Residential Equity Agreements Leader Unison Appoints President and CFO

New hires position Unison for growth, scale

Unison, the leader in residential equity agreements, has added significant talent to its executive team, naming PayPal/eBay veteran Ryan Downs as President and Silicon Valley Bank growth expert Scott Case as Chief Financial Officer.

“With investments in almost 8,000 homes across 30 states and the District of Columbia, and over $1.2 billion in assets under management, Unison has clearly demonstrated both the value and viability of residential equity agreements to homeowners and institutional investors,” said Thomas Sponholtz, founder and CEO, Unison. “Now, Ryan and Scott will help us strategically scale this solution that will strengthen homeownership—enabling more people to benefit from the equity they’ve built up without taking on debt. Ryan and Scott’s experience and expertise will enable Unison to bring this solution to more homeowners across the country and we’re excited to have them on board.”

As President of Unison, Downs will be responsible for managing and scaling the company’s day-to-day operations. He joins Unison after a decade as President and CEO of Proxibid, a leading platform for buying and selling highly valued assets online. Proxibid experienced tremendous growth under his leadership, reaching $6B in annual transaction volume and resulting in an acquisition by a private equity group in 2020. Prior to Proxibid, Downs held a number of leadership roles on PayPal and eBay’s executive teams where he oversaw global operations. He was instrumental in the growth of both companies; his work included launching operations in Europe and Asia, as well as leading PayPal through the IPO and eBay acquisition.

“I’m thrilled to be joining Unison at such a pivotal time. Residential equity agreements are truly a game changer for homeowners in helping them achieve their financial goals—whether it's to reduce debt, plan for retirement, or even start their own business,” said Downs. “Unison is very much a mission-driven company, and I’m looking forward to working with Thomas and the team to help expand on that mission and bring this solution to more people.”

Case brings over 25 years of experience to the Unison executive team. He recently spent more than seven years at Silicon Valley Bank, where he launched and transformed several of the bank’s core businesses such as the Private Bank, Global Fund Banking, and Leverage Finance. His executive experience includes the CFO role at security software giant Actiance, and President of Silicon Motion, before the graphics semiconductor and memory technology firm became a public company.

“It’s an incredible time to be at Unison,” Case noted. “The residential equity agreement market hasn’t seen anything new in decades, and with home prices having surged, equity is at a record level. I think there’s a huge opportunity for Unison to expand and serve a much wider market, and I’m excited to be part of that.”

About Unison

Unison is a San Francisco-based company that is pioneering a smarter, better way to own your home. Until now, the only way to finance a home was by taking on debt. Through residential equity agreements, we help homeowners access their equity flexibly with no monthly payments or interest. We enhance home affordability, reduce debt, and deliver a less risky way for homeowners, investors, and society to think about their most important asset - the home. For additional information, visit www.unison.com or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.

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