According to the most recent report, women-led new-age businesses have raised a total of $26.4 billion in funding, with 2021 being the most funded year at $6.3 billion. There are currently over 7,000 active startups, which makes up 7.5% of all active startups in the nation.
In terms of the total amount of money raised by businesses with female founders, the Indian tech startup ecosystem is second only to the US, having raised $26 billion so far.
According to the report, which looked at Indian startups that had at least one female founder or co-founder, India came in third place globally in 2024 for the amount of money raised by women-led startups, only surpassed by the US and the UK. This country accounted for 3.96 percent of all funding raised by women-led startups globally.
Retail startups led by women have raised $7.8 billion in total funding, with edtech coming in second with $5.4 billion and enterprise apps with $5 billion.
Unicorns led by females have experienced ups and downs along the way. The number of female-led unicorns increased from three in 2019 to four in 2020 and five in 2022 to eight in 2021.
But in 2017, 2023, and 2024, no new unicorns were produced, suggesting that momentum is ebbing and flowing.
Similarly, the number of acquisitions of women-led startups dropped, with 45 in 2021, 36 in 2022, 25 in 2023, and 16 in 2024. Last year, five female-led startups went public: MobiKwik, Usha Financial, Tunwal, Interiors & More, and LawSikho.
