First of its kind fund dedicated solely to FemTech is launched by female-led firm
MENLO PARK, Calif. — Portfolia Funds, an innovative venture investing platform, just announced the launch of its sixth fund. The Portfolia FemTech Fund will invest exclusively in emerging technologies, products and services focused on improving women’s health and wellness.
Frost and Sullivan recently published a report stating that FemTech will be a $50 billion market by 2025. Spurred on by rapid innovation in the health space, a positive regulatory environment and the fact that women now control 80 percent of healthcare decisions in the U.S. household, FemTech is predicted to be the next big disruptor in the global healthcare market. While the benefits of FemTech are widely recognized, the market is still at an early stage.
“It is our investment philosophy to focus on opportunities in high-growth potential segments that are unfulfilled by the traditional venture capital marketplace while being guided by some of the strongest experts in the industry,” said Portfolia cofounder and CEO Trish Costello. “For the first time ever, women have the majority of the wealth in the U.S., and are beginning to embrace their power as market makers. They are vocal in their intent to make investments that both have an impact and see returns – the FemTech Fund is a natural fit for this growing market.”
Portfolia Funds has brought on multiple expert investors to lead and advise the Femtech Fund, including: Dr. Mary Lake Polan, MD, PHD, MPH – Stanford University Retired Chair of Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; Faz K. Bashi, MD – Retired Chair of Medical Device and Digital Health Screening Committees at Life Science Angels (LSA); Nola Masterson – Biotech Business Executive, Venture Capital Investor and Chair Emeritus at California Life Sciences Institute; and Darshana Zaveri – general partner and member of Catalyst Health Venture’s investment committee. Portfolia’s FemTech Fund is the nation’s first fund dedicated solely to this nascent industry.
“Only 1.4 percent of healthcare investing by professional venture capitalists is put to work to find solutions in the women’s health space – or FemTech. Eighty percent of healthcare VC’s have never invested in healthcare for women,” Masterson comments. “This underserved market enables Portfolia to access the best deals with very reasonable valuations. I’m excited about the quantity and caliber of companies that are coming across my desk.”
Portfolia is no stranger to investing in cutting-edge companies in the FemTech space. The venture investment group firm has most recently funded JoyLux, run by the former Clarisonic/Sonicare team, which has an innovative product suite to address bladder control and post-partum vaginal rejuvenation. Madorra, the first non-hormonal treatment to address vaginal dryness, and Sandstone Diagnostics, a fertility tracking company join JoyLux as promising Portfolia investments in the FemTech space.
Faz K. Bashi added, “I’m thrilled to able to head up a fund focused on improving the health, wellness, and lives of women by bringing emerging women’s health solutions to market at a time when there is such market opportunity. Portfolia takes the diversification and management of more traditional venture and layers in more opportunities for education and engagement. I’m thrilled to be part of their mission to build an investment community of 100,000 women venture investors by 2022.”
To learn more about Portfolia’s FemTech Fund visit www.portfolia.com.
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