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The Angel of Manila: Joseph De Leon on Fixing the Startup System

“The best way to change the system is to be the system.” – Joseph De Leon

Meet Joseph De Leon, one of Southeast Asia’s true ecosystem architects. Based in Manila, Joseph wears more hats than most: he’s the Director of Founder Institute Philippines, Founder of Manila Angel Investors Network (MAIN), Founder of Bullet Day, and a Partner at Gravitas Prime, a boutique M&A advisory firm. He’s mentored founders from Switzerland to Samoa, helped German startups enter Southeast Asia, and is now mobilizing over half a billion dollars in sustainable investment capital for the region.

But what makes Joseph remarkable isn’t just his résumé; it’s his philosophy. He’s the rare kind of connector who moves comfortably between boardrooms and backstreets, between strategy decks and startup chaos. His mission is simple but radical: help founders become as valuable as possible, without compromising their values.

In this conversation, we unpack Joseph’s journey, from launching Oreos for single women in China (yes, that’s a thing) to building one of the most trusted angel networks in the Philippines. We talk about:

How Southeast Asia became one of the world’s most promising startup frontiers
Why the Philippines is a cultural testbed for global innovation
The broken system of funding, and how to fix it from within
The power of integrity, relationships, and regional collaboration
And why Joseph believes Filipinos must stop seeing themselves as martyrs, and start acting as creative catalysts

Whether you’re a startup founder, investor, or simply someone who believes in building better systems, this episode will make you rethink how ecosystems actually evolve, and how to play your part in making them more human.

00:00 Introduction – Meeting in Manila
00:40 Who Is Joseph De Leon
01:10 From Advertising to Angel Investing
03:20 Fixing the System – Birth of Bullet Day
05:45 Building the Startup Pipeline in the Philippines
07:00 The Philippines as Southeast Asia’s Launchpad
08:00 Global Startup Awards & Early Connections
09:20 Joseph’s Personal Journey & Lessons
13:00 The Oreo Story and Career Turning Point
16:10 The Future of Southeast Asia & Final Thoughts

🎙️ Host: Peter Kovacs (NetworkSmith.io)
💼 Guest: Joseph De Leon – Director, Founder Institute Philippines / Founder, Bullet Day / Partner, Gravitas Prime

#Startups #SoutheastAsia #Innovation #AngelInvesting #Philippines #EcosystemBuilders #Podcast #NetworkSmith