Inside STAT: This venture capitalist wants to harness the investing power of women

(HYACINTH EMPINADO/STAT)

From the outside, the Bay Area headquarters of the venture platform Portfolia looks just like another multimillion-dollar home. But the inside reveals that it is anything but that. Desks fill the living room area and the walls are covered with prints from the various startups the firm has helped launch. Founded by venture capital veteran Trish Costello, Portfolia’s aim is to get more women and underrepresented groups involved in investing. After all, only 2% of all the funding to venture-backed companies last year went to those founded solely by women and only 11% of decisions-makers at U.S.-based firms managing more than $25 million are women. “If women want specific companies in the world that address their needs, the only way to do that is for women to become the investors,” Costello tells STAT’s Megan Thielking. Read more here.