Trish Costello is leading the charge in empowering women investors and supporting companies focused on women’s health through her venture capital investment platform, Portfolia. With only six percent of decision-makers at venture capital firms being women as of last year, Costello saw an opportunity to tap into the underserved market of women’s health. Costello’s journey in venture capital began in 1994 when she helped establish the Center for Entrepreneurial Leadership in Kansas City and later launched the Kauffman Fellows, a training program for venture capital leaders.
Her experiences with male venture capitalists who overlooked women’s health issues due to a lack of perceived market potential led her to a groundbreaking realization. From 2018 to 2023, investments in women’s health companies, many of which were women-led, proved Costello right. Portfolia now has 14 funds investing in companies across categories like active aging, longevity, and femtech, with 90 percent of its investors being women.
Costello’s entrepreneurial vision reshapes VC
The firm has made 185 investments valued at more than $65 million in 118 companies, nearly 70 percent of which are women-led ventures. Growing up in rural Kansas, Costello’s entrepreneurial spirit was instilled in her from a young age.
Her focus on startup investment, especially in women’s health, stems from a belief in the power of timely, targeted funding to create innovation. Costello recalled pitching menopause-focused companies to male venture capitalists and being rebuffed. “One guy said, ‘There’s no way my partners are going to do a menopause deal.’ Back then, talking about anything related to women’s health wasn’t done,” she noted.
However, Costello foresaw the potential in markets where women were the key customers, influencers, and entrepreneurs. Through Portfolia, Trish Costello is not only seeking financial returns but also rewriting the investment narrative to include and prioritize women’s health, ensuring that women leaders have the support and funding they need to make impactful changes.
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