Expanding Leadership Impact: Angel Investing and Chief of Staff Insights for Purpose-Driven Ventures
November 10, 2025 • 36 mins
Erika Aquino, an angel investor with 26 portfolio companies across five countries, and her Chief of Staff Patricia de Leon, share how they work together to find and support women and minority founders in sustainability, wellness, education, and future of work. They talk about Patricia’s role as the first filter for deals, relationship building, and special projects like producing a TV show on female founders. Erika also opens up about her bipolar diagnosis and emphasizes the importance of resilience and choosing team members who align with her values.
Links Mentioned:
- Erika Aquino’s Website
- Connect with Erika Aquino on LinkedIn
- Connect with Patricia de Leon on LinkedIn
- Follow Erika Aquino on Instagram
Free Resources:
- Strategic Planning Checklist
- Chief of Staff Skills Assessment Checklist
- A Day in the Life of a Chief of Staff
- Chief of Staff Toolkit
Get in Touch With Emily:
- Connect on LinkedIn
- Follow on YouTube
- Learn more about coaching
- Sign up for the newsletter
- Clarity Call with Emily
Who Am I?
If we haven’t yet before - Hi👋 I’m Emily, Chief of Staff turned Executive Leadership Coach. After a thrilling ride up the corporate ladder, I’m focusing on what I love - working with people to realize their professional and personal goals. Through my videos here on this channel, books, podcast guest spots, and newsletter, I share new ideas and practical and tactical tools to help you be more productive and build the career and life you want.
Time Stamps:
01:01 Erika Aquino's Background and Passion
02:46 Patricia De Leon's Journey
05:03 The Role of a Chief of Staff
10:19 Mentorship and Team Dynamics
18:42 Personal Experiences with Mental Health
20:11 Patricia's Journey in the Investment Scene
25:26 Future Goals and Vision for 2026
27:40 Advice for Principals and Chiefs of Staff
30:04 Effective Pitching Tips
31:55 Importance of Personal Connection to Problems
34:15 Connecting with Erika and Patricia
35:13 Final Thoughts and Contact Information
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (00:25):
Welcome back to Leveraging Leadership.
I have two wonderful guests ontoday.
We are joined by Erica Aquinoand Patricia De Leon and Erica
is an experienced angel investorand strategic advisor.
She's passionate aboutsupporting startups that balance
profit with a purpose, and shespecializes in supporting early
(00:46):
stage ventures focused onsustainability, wellness,
education, and the future ofwork.
And Patricia is her chief ofstaff, so a warm welcome to you
both on the show.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08- (00:57):
Thanks for having us.
Really?
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (01:00):
Looking forward to it.
So, um, Erica, most of ourlisteners are in the
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (01:04):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (01:05):
and by way of quick background for
you, I know you're kind of a bigdeal in Asia, but for those of
you who might not know who youare, can you give a quick
background, uh, and informationplease.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (01:16):
I am an okay deal.
Let's, let's, let's clarifythat.
So, um, yes, I am an angelinvestor specializing early
ventures in sustainability,wellness, future of work and
education.
Um, I am, I have.
26 portfolio companies in fivecountries and three continents,
(01:39):
um, including the US actually.
Um, I've done, you know, I.
I have, I have in CPG, I have intech, I have in platforms.
And really I look for founderswho are, um, who are very close
to their, to the problem thatthey're trying to solve.
(01:59):
And I look for women or minorityowned or underserved, um,
founders especially.
So, yeah, that's essentially whoI am.
I do love to travel a lot and,um, it, it's actually been a
passion of mine to, to kind oflearn lessons from travels and
see how they can apply in theinvestment world.
And because I'm out a lot,Patricia here is, um, I would
(02:24):
say my savior.
She knows my schedule betterthan I do.
She knows my agenda better thanI do, and frankly, you know, um,
I think she compliments a lot ofmy skills as well.
So, yeah,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (02:39):
All right,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (02:40):
here we are.
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (02:40):
Savior.
So small shoes to fill.
Um, kind of talk about maybewhere, where you came into, into
this
patricia-de-leon--she-her (02:46):
Okay, so I used to be chief of staff
since 2021, so it's been prettynew, but not so new as well.
So I do have experience back inAsia, but now I'm based here in
the United States.
So I used to work for innovationtech, always supporting male
founders.
As you know, it's a maledominated field, lately I've
(03:10):
been having that.
Change of heart.
You know, I've always wanted tosupport female founders, so I've
been going to a lot of likenetworking events.
Female owned, like female based.
Um, but then again, I didn'tknow that I was gonna make a
bigger impact because I wasgonna meet an angel investor who
invests in women So that's when,um, I met Erica.
(03:34):
It was at a.
It was a community networkingevent, and she was one of the
speakers.
And I just approached it with alot of curiosity.
It was like, what does an angelinvestor do?
It sounded so great, but I waslike, I didn't have any idea as
to what exact
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (03:51):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (03:51):
does the day-to-day, uh, look like
and how do you even get intothat role and what does, what do
you do?
Right?
So basically when she was aspeaker, I reached out to her.
And ask her, right?
Like all these questions.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (04:08):
Mm-hmm.
I, I really like that Patriciajust kind of went for it.
And the fact I, that's, that'sreally rare, honestly, for
someone to offer her skills andknow what she literally brings
to the table and says, Hey, Iused to be a chief of staff.
You might need one.
Here I am.
(04:30):
Okay.
Do I need a chief of staff?
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (04:33):
when I heard her speak.
One is like supporting female
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (04:36):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-h (04:37):
Another one is she has a very global
mindset, and I've alwaysconsidered myself as a global
citizen.
So I, I like to move in, youknow, different places.
I'm really open to it andlearning and about different
markets as well.
So as I would say, I guess itwas like a match made in heaven
for me and Erica.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (04:59):
A match made on the internet.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (05:03):
And, and Erica, how did you go from,
do I need a chief of staff?
What is a chief of staff to Thisis a lifesaver.
This is a savior.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (05:11):
No.
Well, I also realized what myday-to-day was.
I analyzed, I, I looked at mycalendar, I looked at what I
needed to do, and I'm, and witha tr with the amount of travel
that I do.
I also tend to be, things getinefficient when you're in
different time zones, right?
And I thought, I need somebodywho can not just help me out,
(05:34):
but multiply the workload.
Um, and at the same time, um.
Learn from me and I can learnfrom them as well.
And when Patricia, so Patriciaand I, so the event was online,
right?
And she said, Hey, what's up?
She sent me a private messageafter, and of course I, you
(05:56):
know.
It was, I guess I would, you'dsay she, I really admired her
guts, her, her willingness tojust put herself out there and
approach a speaker.
Somebody that she didn't know.
And, you know, she, she narratedwhat she used to do.
She told me what she, what shecould bring, and I said, Hey,
(06:17):
you know what, let's meet up.
I.
I tend to hire based on not justskills, but the vibe, our
alignment in, in, in morals, inwork ethic, et cetera, and what
we believe in, in terms ofmission.
So we met up in LA when I wasthere and yeah, I think we just
got along and I really like whatPatricia was doing, and I guess
(06:44):
I was looking for something.
I just didn't know how to defineit and Patricia didn't define it
for me.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (06:50):
okay.
Gotcha.
And then how did, how does thechief of staff fit within.
Your, existing team or yourlarger team.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08- (07:00):
Right.
So, well, this is a very smallteam, um, particularly when we
analyze deal flow.
Alright?
So it's not necessarily, I, I doa lot of projects and Patricia
pretty much helps out in almostall of them, but she primarily
helps out in analyzing dealflow.
So I do get a lot of pitches.
Um, s.
(07:20):
At one point, I think we wereat, oh God, so many at the time,
and Patricia is the initialfilter.
Um, without her I was just alittle like, okay, things would
fall to the wayside and, youknow, um, but with Patricia, she
streamlined things.
Um, together with our CFO, myfractional CFO, we.
(07:44):
They live in the data room.
