We empower the best teams and technologies to deliver systemic change.
Over the last decade, we have seen fundamental limitations to the traditional venture capital and private equity model when applied toward breakthrough technologies.
We are driven to solve this market failure.
OUR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Who we are.
Portico’s Managing Partners first joined forces in 2007. Between 2023 and 2025, we led the design and launch of a $150m permanent capital vehicle focused on energy-transition technologies.
Portico’s team brings a proven track record of bridging the gap between concept and scale. We have built differentiated fund strategies from scratch, founded and exited successful global businesses, and delivered utility-scale energy and infrastructure projects on the ground.
We combine deep domain expertise, commercial acumen, and entrepreneurial drive.
Mike Casey
Mike founded Portico in 2016 and has more than 15 years’ experience advising investors and entrepreneurs in energy, technology, financial services, life sciences, and agriculture. He has advised firms stewarding $60bn in assets, and investors on more than $4bn of transactions globally.
Mike’s expertise lies in helping investors to identify investable companies in themes reaching an inflection point, and in positioning firms to excel at capital raising and sales.
Mike began his career working on strategy at the U.S. Department of Defense. He holds an MA in International Relations with a specialization in International Finance from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. His articles and interviews have been featured in The Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Economist, and Bloomberg.
Ashley Elliot
Ashley brings 18 years of experience advising patient capital investors in energy, agriculture, and technology. Prior to Portico, he co-founded the advisory firm Sofala Partners, achieving six years of 100%+ year-on-year growth before exiting via management buyout. Earlier in his career, he worked in the Office of the Director of Strategy at the World Bank Group.
Ashley specializes in helping CEOs to execute differentiated growth strategies in markets on the cusp of technology-led change. He has advised on $6bn of transactions across 35 countries, partnering with a wide spectrum of startups, multinationals, trading houses and technology companies—including Uber, Netflix, and Mastercard.
Ashley holds degrees from Cambridge University and the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies. He has provided commentary to The Financial Times, Bloomberg and BBC News. He chairs the Board of Trustees of Humanity Insured, a UK and US charity backed by the global insurance industry.
Bill Steen
Bill joined the Portico team following two years of successful collaboration as a client through a single-family office, where he served as Technical Director for a permanent capital vehicle. Having begun his career with Bechtel, he brings 15 years’ experience delivering complex renewable energy and infrastructure projects across Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean.
His expertise spans the full investment and project lifecycle—from technology assessment and deal structuring, to venture building, project planning and delivery. Bill excels at converting strategy into execution in unstructured environments, navigating emerging technologies, and driving successful outcomes in the most demanding conditions.
Bill holds an M.S. in Renewable Energy Engineering from Brunel University and a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Cal Poly SLO, and is a registered Professional Engineer in California.