountain Capital and other lenders—we strive to provide solutions that fit our borrowers’ investment strategies and vision.”

A Mindset of Persistence and Awareness

Elezaj believes great leaders in finance share two traits: “persistence and sacrifice.” He adds, “I have a saying—I don’t have a 9-to-5 p. I have when I open my eyes to when I close my eyes, those are my hours. If you don’t have that kind of drive and ambition, the competition is fierce and you’ll be left to starve.” Leadership, he says, “takes courage and grind, but it takes time. A leader finds a way to make the impossible possible.”

After nearly 25 years in the industry, he has learned one lesson above all: “Be aware! Be aware of the market, be aware of those around you as you’re only as strong as your weakest link.” Trial and error, he warns, “is expensive. Patience and determination play a vital role.”

Thinking Outside the Bank

That philosophy defines Black Mountain Capital’s approach today. “We think outside the Bank! Anyone can check a box, we’re not box checkers. We listen, we learn and we grow together with our clients.” Whether financing developers, builders, business owners or homeowners, Elezaj says, “There is no limit with Black Mountain Capital—only solutions.”

Learn more about Black Mountain Capital at blackmountaincapital.biz