We live in the data room, and wesay, yes, no, maybe whether it's
a fund, whether it's a, um, uh,any type of investment, whether
it's, um, you know, a CPG brandor a platform, et cetera.
But Trisha really kind of actsas my, um, my eyes and ears as
(08:06):
well, um, on things.
So, yeah, um, that's how shekind of fits into the theme.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (08:10):
And Patricia, how did you go about
learning what Erica would belistening for or looking for, or
being that first filter?
How did you go about becoming aneffective filter?
Because I can imagine, whilethat's a great responsibility
with a lot of trust, it's alsoa.
wanna not pass through a dealthat she would wanna look at and
vice versa.
So how did you go about that
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1 (08:30):
So for me it was about, I remember
shadowing her for a few months.
um, I would go with her andcalls, uh, first it's online,
but also in person, and I wouldtake down notes and I kind of
put structure and everything.
So even with the way that sheasks, I would, I remember I
would make a guideline formyself and also put a bit of
(08:51):
metrics.
Then eventually, um, I wouldlead the calls and then she
would kind of listen.
As well.
And she would, we would
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (08:59):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1_ (08:59):
a debriefing session, um, after
each
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (09:03):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (09:24):
was like I was the
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (09:25):
Yeah.
Yeah.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (09:27):
The steady force, making sure that
everything goes on smoothly.
So I think that's my main valueadd to her.
And at the same time, I know wehad this conversation about
usually chiefs of staff willhave a lot of staff, of course.
So I experienced that beforewhere, you know, I.
Took a company from zero to one,one to 50, or one to a hundred.
(09:49):
Um, but I feel like from this,for this role specifically with
Erica, it's more of a lot ofspecial projects and I work
adjacent to a lot of.
People, which is veryinteresting for me.
So we do have project later on.
Erica will talk about it.
But things that I've neverworked on, uh, I'm able
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (10:09):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (10:10):
and also I guess, um, you know,
share my skillset and that'swhat I bring to the table.
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (10:17):
Gotcha.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (10:19):
And, and honestly, if, if I may add,
I, I want to be that person thatthat boss.
That I needed when I was youngerand looking for mentorship or
looking for things to do.
I, I'm not the person that cansit in an office.
Not that there's anything wrongwith that.
(10:39):
I, that's just not me.
I can't sit still, and I wantedsomebody who can kind of
understand that and hone that aswell and develop the skills
that.
You know, I may not know that Ineeded, and I think I wanna be
that person for other people.
So this is why Patricia, um, youknow, while it's not, she
(11:04):
doesn't have, she doesn't havestaff, a lot of staff, she does
have a lot of things to do, Ithink, on a daily basis.
Um, and I think honestly, noday, no two days are alike,
right?
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (11:19):
Yes.
I, I often say, uh, being chiefof staff is many things.
Boring is not one of them.
So I've, I've yet to come acrosschief of staff who says I'm
bored at work.
But, um, Erica, you mentionedsomething, mentorship, and it's
so funny because a lot of chiefsof staff going into a role.
Craving mentorship.
I want to work for a principalwho I'm aligned with on values,
(11:41):
but will invest in me and, andhelp me grow.
I'll be supportive and tee themup for success and work with my
principal, but they are lookingfor that reciprocity in a sense.
And principles
erika-aquino--she-_ (11:52):
Absolutely.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (11:54):
all over the place.
You are literally flying allover the place.
Figuratively,
erika-aquino--she-_1 (11:57):
Literally,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (11:58):
Um,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (11:58):
yeah.
Literally.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (11:58):
do you balance the.
The I need to get stuff done.
I need to be front facing, butalso take care of my people and
really have that partnership andrelationship with them.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (12:09):
Well, it's, it's, again, it's taking
care of everybody, whether it'sa decent salary, whether it's a
salary that they need, whetherit, healthcare benefits, um,
those things I, I really want totake care of.
Another thing is making surethat they're okay.
I, Patricia, I don't know if younoticed this, but I do ask you,
(12:32):
how are you doing?
Um, yeah, how are you doing withthings?
I, I, sorry, I haven't touchedbase with you.
How are you?
How are you?
I think no, when I was, youknow, in my career, deep into my
career and getting, getting up,going out, going up there, um,
no one really ever asked methat.
(12:53):
Um.
Other than, you know, let's sayit was the quarterly evaluation,
that's the only time peoplewould ask me, oh, how are you?
Like, you didn't ask, youhaven't asked me about the other
times.
Which is fine.
Which is fine.
I get it.
People are busy.
But I think it's, it's alsoabout, and, and I've been taught
(13:16):
this, um, by a lot of, um, by,by my dad, by, um.
My parents really, um, take careof people.
They'll take care of you,whether it's your friends, your
family, um, your coworkers.
Um, yeah, say, be nice, be kindto everybody, and they'll be
kind to you.
So yeah, I believe in that.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (13:37):
so we've got kind of a deal team or
or filter on pitches we have.
So just for context, how manydays out of the year would you
say you're traveling?
Is this like days out of theyear?
Is it.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (13:51):
I don't know.
I dunno, to be honest, um, I, Icounted my, um, yeah, I, I just
this year.
Okay.
Just to give you an idea, justthis year I've been through.
I believe 12 countries thisyear.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (14:10):
so, so you're
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (14:11):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (14:12):
So Patricia, you're doing these
deals, you're communicating, I'msure, like via
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (14:16):
Yes.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (14:16):
or, or WhatsApp or whatever on
different things that are goingon in different time zones and
being flexible.
that that's not enough, but are,is there anything else that you
cover as chief of staff?
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1 (14:27):
I, um, yeah, I think there's a lot
of special projects.
So we do have portfoliocompanies, so whenever they do
need help, um, from me in anyway, so I do hop on and make
sure that everything goes onsmoothly.
So it's, a lot of it is aboutrelationship building.
like what Erica
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (14:47):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (14:47):
you know, not only with the
founders, but also the peoplethat we already have on board
and we invested in, but there'sa lot of, I guess, networking
aspect to it as well, andrelationship building.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (15:01):
Of course, of course.
And, and just for context, Ibelieve you are, you are doing
both direct investments and theninvesting at the LP level.
Is that
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (15:09):
Yes.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (15:10):
Yes, yes.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (15:11):
So, so Patricia, would you be
working kind of on both fronts,so it might be a, a leadership
team of a portfolio companydirectly and or a VC or PE firm.
Is that, are those your
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (15:22):
Yes.
So basically, um, everyone thatErika knows will at some point
know me too or, yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-2 (15:33):
Or they'll know her first before
they get
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (15:35):
Very cool, and maybe
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (15:36):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (15:36):
talk about that.
So let's say a pitch passesPatricia's Muster.
So Patricia goes, yep, likeErica, you should look at this
one.
What happens from there?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (15:46):
Um, we, we have our weekly standing
calls where, okay, take a lookat these, and I'll say, yes, no,
yes, no, yes, no.
Um, and yeah, we'll, we'll,we'll go on to the next step.
Um, it's really quite an easyprocess and she kind of knows
what I want and what, yeah, and,and honestly, the way she.
She was very, she's extremelyobservant, um, particularly
(16:10):
during the learning period.
She was, you know, she reallyasked the right questions.
She asked a lot of questions,which I truly appreciate.
And with that, you know, shekind of honed in on what I was
looking for.
And yeah, it, it, it washonestly quite easy to train,
um, to train Patricia.
(16:30):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (16:31):
love the the observant
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (16:34):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (16:35):
because we've heard a lot of proactive
go-getter, it sounds like.
Patricia certainly has donethat.
It is that as well.
But the observant piece is justso critical, I think, where you
can, even if you're not sayinganything, you can be in a room
and observe what's going on inpickup, what's being said,
what's not being
erika-aquino--she-_1_0 (16:51):
exactly.
Exactly, exactly.
I mean, so many people talknowadays just.
And it's very rare that someonecan sit still and look and, and
listen and observe really what'sgoing on.
And Patricia is exactly that.
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (17:06):
like me.
