Trish Costello
Trish Costello is an American venture investor and entrepreneurship educator, a co-founder, first CEO and CEO Emeritus of the Kauffman Fellows ProgramKauffman FellowsKauffman Fellows is a nonprofit education and peer network for venture capital professionals, built around a two-year fellowship and operated by the Center for Venture Education. Originating at the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, it launched its first class in 1995 and by 2026 counted about 1,060 Fellows.Open the full entry, who in 2014 founded Portfolia, a venture fund platform designed for women investors.
Contents12 sections
Key facts
1993Co-founding the Kauffman Fellows Program
She was on the start-up team of the Kauffman Foundation’s entrepreneurship center, where for eight years she directed venture capital, angel investing and women-entrepreneur programs.[1]
At the foundation she founded its Women’s Initiatives to develop high-potential women entrepreneurs.[2]
In 1993 she co-founded the Kauffman Fellows Program at the foundation, serving as its first CEO and later as CEO Emeritus.[3]
Portfolia’s website gives the year as 1994.[4]
1995The Program Begins
The two-year program began in 1995.[5]
2001Leading the Spin-Out
In 2001, as CEO, she and chair Jason Green drove the Center for Venture Education’s independent board and spin-out.[6]
January 2005A New CEO for the Center
She led the program for its first ten years and was founding president of CVE Capital Corp, holding company of a $1.7 billion fund of funds.[1]
In January 2005 the Kauffman Foundation named Patrick Von Bargen CEO of the Center for Venture Education.[7]
2014Founding Portfolia
She founded Portfolia, an investing model designed for women, in 2014, aiming for more than 100,000 women to invest in its funds within five years.[8]
Portfolia says the idea arose when a male investor friend said men are “grossed out by women’s health” and would not invest.[4]
2016–2017First Funds
Portfolia says its first two funds ranked in the top quartile of funds launched in 2016 and 2017.[4]
2016An Inc. List
Inc. named her among its “15 Most Innovative Women Entrepreneurs of 2016.”[9]
2019WomenFunded 2019
She spoke at the conference as Portfolia’s CEO; Portfolia then packaged six to nine companies a year into funds.[10]
Its funds focused on enterprise, consumer tech, active aging and women’s health.[10]
As of October 2026: Portfolia Today
She is a general partner of Portfolia, whose 14 funds have over 2,000 limited partners and more than 110 portfolio companies, including Maven Clinic and Madison Reed; she lives in Tiburon, California.[3]
Portfolia’s website lists her as founder and CEO and cites 15 thematic funds and 2,200-plus women investors from 48 states and 20 countries.[11]
As of October 2026: Other Roles
She led the National Science Foundation SBIR Sub-Committee on Commercialization and directed Babson College’s Arthur M. Blank Center for Entrepreneurship.[9]
She has given keynotes at the United Nations and the OECD and testified before the U.S. Senate.[9]
She sits on the boards of OsteoGenix and OsteoFi and has served Springboard Enterprises and the NVCA.[2]
That profile gives the fund of funds held by CVE Capital Corp as $700 million.[2]
Another Portfolia biography says she was called the venture capitalist’s “godmother.”[12]
The Kauffman Fellows website lists her as a past board member.[13]
Related Organizations, Websites, and Public Accounts
Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation: Official website: https://www.kauffman.org/ (opens in a new window)[14]
Kauffman Fellows: Official website: https://www.kauffmanfellows.org/ (opens in a new window)[13]
Portfolia: Official website: https://www.portfolia.co/ (opens in a new window)[11]
Sources
- Trish Costello — PORTFOLIA (opens in a new window)
- Trish Costello (opens in a new window)
- Trish Costello | Directory | Kauffman Fellows (opens in a new window)
- About Portfolia | Women's Health & Venture Capital Funds in USA (opens in a new window)
- Kauffman Fellows Program (opens in a new window)
- Phil Wickham | Directory | Kauffman Fellows (opens in a new window)
- People (opens in a new window)
- Trish Costello (opens in a new window)
- Trish Costello (opens in a new window)
- Trish Costello » #WomenFunded2019 » Leadership for a Changing World (opens in a new window)
- Invest in Women's Health & Innovation | Portfolia (opens in a new window)
- Trish Costello (opens in a new window)
- Kauffman Fellows | Our Team (opens in a new window)
- Kauffman Fellows: Seeding a more capable venture (opens in a new window)