Our story

Lydia Clay is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Neutral Ground. She spent more than 15 years in commercial real estate development, delivering over $1 billion and 3,000 housing units across affordable, market-rate, and luxury product.

She founded Neutral Ground in 2022 to solve broken materials sourcing, building the company on direct manufacturer relationships and a working command of both materials and the budgets projects must meet. Lydia personally visits every partner factory and applies that expertise to help clients design and build more effectively.

Previously, Lydia served as Senior Director of Development at Ledcor Properties, where she led the Texas multi-family division, and as Partner at Mathias Partners. She has been recognized across the industry for her projects and believes that better design drives outsized returns — a conviction she brings to every project Neutral Ground touches.

Mauricio Zuniga is Chief Operating Officer of Neutral Ground, bringing more than 15 years of experience leading operations and strategy for Fortune 500 companies and venture-backed startups.

At Neutral Ground, Mauricio is responsible for all operational functions. He develops and manages the systems that maintain cost, quality, and schedule performance as the business grows.

Mauricio holds an MPA from Harvard University and an MBA from the Wharton School. He previously served as COO and then CEO of June Homes, a $50 million SoftBank-backed proptech company, which he turned to profitability and led through a successful exit. Over the course of his career, he has managed cross-functional teams spanning operations, sales, marketing, customer experience, analytics, and technology, with a focus on building the operating systems that allow companies to scale.

Jay Choi is Head of Asian Sourcing at Neutral Ground, bringing more than 25 years of international experience in manufacturing, supply chain and distribution.

At Neutral Ground, Jay is responsible for developing and managing the company's manufacturing network across Asia. He identifies and researches prospective manufacturers, conducts on-site evaluations of production capability, capacity, and quality control systems, and oversees the onboarding process through initial production. Every manufacturer in the Asian network has been evaluated and approved under his review.

He previously served as Global Operations Manager at Samsung, where he oversaw manufacturing and distribution operations across international markets, and subsequently founded and served as CEO of Vidbox. He is a member of the Korean American Chamber of Commerce.

Gaby Sanrui is Head of Latin American Sourcing at Neutral Ground, bringing more than 20 years of practice as a licensed architect in Mexico.

Based in Mexico, she evaluates prospective manufacturers, assesses production capability and quality, and works with clients to ensure that specified materials meet both design requirements and constructibility standards.

Gaby holds a degree in architecture from Tecnológico de Monterrey. An award-winning architect, she has developed deep product expertise in finish materials across the full range of production, from artisan workshops to large-scale manufacturing. Her practice has centered on the relationship between design intent and buildability, with particular focus on design integrity, sourcing, and constructability.

David Hyun is Director of Asia Sourcing at Neutral Ground, bringing more than 30 years of experience developing overseas markets and scaling technology-driven ventures.

Based in Seoul, South Korea, David oversees production and supplier relationships for Neutral Ground's Asian manufacturing network, managing coordination with partner factories and monitoring output against schedule and quality requirements.

David has served as a Co-Founder and CSO, structuring strategic partnerships with global market leaders including Samsung and LG. His background spans international sales, cross-border business execution, and revenue generation across multiple markets via supply chain management.

Stephan Chang is Director of Asia Sourcing at Neutral Ground, bringing 27 years of experience in cross-border deal-making, technology due diligence, and global supply chain management.

Based in Seoul, South Korea, Stephan negotiates and manages relationships with manufacturers across Asia, applying that transaction and supply chain experience to secure terms and production commitments on behalf of clients.

Stephan built that expertise as a business development executive working across 28 countries, negotiating directly with overseas partners and manufacturers. His work has centered on evaluating suppliers, structuring agreements, and managing supply chains spanning multiple regions and regulatory environments.

Albert Swantner is CTO of Neutral Ground, where he leads the development of the platform that unites project teams, owners, and manufacturers in a single materials sourcing workflow.

At Neutral Ground, Albert applies his product experience to a category that still runs on spreadsheets, email, and phone calls. The platform he is building gives project teams and owners visibility into specification, pricing, production status, and delivery in one place.

Albert co-founded Mobile Tech RX and served as its CTO, growing the company from a dent-repair application into the market-leading software platform for automotive reconditioning, which was acquired by Repairify. He serves as CTO of Verdara and is a Co-Founder of Nameless CPG. He holds a BS and an MS in mechanical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Landon Forshage is Vice President of Engineering for Neutral Ground, bringing more than a decade of experience architecting secure, high-performance platforms across fintech and SaaS.

At Neutral Ground, Landon leads the engineering behind the company's sourcing platform, building the infrastructure that connects project teams, owners, and manufacturers across the network.

Landon has built and scaled engineering organizations at Verdara, SaveDay, and Mobile Tech RX, delivering complex, data-sensitive products from the ground up. His work has centered on the architecture and security requirements of platforms handling sensitive transactional data at scale.