And at the same time, you know,I do observe, uh, but also I
make sure that everything getsdone on time within budget as
well.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (17:16):
true chief of staff.
Yes, of course.
And, and Erica, you're, you'reflying all around the world.
You're evaluating deals, butyou're also speaking and
keynoting and getting messagesout there.
Can you say a little bit aboutwhat the message you're trying
to get out to women, toinvestors?
The world is.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (17:35):
It?
Well, again, it depends on thevenue and it depends on, on.
What type of event it is.
But of course it's anything fromangel investing, how to get into
it, why I got into it, um, howto scale, et cetera.
But also I've spoken about myown personal story.
Um, yeah, I, I, I did go througha few things.
(17:55):
Um, a few hardships.
Um, in fact, I was diagnosedwith bipolar.
I was, uh, but I kind ofnavigate that in the sense that,
hey, I may have.
Gone through this, but we are,our past or what we're diagnosed
(18:16):
with should not define us.
And I try to, to practice and topreach, um, resiliency.
And, you know, sometimes the,the, you know, the, the bigger
the fall, the, the, the betterthe climb.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (18:33):
Yes.
Yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (18:34):
Yeah, so I, I try to preach that,
that, you know, it's, it's, um,it's not what you've done.
It's what you're, what you'regoing to do about it.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (18:42):
I, I appreciate you sharing that.
I actually have, uh, familymembers who have been diagnosed
with bipolar.
We've had several guests on talkabout mental health and thing
they, things they've struggled
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (18:51):
Yeah,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (18:51):
And I always wanna just highlight in
every episode I can that in.
If you have a, if you have adiagnosis, that doesn't mean you
can't be successful.
A lot of
erika-aquino--she-_1_0 (19:01):
exactly.
Exactly.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (19:02):
say, oh, then I must not be able to
be successful in these areas.
And there's top leaders and veryhigh level, you know, top
performers who are also workingto overcome these things.
So you can, you can do both.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08- (19:15):
Right.
And, and I, I'd also like topoint out that a leader, um, an
effective leader knows his orher limitations, um, and
leverages.
Their strengths with thestrengths of others.
So I think building a criticalteam, um, that aligns with your
mission, just like Patricia.
Um, even people who are in myspecial projects, um, we all, I
(19:41):
try to select and I'm verydiscerning with regard to who I
align with honestly.
Um, it's a skill that you pickup over time.
Um, I wasn't this way when I wasPatricia's age, but through
experience, through life, youkind of get that, that sixth
sense of, um, okay, thisperson's great, this person
(20:04):
will, I see their strengths, Isee their weaknesses.
Again, it's about beingobservant as well, so
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (20:09):
Hmm.
Yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (20:11):
yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (20:11):
And Patricia, given the mentorship
aspect and the complimentaryskillset, what have you learned
from Erica in your time workingwith her?
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (20:17):
You know what?
The investment scene is a verynew space for me.
So I came in with like, I didn'tknow anything, you know, I
didn't have firsthandexperience.
And knowledge, and I think Ericaopened a lot of doors for me.
So in the investment scene, youknow, working with women in
business, women investors, otherhigh net worth individuals and
(20:41):
just, you know, havingconversations with them, she
also brings me to a lot ofevents.
So we went to create andCultivate, um, a few weeks ago,
and at the same time, she.
At the same time, she alsobalances me out.
'cause I am very type A, I couldbe, you know, obsessed with
execution and my to-dos.
I remember a few weeks ago Ericabrought us to Universal Studios
(21:04):
just to have fun.
So Yeah.
And, and was on an Xpress fast.
Let me, let me point that out.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (21:11):
there we go.
We're going in style.
nice.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (21:14):
Yeah, no, we gotta be efficient,
right?
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (21:18):
Lines come on.
Yeah, the express pass.
Of course.
That's amazing.
Um, Patricia, you, you've kindof mentioned special projects
and working with the othermembers of the team.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat that looks
patricia-de-leon--she-her (21:28):
Yeah, so basically I work adjacent to
a lot of people.
So I'm in a lot of Slackchannels and people are
sometimes like, who, who is thisgirl?
Like, so we do have a bit ofcontext that, hey, um, this
Erica, she host staff, she'll bekind of.
In the, um, channels with youguys and just checking in just
to make sure that everything'sgoing well or if you need
(21:50):
anything, need any help withcoordination, then I'll be the
eyes and ears of Erica.
So every time I do, um.
You know, kind of make an introto who I am.
I always tell them I do executeon Erica's behalf and you know,
there's no need to worry becausewe are aligned in, you know,
end-to-end process of everythingon our plate right now.
(22:13):
Yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-2 (22:16):
So I do have a marketing agency in
the Philippines.
Um, we, we have event, we do alot of events.
We are in fact hosting a luxuryretreat, um, from November three
to nine in the Philippines.
And Patricia's helping out withthat.
Um, she's sort of acting as theconcierge, um, particularly for
(22:36):
our American visitors.
And if you're interested, I cantell you more, but that's
another thing.
Um.
We are again, I'm alsoco-executive producing an
upcoming show, a TV show, um, onfemale founders.
Patricia has been heavilyinvolved with that, um, with the
(22:57):
selection process, withproduction, et cetera.
And I think this is the projectthat she's been speaking about,
that she has no idea what she'sdoing, but she's doing it.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2 (23:09):
Amazing.
And I, I'm not gonna ask you togive too much information away,
but is there anything else justabout the, the show format or,
or anything that you can sayaround that?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (23:20):
Well, yes.
So it's essentially centeredaround female founders.
So think of, um, people willlearn everything from funding a
business.
To scaling a business, um, andmaybe pitching their business
actually.
Um, they'll be learning thatwhile interacting with fantastic
(23:44):
mentors.
That's,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (23:46):
you in this or are you behind the
scenes?
Ah,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (23:49):
I am in and behind the scenes.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (23:52):
Okay.
I'm, I'm envisioning like, shShark Tank for, for women or
kind of a documentary where youfollow five people on their path
or something like this.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (24:03):
Um, I, I'll, I'll, I'll definitely
let you in once, once we're,we're good to say, but it's,
it's, it's, it's not quite SharkTank.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (24:13):
Tank.
Okay.
Okay.
Well, we'll,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (24:15):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (24:15):
it go there.
I know things are in the works.
And um, Patricia, have you, didyou have any production or
broadcast or coordinating withdifferent streaming services,
whoever you're going to,distributors, movie production,
anything like that
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (24:30):
No, like this is so new to me, but
at the same time, I thinkthere's a lot of transferable
skills I probably had before.
It's more of like thatcuriosity.
I'm very, I think I'm also veryindependent.
Just like what Eric?
Was telling me I could, know,learn things on the fly.
Um, you don't really have tohandhold me.
(24:51):
So once I think one, one strongsuit of mind is I just need to
understand the vision and I justneed to clarify what are the
non-negotiables, and I coulddefinitely map things out from
there and make sure.
happens and at the same time Imet the team, the production
team as well.
And I think it's important,again, the relationship building
(25:12):
with them.
And yeah, I think it's beensmooth sailing so far, um, and a
lot of learning curves as well.
emily-sander_1_08-06-202 (25:22):
Sounds like it.
And if you, if you both lookinto.
2026, let's say.
So out in the future, end of2026, I think I've heard some
things that you probably wannaaccomplish, such as the show,
but in terms of where you'respending your time and energy,
does that look like for the bothof you?
If like, okay, in 2026, here'swhere I really wanna focus.
(25:42):
Here's the best use of my time,talent, and treasure.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (25:48):
Okay, so I, I travel a lot, right?
Um, I travel a lot and I see inmy travels I see patterns and,
and trends that may notnecessarily be, um, obvious to
someone who doesn't travel.
Um, I see.
Um.
I really, what I really want tohappen is create a, an ecosystem
(26:12):
of where, whether it's mediacompanies, et cetera, um, of
something that balances profitand purpose.
