Fernando De Leon is a self-made American businessman, the Founder and CEO of Leon Capital Group, a private holding company overseeing twelve independently-managed subsidiaries across multiple industries.

De Leon was born in Texas but grew up in Matamoros, Mexico, commuting daily for school in Brownsville, where he was the only one in his family who knew English. He graduated cum laude from Harvard College in 2001 and worked as an analyst at Goldman Sachs.

• Core Company: Leon Capital Group, a diversified holding company.
• Education: B.A., cum laude, from Harvard College.
• Diverse Holdings: The company's businesses span financial services, healthcare, and real estate.

De Leon founded Leon Capital Group as a real estate development firm in 2006. He famously sold nearly all his properties before the 2008 financial crisis after noticing a preponderance of subprime borrowers. He later acquired troubled properties during the crisis, amassing a massive portfolio.

His structural contribution lies in vertically integrating his business by investing in retail operations that occupy his real estate assets, such as acquiring a dental office and expanding into Specialty Dental Brands (now 430 locations). His most valuable portfolio company is Crexi, a commercial real estate data platform he co-founded.