Women startups fail to keep funding winter at bay

As India marks another International Women's Day, the landscape for women-led tech startups remains largely unchanged.

- UDISHA SRIVASTAV

Year after year, their numbers continue to decline, and funding for these ventures is on a downward trajectory. This concerning trend has only been exacerbated by the prolonged funding winter.

In 2021, women-led startups secured a record $6.3 billion in funding. However, while male entrepreneurs raised $10.8 billion in 2024, women-led or women-founded companies attracted only $1 billion, according to data from market intelligence platform Tracxn.

Archana Jahagirdar, founder and managing partner of Rukam Capital, said the entrepreneurship ecosystem in India still doesn't favour women.

"There isn't much of a supportive ecosystem for women. As an early-stage founder, women don't have financial stability and are not able to stand up for their rights," she added that many women choose professional jobs in the early years due to the comparatively greater financial security they offer.

Echoing Jahagirdar's thoughts, Seema Chaturvedi, founder and managing partner of Achieving Women Equity (AWE) Funds, noted that progress in funding for women-led ventures has been minimal.