If, if I'm going for the biggermission, and if, you know,
obviously there's the show,obviously it's, um, through my
investments, obviously it'sthrough speaking and for me, um,
(26:33):
I just wanna keep continuing.
Keep on doing that.
Um, and, and there is somethingout there and people do listen,
so, you know, hopefully, I, I, Ijust wanna, I just wanna help as
much people as I can with, tothe best of my ability and to
the best of my time.
Yeah.
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (26:53):
Yes.
So I
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (26:54):
You,
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1 (26:54):
me it is about really having that
global mindset.
So most of our
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (27:00):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (27:00):
are based in the US and I know, just
like what Erica was mentioning,there's a lot of different
things out there.
The world is so big, sohopefully we also get exposure
to untapped markets that wedidn't think you know would be a
good fit, but eventually wouldturn out to be, wow, this is so
amazing.
You know, learning aboutdifferent cultures and the
(27:24):
drivers and movers of theireconomies and how it aligns to
our, you know, investmentthesis.
I think that would be reallygreat exposure.
And at the same time, it's areally, really great learning
experience as well.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (27:38):
Hmm.
And then Erica, for principalslistening, and maybe they're
considering a chief of staff,maybe they have a chief of
staff, but they're trying tooptimize that role, what, what
advice would you give them orthings to think about?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (27:55):
I think observe your chief of
staff and what their strengthsand weaknesses are and how they
compliment yours.
Um.
It's, it's really aboutmultiplying your productivity
and you can't do that withsomebody who doesn't really
align with you and what you areabout.
(28:17):
It, it, it won't happen as wellif you don't know yourself and
you don't, and if you don't knowyour chief of staff.
So again, it's about, well, yes,relationship building, but there
is an end in mind, which islet's multiply efficiency, let's
keep things going, um, anddon't, without spreading myself
(28:38):
too thin as well.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (28:39):
Yes.
All right.
And Patricia, similar questionfor you.
For chiefs of staff listening,aspiring chiefs of staff, new
chiefs of staff, multi-timechiefs of staff like you are,
what advice would you give aboutthe role or working with your
principal or
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1 (28:51):
So for me, it's similar to what
Erica was saying, but just like.
what I've mentioned before, um,the chief of staff is loyal to
your principal, whereas, youknow, let's say A COO is loyal
to your company.
So your relationship and youralignment with your principal is
extremely important.
I think that's the cornerstoneof this whole thing, because
(29:14):
sometimes you spend more timewith your principal than some of
your family members.
That happens because you doshadow.
His, her schedule or hisschedule or whatever the goals
are.
And for me, I think when I firstmet Erica, I told her, I'm here
to amplify role.
(29:34):
And I
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (29:35):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (29:35):
that really resonated with her and I
think that would resonate to alot of principals as well.
And sometimes, you know, it canget lonely if you're just alone.
And I feel like that's somethingthat Erica also felt.
And you know, if you havesomeone.
That's, you know, in the samepath, you know, same direction
as you.
Things will really be easier,and again, things
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (29:57):
Hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she (29:58):
magnified in terms of impact.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (30:02):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06 (30:03):
Beautiful.
And Patricia, if someone islistening and is gonna be a
future, pitcher to you, what,what, what Behind the scenes or
inside, inside baseball tips andtricks you give them about what
makes an effective pitch here,what maybe what to avoid?
I'm sure you've seen good,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (30:20):
God.
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (30:21):
and all the rest.
patricia-de-leon--sh (30:22):
sometimes, you know what?
I hop into calls and I feel likethey're clueless as to who
they're talking to.
I think that's a, that's a redflag.
Or they didn't do their researchabout us.
Even if sometimes they're theones who reach out to us and I'm
like, I'm a bit confused.
It's like they have no idea likewhat this call was about when
(30:43):
they were the ones who did theoutreach.
Um, so do your research and atthe same time, you know, we do
have our, you know, um.
Our sectors that we invest in.
And at the same time, you know,it's profit and purpose.
So once you get those thingsdown and see that there is a
genuine, you know, alignmentwith those things, then I think
(31:04):
it will go well.
And at the same time, you know,Erica and I, we do a vibe check,
so there's no kind of formula tothat, but that's also one factor
that we really look into.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (31:17):
All right, so definitely do your
research beforehand and know whoyou're talking to.
Seems straightforward, but let'ssay someone does that and
they're like, okay, we've, we'vedone our research.
We're making this a custompitch.
Are there anything else?
Is there anything else that youlook for?
You always ask this questionsome point in the conversation
for that first pitch.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (31:36):
Hmm.
Well, it's really knowing theirnumbers also, just off the bat,
um, what, what's your uniteconomics like?
How do you arrive at your, yourtarget market?
How?
Just rapid fire, the usual ifthey know it.
That's already a green flag forme.
Um, what else?
Um, how close are they to theproblem?
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (31:58):
Yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (31:59):
It's the founder profile as well.
Um, for me it's like, okay,again, if you are passionate
about.
Let's say, uh, oh.
I, I invested in this platformthat caters to funders and
founders, and the founder ofthis platform, um, is a, an
angel investor herself and afounder herself.
(32:21):
So she really understood thepain points of both sides.
So that, for me was really, um,such a.
Such a breath of fresh air inthe sense that, okay, there's a
problem that she really istrying to solve.
Another, um, company I'veinvested in is an app that
caters to nonverbal children,um, with autism as well as their
(32:44):
families.
It was started by a dad whoseson.
Has autism and he's living withthat.
And again, it's a problem thathe's trying to solve because
he's lived it.
So it's, it's that closeness tothat problem.
Um, and again, is it a realproblem that they're trying to
solve?
Um, that for me, is this, um,are you, are you just making it
(33:07):
up?
Are you fitting?
That is, those are the initialthings that I try to look at,
um,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (33:14):
Yes,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (33:15):
which is, yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (33:15):
that reminds me of a story where
there's um, this woman who was,was on the board for an
insurance company and peopleasked her like, why are you
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (33:24):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (33:25):
on, why do you wanna be on the board
for this insurance company?
Insurance is seemingly of aboring topic.
And she said, on Tuesday, marchand gave the year my husband
died.
woke up and he didn't wake up,it was devastating and tragic.
But because we had thisinsurance policy, it saved our
(33:45):
family.
So I know firsthand howimportant this can be, and
that's why I wanna do X, Y, andZ with this company.
And it just, it was verypersonal and you could see the
why behind what she was doing,and the motivation was clear.
And so I think sometimes it isthe, it is the closeness to it
where I have a lived experience,which makes me passionate
erika-aquino--she-_1_0 (34:04):
Exactly.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And, and you know, the more theylive it, the more they wanna
solve it usually.
Right?
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (34:13):
And I
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (34:13):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (34:14):
this at the
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (34:14):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (34:15):
but can you just remind folks of
about if someone's listening andis like, oh, I should reach out
to Erica, or Reach out toPatricia.
or I know someone who should,can you just remind folks of who
you're looking to connect with?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (34:29):
Um, well, we're looking for founders
in the women or minority owned.
Um.
Companies in the sustainability,wellness future for and
education spaces.
Um, we are country agnostic, um,but we're really looking at
entrepreneurs who are trying tosolve real problems.
(34:50):
Um, and, you know, just, justwith a mission that aligns with
ours.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (34:55):
and if you pass round and get to
Erica, it sounds like Erica willtravel to wherever you are to
come and see you potentially.
So
patricia-de-leon--she-her (35:01):
Yeah, potentially.
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (35:05):
We'll see, we'll see.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (35:06):
It's happened.
It's happened.
So, yeah.
But again, yeah, depends on thecountry.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (35:13):
Is there anything else either of
you would wanna get out there asa final word?
Or, or, and or, where is thebest place to find out more
about you and do your researchand learn more and connect with
you?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (35:24):
Uh, well, I do have a website, um,
erica-aino.com.
That, that's Erica with a k, um,and A-Q-U-I-N-O.
So I, I'm sure it's gonna be inyour show notes.
Um, but that's the easiest way.
Uh, we have a handle of.
