How Portfolia Came to Be

The idea of Portfolia was created when one too many people explained ‘the golden rule’ to our founder, Trish Costello, herself an experienced and successful venture investor.  

Over lunch with a male venture capital friend, she mentioned a few compelling women’s health companies she had seen pitch recently — great teams, unique products focused on multi-billion markets — that could not find funding.  “Men are often grossed out by women’s health and don’t want to do those deals,” he said.  “No matter the return potential, we’re not going to invest in something that makes us uncomfortable.” Then he he reminded her of the VC golden rule: “He who has the gold, makes the rules.”  

This time was different though. Trish had just heard a talk on the changing demographics of wealth – that women had been slowly accumulating vast amounts of money over the past 20+ years. For the first time in history, women were poised to control 50%+ of US wealth, some $20+ Trillion in investable capital. 

The proverbial light bulb flashed on. We together now have the gold, and we can change the rules. Our money gives us the power – if we choose to use it – to invest in the solutions that we want in the world. 

Voila Portfolia! 

Investing Together in the Companies We Want in the World – For Returns and Impact.

Now with over 140 companies in our portfolio and 1,000s of women investors, we are the most active investor in women’s health, active aging, POC and sustainability. We’ve created our own golden rules, putting our wealth behind companies that will enhance our lives, create wealth and build a better world.

About Our Founder

Trish Costello, our visionary founder, co-founded the prestigious Kauffman Fellows Program in 1994 at the Kauffman Foundation. At Kauffman Fellows, she created the first training program for venture capital partners and launched the careers of many VC leaders, including numerous women VCs. Trish realized there was a culture around the VC industry that did not reflect how women liked to operate. Traditional VCs were not funding the types of founders, products, and solutions that women wanted in the world, and adding 1-2 women to an existing venture firm was not shifting the equation. 

Trish saw an opportunity to create a best-in-class community and culture that united and empowered women to invest in innovative companies that have outsized potential for returns and impact – and Portfolia was born. 

At Portfolia, our global network of top VCs source best-in-class companies and high-value deals and bring deep experience to each fund. We have 13 funds in market and invest in 8-12 companies per fund. The performance of our first two funds places us in the top quartile of venture funds launched 2016, 2017.* 

With Portfolia, women can learn about venture investing by watching pitch calls, doing diligence and providing expertise from their own industries and consumer preferences, dedicating as much or as little time as they like. Portfolia is often invited into deals by those seeking a valuable, additional layer of validation through endorsement by female investors. 

We are leading by bringing others to invest in the solutions that women want in the world.