Jake DeLeon

Jake DeLeon founded Fila Manila, a Filipino-American food company creating sauces, condiments, and spreads from authentic family recipes. Starting in a home kitchen during the 2020 lockdown, the brand now holds 95% market share in the Filipino condiment category and is available nationally via retail and Amazon, with products including Adobo sauce, Kare Kare peanut sauce, Ube spread, and Banana Ketchup.

DeLeon is a first-generation Filipino-American, born in the Philippines and raised in Camden County, New Jersey. He earned a BS in Digital Media from Drexel University in 2004.

Before entrepreneurship, he held marketing roles at global companies. He was Group Marketing Manager at Spa Esprit Group in 2012, then Marketing & Category Manager for Starbucks' China and Asia Pacific region, leading new product development and expansion into Vietnam and Brunei. From 2015 to 2020, he founded and operated Origin Almond, a cold-pressed almond juice company.

He launched Fila Manila in 2020 using a stimulus check, aiming to represent Filipino cuisine in mainstream CPG. The brand's authentic flavors and clean ingredients attracted national retail distribution and a March 2024 Shark Tank feature, where DeLeon secured $250,000 from Kind Snacks founder Daniel Lubetzky for 20% equity at a $5 million pre-money valuation.

Fila Manila continues expanding its product line and reach, sharing Filipino family cooking with American households with a focus on cultural representation and quality.