Um, on the contact formLinkedIn.
I'm on LinkedIn as well.
Um, on and on Instagram.
emily-sander_1_08-06 (35:45):
Beautiful.
And Patricia, are those the bestplaces to connect with
patricia-de-leon--she-her (35:47):
Yeah, so basically once you send an
inquiry on the website, it'sgonna go to me.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (35:53):
It's good to go to you.
Alright, so you got a littlesneak peek listener about who
you're talking to, but, uh,Erica, Patricia, thank you so
much for being on, reallyenjoyed the conversation and I
know our listeners will learn alot and they're very curious
about, uh, the space, the VCspace, and chiefs of staff kind
of getting behind the scenes andthen also what you're doing with
the investment side.
(36:13):
So thank you very much.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (36:15):
No, thank you.
Thank you so much for having us.
Yeah.
This conversation.
Thank you.
Welcome back to Leveraging Leadership.
I have two wonderful guests ontoday.
We are joined by Erica Aquinoand Patricia De Leon and Erica
is an experienced angel investorand strategic advisor.
She's passionate aboutsupporting startups that balance
profit with a purpose, and shespecializes in supporting early
(00:46):
stage ventures focused onsustainability, wellness,
education, and the future ofwork.
And Patricia is her chief ofstaff, so a warm welcome to you
both on the show.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08- (00:57):
Thanks for having us.
Really?
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (01:00):
Looking forward to it.
So, um, Erica, most of ourlisteners are in the
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (01:04):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (01:05):
and by way of quick background for
you, I know you're kind of a bigdeal in Asia, but for those of
you who might not know who youare, can you give a quick
background, uh, and informationplease.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (01:16):
I am an okay deal.
Let's, let's, let's clarifythat.
So, um, yes, I am an angelinvestor specializing early
ventures in sustainability,wellness, future of work and
education.
Um, I am, I have.
26 portfolio companies in fivecountries and three continents,
(01:39):
um, including the US actually.
Um, I've done, you know, I.
I have, I have in CPG, I have intech, I have in platforms.
And really I look for founderswho are, um, who are very close
to their, to the problem thatthey're trying to solve.
(01:59):
And I look for women or minorityowned or underserved, um,
founders especially.
So, yeah, that's essentially whoI am.
I do love to travel a lot and,um, it, it's actually been a
passion of mine to, to kind oflearn lessons from travels and
see how they can apply in theinvestment world.
And because I'm out a lot,Patricia here is, um, I would
(02:24):
say my savior.
She knows my schedule betterthan I do.
She knows my agenda better thanI do, and frankly, you know, um,
I think she compliments a lot ofmy skills as well.
So, yeah,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (02:39):
All right,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (02:40):
here we are.
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (02:40):
Savior.
So small shoes to fill.
Um, kind of talk about maybewhere, where you came into, into
this
patricia-de-leon--she-her (02:46):
Okay, so I used to be chief of staff
since 2021, so it's been prettynew, but not so new as well.
So I do have experience back inAsia, but now I'm based here in
the United States.
So I used to work for innovationtech, always supporting male
founders.
As you know, it's a maledominated field, lately I've
(03:10):
been having that.
Change of heart.
You know, I've always wanted tosupport female founders, so I've
been going to a lot of likenetworking events.
Female owned, like female based.
Um, but then again, I didn'tknow that I was gonna make a
bigger impact because I wasgonna meet an angel investor who
invests in women So that's when,um, I met Erica.
(03:34):
It was at a.
It was a community networkingevent, and she was one of the
speakers.
And I just approached it with alot of curiosity.
It was like, what does an angelinvestor do?
It sounded so great, but I waslike, I didn't have any idea as
to what exact
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (03:51):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (03:51):
does the day-to-day, uh, look like
and how do you even get intothat role and what does, what do
you do?
Right?
So basically when she was aspeaker, I reached out to her.
And ask her, right?
Like all these questions.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (04:08):
Mm-hmm.
I, I really like that Patriciajust kind of went for it.
And the fact I, that's, that'sreally rare, honestly, for
someone to offer her skills andknow what she literally brings
to the table and says, Hey, Iused to be a chief of staff.
You might need one.
Here I am.
(04:30):
Okay.
Do I need a chief of staff?
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (04:33):
when I heard her speak.
One is like supporting female
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (04:36):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-h (04:37):
Another one is she has a very global
mindset, and I've alwaysconsidered myself as a global
citizen.
So I, I like to move in, youknow, different places.
I'm really open to it andlearning and about different
markets as well.
So as I would say, I guess itwas like a match made in heaven
for me and Erica.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (04:59):
A match made on the internet.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (05:03):
And, and Erica, how did you go from,
do I need a chief of staff?
What is a chief of staff to Thisis a lifesaver.
This is a savior.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (05:11):
No.
Well, I also realized what myday-to-day was.
I analyzed, I, I looked at mycalendar, I looked at what I
needed to do, and I'm, and witha tr with the amount of travel
that I do.
I also tend to be, things getinefficient when you're in
different time zones, right?
And I thought, I need somebodywho can not just help me out,
(05:34):
but multiply the workload.
Um, and at the same time, um.
Learn from me and I can learnfrom them as well.
And when Patricia, so Patriciaand I, so the event was online,
right?
And she said, Hey, what's up?
She sent me a private messageafter, and of course I, you
(05:56):
know.
It was, I guess I would, you'dsay she, I really admired her
guts, her, her willingness tojust put herself out there and
approach a speaker.
Somebody that she didn't know.
And, you know, she, she narratedwhat she used to do.
She told me what she, what shecould bring, and I said, Hey,
(06:17):
you know what, let's meet up.
I.
I tend to hire based on not justskills, but the vibe, our
alignment in, in, in morals, inwork ethic, et cetera, and what
we believe in, in terms ofmission.
So we met up in LA when I wasthere and yeah, I think we just
got along and I really like whatPatricia was doing, and I guess
(06:44):
I was looking for something.
I just didn't know how to defineit and Patricia didn't define it
for me.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (06:50):
okay.
Gotcha.
And then how did, how does thechief of staff fit within.
Your, existing team or yourlarger team.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08- (07:00):
Right.
So, well, this is a very smallteam, um, particularly when we
analyze deal flow.
Alright?
So it's not necessarily, I, I doa lot of projects and Patricia
pretty much helps out in almostall of them, but she primarily
helps out in analyzing dealflow.
So I do get a lot of pitches.
Um, s.
(07:20):
At one point, I think we wereat, oh God, so many at the time,
and Patricia is the initialfilter.
Um, without her I was just alittle like, okay, things would
fall to the wayside and, youknow, um, but with Patricia, she
streamlined things.
Um, together with our CFO, myfractional CFO, we.
(07:44):
They live in the data room.
We live in the data room, and wesay, yes, no, maybe whether it's
a fund, whether it's a, um, uh,any type of investment, whether
it's, um, you know, a CPG brandor a platform, et cetera.
But Trisha really kind of actsas my, um, my eyes and ears as
(08:06):
well, um, on things.
So, yeah, um, that's how shekind of fits into the theme.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (08:10):
And Patricia, how did you go about
learning what Erica would belistening for or looking for, or
being that first filter?
How did you go about becoming aneffective filter?
Because I can imagine, whilethat's a great responsibility
with a lot of trust, it's alsoa.
wanna not pass through a dealthat she would wanna look at and
vice versa.
So how did you go about that
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1 (08:30):
So for me it was about, I remember
shadowing her for a few months.
um, I would go with her andcalls, uh, first it's online,
but also in person, and I wouldtake down notes and I kind of
put structure and everything.
So even with the way that sheasks, I would, I remember I
would make a guideline formyself and also put a bit of
(08:51):
metrics.
Then eventually, um, I wouldlead the calls and then she
would kind of listen.
As well.
And she would, we would
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (08:59):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1_ (08:59):
a debriefing session, um, after
each
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (09:03):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (09:24):
was like I was the
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (09:25):
Yeah.
