Two weeks ago I co-hosted an event in Toronto with Trish Costello, CEO at Portfolia. We wanted to share with women how they can be market makers by investing in the companies, solutions and products that they want to see in the marketplace, and by providing actionable solutions.

There were so many aha moments throughout the night as the panel shared what are hopefully quickly changing statistics. Those aha moments, combined with Trisha’s wit, humor and comfortability talking openly about women's health needs (and the growing market for entrepreneurial companies to address them) made for an educational and inspiring evening. Here’s more on the conversation Trish and I had with panelists Michelle McBane, Managing Director at StandUp Ventures & Sr. Investment Director MaRS IAF, and Elaine Kunda, Founder & Managing Partner atDisruption Ventures.

Making Markets 

Women are the driving force in the US economy. 83% of everything sold in the non business to business setting is done or influenced by women. Therefore it only makes sense for women to have a stronger role and voice in what products we want to see in the market. Yet the majority of investors today are men, and they are making the decisions on which products get funded and go to market. So what happens with companies making products that men don’t understand the need for or can relate to? The answer is, that in large part, they risk being overlooked and misunderstood for their market potential. And they end up on the cutting room floor. We need to change that, ladies. It's time to be #MarketMakers.

Women Investing in Women

I first became an investor last year in Portfolia, which educated and empowered me to continue to develop my investing chops in another fund this year (and yes, now I am addicted). But for years, despite living in Silicon Valley, I didn’t think that I could become an actual investor. I’ve found there are a lot of myths out there when you don’t know what's available to you. For example, I thought that it took being rich. Like, you know, really rich --- as in Warren Buffett rich. While it does require you to be accredited, (check out the guidelines in Canada and the US if interested), it is within reach for many of us that are in the business world today.

I also thought I had to be smart. Like uber smart or had to already have been an investor. Well, as you guessed it, it turns out that I wasn’t giving myself enough credit for the knowledge I had and the world that I’m exposed to. Of course I’m smart enough! I just wasn't being invited to the table, I wasn't offered access - and that is what Portfolia does. It invites you into the inner circle to dip your toes in, while learning the inner workings.

Investing in Women's Health

Portfolia has launched the first fund in the world, the FemTech Fund, that allows you to invest in 6-10 top performing women's health companies, led by gender-balanced teams, for a low minimum investment amount of $10K.

Quick Quiz .... Did you know the speculum was invented in the 1800s! Ladies - read that line again. Isn’t that insane! How many times a day do we see or hear commercials for men’s erectile dysfunction? And now, how many times are we hearing about new product inventions for the woman’s vagina, uterus, breasts, you know, how our human race is perpetuated? It’s laughable! Except it isn’t.

The FemTech fund is an example of the $50B market that male investors cannot easily relate to and are therefore passing up. I don’t know about you, but I sure would love to have a very different experience once a year in the doctor’s office. So I think we should all consider investing in FemTech which includes any technology geared toward improving women's lives, allows for earlier diagnosis, better treatment options, more data and de-stigmatizes menstrual and sexual health.

Bottom line.

We are powerful, individually and as a group. We know and can relate to many things that men cannot, and we should have more of say in products we want to buy and the companies that make billions of dollars from those products.

For more information on Portfolia and to request information on the FemTech fund click here. Stay tuned for a Portfolia event coming to your neck of the woods. I think Trish could sell out arenas with her wit and honesty alone if she ever wanted to!

Thank you to Trish, Michelle and Elaine for the candid conversation and all of the above material - it was great fun to lead this panel with you all!