Coquí Ventures 🐸: Angel León on Pre-Seed Capital, Mentorship, and Ecosystem Building Ep. 85

In this episode of the Wealthing Podcast, host Alicia Castillo Holley sits down with Angel León, founder of Coquí Ventures and host of The Corridor podcast, to discuss his path from the U.S. Navy to building a platform and fund that supports Puerto Rican and Latino startups. The conversation explores Coquí Ventures, named after the native Puerto Rican coquí frog, and its focus on pre-seed Latino companies using AI in industries such as agriculture, space, supply chain, and manufacturing. Angel shares how his military background shaped his leadership style, why asking questions, seeking help, and learning continuously matter most, and how he is working to cultivate a more entrepreneurial mindset in Puerto Rico. Throughout the interview, the dialogue moves between Angel's work and Alicia's perspective as an investor, including cases for smaller early-stage investments to build the ecosystem, and the need for more collaboration among emerging fund managers. Together, they touch on themes of community, authenticity, and what it takes to elevate Latino voices in venture. About Angel: Angel León is a U.S. Navy veteran, startup operator, and venture scout with more than 10 years of experience helping early-stage founders raise capital, scale operations, and navigate the venture ecosystem. Born in San Juan and based in New York, he is the founder and CEO of Coquí Ventures, a platform and pre-seed fund for Puerto Rican and Latino diaspora founders, and the creator of Coquí Sprint, a free 12-week fundraising preparation program for pre-seed Boricua founders. He also hosts The Corridor, a podcast on Latino tech and culture. Connect with Angel: LinkedIn: Angel Leon Website: https://coqui.world/