Yeah.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (09:27):
The steady force, making sure that
everything goes on smoothly.
So I think that's my main valueadd to her.
And at the same time, I know wehad this conversation about
usually chiefs of staff willhave a lot of staff, of course.
So I experienced that beforewhere, you know, I.
Took a company from zero to one,one to 50, or one to a hundred.
(09:49):
Um, but I feel like from this,for this role specifically with
Erica, it's more of a lot ofspecial projects and I work
adjacent to a lot of.
People, which is veryinteresting for me.
So we do have project later on.
Erica will talk about it.
But things that I've neverworked on, uh, I'm able
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (10:09):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (10:10):
and also I guess, um, you know,
share my skillset and that'swhat I bring to the table.
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (10:17):
Gotcha.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (10:19):
And, and honestly, if, if I may add,
I, I want to be that person thatthat boss.
That I needed when I was youngerand looking for mentorship or
looking for things to do.
I, I'm not the person that cansit in an office.
Not that there's anything wrongwith that.
(10:39):
I, that's just not me.
I can't sit still, and I wantedsomebody who can kind of
understand that and hone that aswell and develop the skills
that.
You know, I may not know that Ineeded, and I think I wanna be
that person for other people.
So this is why Patricia, um, youknow, while it's not, she
(11:04):
doesn't have, she doesn't havestaff, a lot of staff, she does
have a lot of things to do, Ithink, on a daily basis.
Um, and I think honestly, noday, no two days are alike,
right?
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (11:19):
Yes.
I, I often say, uh, being chiefof staff is many things.
Boring is not one of them.
So I've, I've yet to come acrosschief of staff who says I'm
bored at work.
But, um, Erica, you mentionedsomething, mentorship, and it's
so funny because a lot of chiefsof staff going into a role.
Craving mentorship.
I want to work for a principalwho I'm aligned with on values,
(11:41):
but will invest in me and, andhelp me grow.
I'll be supportive and tee themup for success and work with my
principal, but they are lookingfor that reciprocity in a sense.
And principles
erika-aquino--she-_ (11:52):
Absolutely.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (11:54):
all over the place.
You are literally flying allover the place.
Figuratively,
erika-aquino--she-_1 (11:57):
Literally,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (11:58):
Um,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (11:58):
yeah.
Literally.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (11:58):
do you balance the.
The I need to get stuff done.
I need to be front facing, butalso take care of my people and
really have that partnership andrelationship with them.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (12:09):
Well, it's, it's, again, it's taking
care of everybody, whether it'sa decent salary, whether it's a
salary that they need, whetherit, healthcare benefits, um,
those things I, I really want totake care of.
Another thing is making surethat they're okay.
I, Patricia, I don't know if younoticed this, but I do ask you,
(12:32):
how are you doing?
Um, yeah, how are you doing withthings?
I, I, sorry, I haven't touchedbase with you.
How are you?
How are you?
I think no, when I was, youknow, in my career, deep into my
career and getting, getting up,going out, going up there, um,
no one really ever asked methat.
(12:53):
Um.
Other than, you know, let's sayit was the quarterly evaluation,
that's the only time peoplewould ask me, oh, how are you?
Like, you didn't ask, youhaven't asked me about the other
times.
Which is fine.
Which is fine.
I get it.
People are busy.
But I think it's, it's alsoabout, and, and I've been taught
(13:16):
this, um, by a lot of, um, by,by my dad, by, um.
My parents really, um, take careof people.
They'll take care of you,whether it's your friends, your
family, um, your coworkers.
Um, yeah, say, be nice, be kindto everybody, and they'll be
kind to you.
So yeah, I believe in that.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (13:37):
so we've got kind of a deal team or
or filter on pitches we have.
So just for context, how manydays out of the year would you
say you're traveling?
Is this like days out of theyear?
Is it.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (13:51):
I don't know.
I dunno, to be honest, um, I, Icounted my, um, yeah, I, I just
this year.
Okay.
Just to give you an idea, justthis year I've been through.
I believe 12 countries thisyear.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (14:10):
so, so you're
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (14:11):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (14:12):
So Patricia, you're doing these
deals, you're communicating, I'msure, like via
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (14:16):
Yes.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (14:16):
or, or WhatsApp or whatever on
different things that are goingon in different time zones and
being flexible.
that that's not enough, but are,is there anything else that you
cover as chief of staff?
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1 (14:27):
I, um, yeah, I think there's a lot
of special projects.
So we do have portfoliocompanies, so whenever they do
need help, um, from me in anyway, so I do hop on and make
sure that everything goes onsmoothly.
So it's, a lot of it is aboutrelationship building.
like what Erica
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (14:47):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (14:47):
you know, not only with the
founders, but also the peoplethat we already have on board
and we invested in, but there'sa lot of, I guess, networking
aspect to it as well, andrelationship building.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (15:01):
Of course, of course.
And, and just for context, Ibelieve you are, you are doing
both direct investments and theninvesting at the LP level.
Is that
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (15:09):
Yes.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (15:10):
Yes, yes.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (15:11):
So, so Patricia, would you be
working kind of on both fronts,so it might be a, a leadership
team of a portfolio companydirectly and or a VC or PE firm.
Is that, are those your
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (15:22):
Yes.
So basically, um, everyone thatErika knows will at some point
know me too or, yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-2 (15:33):
Or they'll know her first before
they get
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (15:35):
Very cool, and maybe
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (15:36):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (15:36):
talk about that.
So let's say a pitch passesPatricia's Muster.
So Patricia goes, yep, likeErica, you should look at this
one.
What happens from there?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (15:46):
Um, we, we have our weekly standing
calls where, okay, take a lookat these, and I'll say, yes, no,
yes, no, yes, no.
Um, and yeah, we'll, we'll,we'll go on to the next step.
Um, it's really quite an easyprocess and she kind of knows
what I want and what, yeah, and,and honestly, the way she.
She was very, she's extremelyobservant, um, particularly
(16:10):
during the learning period.
She was, you know, she reallyasked the right questions.
She asked a lot of questions,which I truly appreciate.
And with that, you know, shekind of honed in on what I was
looking for.
And yeah, it, it, it washonestly quite easy to train,
um, to train Patricia.
(16:30):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (16:31):
love the the observant
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (16:34):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06-20 (16:35):
because we've heard a lot of proactive
go-getter, it sounds like.
Patricia certainly has donethat.
It is that as well.
But the observant piece is justso critical, I think, where you
can, even if you're not sayinganything, you can be in a room
and observe what's going on inpickup, what's being said,
what's not being
erika-aquino--she-_1_0 (16:51):
exactly.
Exactly, exactly.
I mean, so many people talknowadays just.
And it's very rare that someonecan sit still and look and, and
listen and observe really what'sgoing on.
And Patricia is exactly that.
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (17:06):
like me.
And at the same time, you know,I do observe, uh, but also I
make sure that everything getsdone on time within budget as
well.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (17:16):
true chief of staff.
Yes, of course.
And, and Erica, you're, you'reflying all around the world.
You're evaluating deals, butyou're also speaking and
keynoting and getting messagesout there.
Can you say a little bit aboutwhat the message you're trying
to get out to women, toinvestors?
The world is.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (17:35):
It?
Well, again, it depends on thevenue and it depends on, on.
What type of event it is.
But of course it's anything fromangel investing, how to get into
it, why I got into it, um, howto scale, et cetera.
But also I've spoken about myown personal story.
Um, yeah, I, I, I did go througha few things.
(17:55):
Um, a few hardships.
Um, in fact, I was diagnosedwith bipolar.
I was, uh, but I kind ofnavigate that in the sense that,
hey, I may have.
Gone through this, but we are,our past or what we're diagnosed
(18:16):
with should not define us.
And I try to, to practice and topreach, um, resiliency.
And, you know, sometimes the,the, you know, the, the bigger
the fall, the, the, the betterthe climb.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (18:33):
Yes.
Yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (18:34):
Yeah, so I, I try to preach that,
that, you know, it's, it's, um,it's not what you've done.
