At Cornelia Street Partners, Evan focuses on new business development, client management, and all phases of the transaction life cycle. Before founding Cornelia Street Partners, Evan spent nearly ten years at WeWork, where he was one of the company's first 40 employees. During his time there, he helped scale the business from less than $50 million in annual revenue to roughly $4 billion. Evan was personally responsible for sourcing, negotiating, and closing more than 15 million square feet of commercial office transactions across North America, South America, Asia, and Australia.
Evan's connection to commercial real estate began early. His father worked as a CMBS originator at a major bank, and Evan grew up traveling with him and learning how buildings, developments, and financing shape the physical world. That early exposure developed into a lasting interest in understanding what makes a neighborhood work — from the people and businesses that drive traffic and energy to the characteristics that ultimately translate into desirability and real estate value. He is drawn to the tangible nature of real estate and the challenge of translating the experience of a physical space into a successful business decision.
Since founding Cornelia Street Partners in 2023 with his business partner Lenny Kohlmayer, CSP has advised on more than $100 million worth of leasing transactions across the major US office markets. Transaction volume has grown each year since the company's inception, which Evan attributes to CSP's unique approach to relationship building and dealmaking.
He graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a B.A. in Economics. Evan remains active in the Johns Hopkins University community. A four-year varsity men's soccer player and team captain at Johns Hopkins, he currently serves on the JHU Scholar-Athlete Alumni Board, supporting alumni engagement, fundraising, and career development for student-athletes. He also serves on the Board of Advisors at A-Level Capital, a student-run venture capital firm at Johns Hopkins, and has invested in a several med-tech, biotech, AI, and consumer technology companies through the fund.
Outside of work, Evan spends much of his free time with his family. He and his wife own a cabin in the Catskills that they frequent with their two kids, where they enjoy hiking, skiing, and swimming in local lakes and water holes.
At Cornelia Street Partners, Lenny handles new business development, client management, and partnership strategies, guiding clients from initial search through closing. He brings over ten years of experience across the art, branding, hospitality, and lifestyle industries, offering CSP's clients a unique perspective on commercial real estate through the lens of brand identity, placemaking, and workplace strategy.
Real estate has been a constant thread throughout Lenny's career. Before starting this brokerage, he worked across the art and brand worlds, where his roles repeatedly brought him into office relocations, retail openings, and the development of new spaces. His transition into real estate became more intentional when he joined a real estate investment firm, working with its in-house leasing team on placemaking and developing concepts that activated its properties. That experience reinforced his belief that real estate can be a powerful extension of a company's brand, culture, and long-term strategy.
Born and raised between the UK and Austria, Lenny moved to New York in 2011 and has built a deep connection to the city and its evolving neighborhoods. He is particularly drawn to working with creative, hospitality, retail, and high-growth companies, bringing an understanding of how brands think about their spaces and the communities they want to be part of.
At CSP, Lenny works closely with clients throughout the lifecycle of their real estate needs, with a focus on building long-term relationships rather than one-off transactions. He and his partners combine transactional expertise with brand alignment, workplace strategy, and an understanding of how rapidly growing companies need their real estate to evolve alongside them. He is particularly interested in helping clients stay ahead of shifts in New York's neighborhoods and business landscape, using his familiarity with the city and its communities to identify opportunities before they become obvious.
Over the brokerage's first two to three years, the team went on to close $100 million in transactions. Lenny holds a B.A. in Business Management from Pace University.
Outside of work, Lenny is an avid basketball and road cycling enthusiast and continues to explore New York primarily on foot and by Citi Bike. He is a brand ambassador for the Aman Hotels and is also personally invested in several New York restaurants and bars, giving him a perspective on hospitality real estate that extends beyond brokerage.