It's what you're, what you'regoing to do about it.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (18:42):
I, I appreciate you sharing that.
I actually have, uh, familymembers who have been diagnosed
with bipolar.
We've had several guests on talkabout mental health and thing
they, things they've struggled
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (18:51):
Yeah,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (18:51):
And I always wanna just highlight in
every episode I can that in.
If you have a, if you have adiagnosis, that doesn't mean you
can't be successful.
A lot of
erika-aquino--she-_1_0 (19:01):
exactly.
Exactly.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (19:02):
say, oh, then I must not be able to
be successful in these areas.
And there's top leaders and veryhigh level, you know, top
performers who are also workingto overcome these things.
So you can, you can do both.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08- (19:15):
Right.
And, and I, I'd also like topoint out that a leader, um, an
effective leader knows his orher limitations, um, and
leverages.
Their strengths with thestrengths of others.
So I think building a criticalteam, um, that aligns with your
mission, just like Patricia.
Um, even people who are in myspecial projects, um, we all, I
(19:41):
try to select and I'm verydiscerning with regard to who I
align with honestly.
Um, it's a skill that you pickup over time.
Um, I wasn't this way when I wasPatricia's age, but through
experience, through life, youkind of get that, that sixth
sense of, um, okay, thisperson's great, this person
(20:04):
will, I see their strengths, Isee their weaknesses.
Again, it's about beingobservant as well, so
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (20:09):
Hmm.
Yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (20:11):
yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (20:11):
And Patricia, given the mentorship
aspect and the complimentaryskillset, what have you learned
from Erica in your time workingwith her?
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (20:17):
You know what?
The investment scene is a verynew space for me.
So I came in with like, I didn'tknow anything, you know, I
didn't have firsthandexperience.
And knowledge, and I think Ericaopened a lot of doors for me.
So in the investment scene, youknow, working with women in
business, women investors, otherhigh net worth individuals and
(20:41):
just, you know, havingconversations with them, she
also brings me to a lot ofevents.
So we went to create andCultivate, um, a few weeks ago,
and at the same time, she.
At the same time, she alsobalances me out.
'cause I am very type A, I couldbe, you know, obsessed with
execution and my to-dos.
I remember a few weeks ago Ericabrought us to Universal Studios
(21:04):
just to have fun.
So Yeah.
And, and was on an Xpress fast.
Let me, let me point that out.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (21:11):
there we go.
We're going in style.
nice.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (21:14):
Yeah, no, we gotta be efficient,
right?
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (21:18):
Lines come on.
Yeah, the express pass.
Of course.
That's amazing.
Um, Patricia, you, you've kindof mentioned special projects
and working with the othermembers of the team.
Can you talk a little bit aboutwhat that looks
patricia-de-leon--she-her (21:28):
Yeah, so basically I work adjacent to
a lot of people.
So I'm in a lot of Slackchannels and people are
sometimes like, who, who is thisgirl?
Like, so we do have a bit ofcontext that, hey, um, this
Erica, she host staff, she'll bekind of.
In the, um, channels with youguys and just checking in just
to make sure that everything'sgoing well or if you need
(21:50):
anything, need any help withcoordination, then I'll be the
eyes and ears of Erica.
So every time I do, um.
You know, kind of make an introto who I am.
I always tell them I do executeon Erica's behalf and you know,
there's no need to worry becausewe are aligned in, you know,
end-to-end process of everythingon our plate right now.
(22:13):
Yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-2 (22:16):
So I do have a marketing agency in
the Philippines.
Um, we, we have event, we do alot of events.
We are in fact hosting a luxuryretreat, um, from November three
to nine in the Philippines.
And Patricia's helping out withthat.
Um, she's sort of acting as theconcierge, um, particularly for
(22:36):
our American visitors.
And if you're interested, I cantell you more, but that's
another thing.
Um.
We are again, I'm alsoco-executive producing an
upcoming show, a TV show, um, onfemale founders.
Patricia has been heavilyinvolved with that, um, with the
(22:57):
selection process, withproduction, et cetera.
And I think this is the projectthat she's been speaking about,
that she has no idea what she'sdoing, but she's doing it.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2 (23:09):
Amazing.
And I, I'm not gonna ask you togive too much information away,
but is there anything else justabout the, the show format or,
or anything that you can sayaround that?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (23:20):
Well, yes.
So it's essentially centeredaround female founders.
So think of, um, people willlearn everything from funding a
business.
To scaling a business, um, andmaybe pitching their business
actually.
Um, they'll be learning thatwhile interacting with fantastic
(23:44):
mentors.
That's,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (23:46):
you in this or are you behind the
scenes?
Ah,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (23:49):
I am in and behind the scenes.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (23:52):
Okay.
I'm, I'm envisioning like, shShark Tank for, for women or
kind of a documentary where youfollow five people on their path
or something like this.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (24:03):
Um, I, I'll, I'll, I'll definitely
let you in once, once we're,we're good to say, but it's,
it's, it's, it's not quite SharkTank.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (24:13):
Tank.
Okay.
Okay.
Well, we'll,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (24:15):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (24:15):
it go there.
I know things are in the works.
And um, Patricia, have you, didyou have any production or
broadcast or coordinating withdifferent streaming services,
whoever you're going to,distributors, movie production,
anything like that
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (24:30):
No, like this is so new to me, but
at the same time, I thinkthere's a lot of transferable
skills I probably had before.
It's more of like thatcuriosity.
I'm very, I think I'm also veryindependent.
Just like what Eric?
Was telling me I could, know,learn things on the fly.
Um, you don't really have tohandhold me.
(24:51):
So once I think one, one strongsuit of mind is I just need to
understand the vision and I justneed to clarify what are the
non-negotiables, and I coulddefinitely map things out from
there and make sure.
happens and at the same time Imet the team, the production
team as well.
And I think it's important,again, the relationship building
(25:12):
with them.
And yeah, I think it's beensmooth sailing so far, um, and a
lot of learning curves as well.
emily-sander_1_08-06-202 (25:22):
Sounds like it.
And if you, if you both lookinto.
2026, let's say.
So out in the future, end of2026, I think I've heard some
things that you probably wannaaccomplish, such as the show,
but in terms of where you'respending your time and energy,
does that look like for the bothof you?
If like, okay, in 2026, here'swhere I really wanna focus.
(25:42):
Here's the best use of my time,talent, and treasure.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (25:48):
Okay, so I, I travel a lot, right?
Um, I travel a lot and I see inmy travels I see patterns and,
and trends that may notnecessarily be, um, obvious to
someone who doesn't travel.
Um, I see.
Um.
I really, what I really want tohappen is create a, an ecosystem
(26:12):
of where, whether it's mediacompanies, et cetera, um, of
something that balances profitand purpose.
If, if I'm going for the biggermission, and if, you know,
obviously there's the show,obviously it's, um, through my
investments, obviously it'sthrough speaking and for me, um,
(26:33):
I just wanna keep continuing.
Keep on doing that.
Um, and, and there is somethingout there and people do listen,
so, you know, hopefully, I, I, Ijust wanna, I just wanna help as
much people as I can with, tothe best of my ability and to
the best of my time.
Yeah.
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (26:53):
Yes.
So I
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (26:54):
You,
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1 (26:54):
me it is about really having that
global mindset.
So most of our
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (27:00):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_ (27:00):
are based in the US and I know, just
like what Erica was mentioning,there's a lot of different
things out there.
The world is so big, sohopefully we also get exposure
to untapped markets that wedidn't think you know would be a
good fit, but eventually wouldturn out to be, wow, this is so
amazing.
You know, learning aboutdifferent cultures and the
(27:24):
drivers and movers of theireconomies and how it aligns to
our, you know, investmentthesis.
I think that would be reallygreat exposure.
And at the same time, it's areally, really great learning
experience as well.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (27:38):
Hmm.
And then Erica, for principalslistening, and maybe they're
considering a chief of staff,maybe they have a chief of
staff, but they're trying tooptimize that role, what, what
advice would you give them orthings to think about?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06-20 (27:55):
I think observe your chief of
staff and what their strengthsand weaknesses are and how they
compliment yours.
Um.
It's, it's really aboutmultiplying your productivity
and you can't do that withsomebody who doesn't really
align with you and what you areabout.
(28:17):
It, it, it won't happen as wellif you don't know yourself and
you don't, and if you don't knowyour chief of staff.
So again, it's about, well, yes,relationship building, but there
is an end in mind, which islet's multiply efficiency, let's
keep things going, um, anddon't, without spreading myself
(28:38):
too thin as well.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (28:39):
Yes.
All right.
And Patricia, similar questionfor you.
For chiefs of staff listening,aspiring chiefs of staff, new
chiefs of staff, multi-timechiefs of staff like you are,
what advice would you give aboutthe role or working with your
principal or
patricia-de-leon--she-her-_1 (28:51):
So for me, it's similar to what
Erica was saying, but just like.
what I've mentioned before, um,the chief of staff is loyal to
your principal, whereas, youknow, let's say A COO is loyal
to your company.
So your relationship and youralignment with your principal is
extremely important.
I think that's the cornerstoneof this whole thing, because
(29:14):
sometimes you spend more timewith your principal than some of
your family members.
That happens because you doshadow.
His, her schedule or hisschedule or whatever the goals
are.
And for me, I think when I firstmet Erica, I told her, I'm here
to amplify role.
(29:34):
And I
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (29:35):
Mm-hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she-her- (29:35):
that really resonated with her and I
think that would resonate to alot of principals as well.
And sometimes, you know, it canget lonely if you're just alone.
And I feel like that's somethingthat Erica also felt.
And you know, if you havesomeone.
That's, you know, in the samepath, you know, same direction
as you.
Things will really be easier,and again, things
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (29:57):
Hmm.
patricia-de-leon--she (29:58):
magnified in terms of impact.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (30:02):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06 (30:03):
Beautiful.
And Patricia, if someone islistening and is gonna be a
future, pitcher to you, what,what, what Behind the scenes or
inside, inside baseball tips andtricks you give them about what
makes an effective pitch here,what maybe what to avoid?
I'm sure you've seen good,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (30:20):
God.
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (30:21):
and all the rest.
patricia-de-leon--sh (30:22):
sometimes, you know what?
I hop into calls and I feel likethey're clueless as to who
they're talking to.
I think that's a, that's a redflag.
Or they didn't do their researchabout us.
Even if sometimes they're theones who reach out to us and I'm
like, I'm a bit confused.
It's like they have no idea likewhat this call was about when
(30:43):
they were the ones who did theoutreach.
Um, so do your research and atthe same time, you know, we do
have our, you know, um.
Our sectors that we invest in.
And at the same time, you know,it's profit and purpose.
So once you get those thingsdown and see that there is a
genuine, you know, alignmentwith those things, then I think
(31:04):
it will go well.
And at the same time, you know,Erica and I, we do a vibe check,
so there's no kind of formula tothat, but that's also one factor
that we really look into.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (31:17):
All right, so definitely do your
research beforehand and know whoyou're talking to.
Seems straightforward, but let'ssay someone does that and
they're like, okay, we've, we'vedone our research.
We're making this a custompitch.
Are there anything else?
Is there anything else that youlook for?
You always ask this questionsome point in the conversation
for that first pitch.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (31:36):
Hmm.
Well, it's really knowing theirnumbers also, just off the bat,
um, what, what's your uniteconomics like?
How do you arrive at your, yourtarget market?
How?
Just rapid fire, the usual ifthey know it.
That's already a green flag forme.
Um, what else?
Um, how close are they to theproblem?
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (31:58):
Yeah.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (31:59):
It's the founder profile as well.
Um, for me it's like, okay,again, if you are passionate
about.
Let's say, uh, oh.
I, I invested in this platformthat caters to funders and
founders, and the founder ofthis platform, um, is a, an
angel investor herself and afounder herself.
(32:21):
So she really understood thepain points of both sides.
So that, for me was really, um,such a.
Such a breath of fresh air inthe sense that, okay, there's a
problem that she really istrying to solve.
Another, um, company I'veinvested in is an app that
caters to nonverbal children,um, with autism as well as their
(32:44):
families.
It was started by a dad whoseson.
Has autism and he's living withthat.
And again, it's a problem thathe's trying to solve because
he's lived it.
So it's, it's that closeness tothat problem.
Um, and again, is it a realproblem that they're trying to
solve?
Um, that for me, is this, um,are you, are you just making it
(33:07):
up?
Are you fitting?
That is, those are the initialthings that I try to look at,
um,
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (33:14):
Yes,
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (33:15):
which is, yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (33:15):
that reminds me of a story where
there's um, this woman who was,was on the board for an
insurance company and peopleasked her like, why are you
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (33:24):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (33:25):
on, why do you wanna be on the board
for this insurance company?
Insurance is seemingly of aboring topic.
And she said, on Tuesday, marchand gave the year my husband
died.
woke up and he didn't wake up,it was devastating and tragic.
But because we had thisinsurance policy, it saved our
(33:45):
family.
So I know firsthand howimportant this can be, and
that's why I wanna do X, Y, andZ with this company.
And it just, it was verypersonal and you could see the
why behind what she was doing,and the motivation was clear.
And so I think sometimes it isthe, it is the closeness to it
where I have a lived experience,which makes me passionate
erika-aquino--she-_1_0 (34:04):
Exactly.
Exactly.
Exactly.
And, and you know, the more theylive it, the more they wanna
solve it usually.
Right?
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (34:13):
And I
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-0 (34:13):
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (34:14):
this at the
erika-aquino--she-_1_08 (34:14):
Mm-hmm.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (34:15):
but can you just remind folks of
about if someone's listening andis like, oh, I should reach out
to Erica, or Reach out toPatricia.
or I know someone who should,can you just remind folks of who
you're looking to connect with?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (34:29):
Um, well, we're looking for founders
in the women or minority owned.
Um.
Companies in the sustainability,wellness future for and
education spaces.
Um, we are country agnostic, um,but we're really looking at
entrepreneurs who are trying tosolve real problems.
(34:50):
Um, and, you know, just, justwith a mission that aligns with
ours.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_0 (34:55):
and if you pass round and get to
Erica, it sounds like Erica willtravel to wherever you are to
come and see you potentially.
So
patricia-de-leon--she-her (35:01):
Yeah, potentially.
Yeah.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025 (35:05):
We'll see, we'll see.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06 (35:06):
It's happened.
It's happened.
So, yeah.
But again, yeah, depends on thecountry.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_08 (35:13):
Is there anything else either of
you would wanna get out there asa final word?
Or, or, and or, where is thebest place to find out more
about you and do your researchand learn more and connect with
you?
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (35:24):
Uh, well, I do have a website, um,
erica-aino.com.
That, that's Erica with a k, um,and A-Q-U-I-N-O.
So I, I'm sure it's gonna be inyour show notes.
Um, but that's the easiest way.
Uh, we have a handle of.
Um, on the contact formLinkedIn.
I'm on LinkedIn as well.
Um, on and on Instagram.
emily-sander_1_08-06 (35:45):
Beautiful.
And Patricia, are those the bestplaces to connect with
patricia-de-leon--she-her (35:47):
Yeah, so basically once you send an
inquiry on the website, it'sgonna go to me.
emily-sander_1_08-06-2025_ (35:53):
It's good to go to you.
Alright, so you got a littlesneak peek listener about who
you're talking to, but, uh,Erica, Patricia, thank you so
much for being on, reallyenjoyed the conversation and I
know our listeners will learn alot and they're very curious
about, uh, the space, the VCspace, and chiefs of staff kind
of getting behind the scenes andthen also what you're doing with
the investment side.
(36:13):
So thank you very much.
erika-aquino--she-_1_08-06- (36:15):
No, thank you.
Thank you so much for having us.
Yeah.
This conversation.
Thank you.
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