Women-led startup funding in India increases to $930 million in 2024

Women entrepreneurs have become a driving force in India’s fast-evolving startup ecosystem. According to the Indian Startup Funding Report 2024 by Inc42, ventures led or co-led by women raised about $930 million (approximately Rs 7,900 crore) across 136 deals, reflecting a sharp 93.75% rise from the previous year.

This growth comes against the backdrop of a rapidly expanding startup culture, where nearly half of the more than 1.57 lakh startups recognized under the Startup India initiative are founded by women or have women as co-founders.

Fintech and e-commerce power growth  

Among the sectors attracting the most investment for women-led enterprises, fintech took the lead with $266.91 million in funding. Although fintech closed 17 deals, e-commerce saw the highest deal volume, notching up 53 transactions to raise $212 million.

Enterprise tech followed closely with $130 million, while healthtech and cleantech contributed 11% and 14.1% of total funding, respectively. Industry experts say this surge reflects both the appetite for consumer-facing digital services and the growing sophistication of enterprise solutions.

Prominent female entrepreneurs in these segments have used technology, innovation and strong consumer insights to expand their market reach and secure investor backing.

Rise of female investors and supportive ecosystems  

The role of women in India’s startup landscape is no longer limited to founding companies. An increasing number of female investors are also making strategic bets on women-led ventures, focusing on talent, scalability and strong business models.

Initiatives such as the Women in Digital Economy Fund (WiDEF), launched in 2024 with a $10 million commitment, aim to reduce the gender gap by giving female founders better access to capital, digital tools and mentoring.

Leading female investors like Divya Anand, Swati Nangalia Mehra and Ghazal Alagh have further accelerated this momentum by empowering more women to build and expand successful startups.

IPOs and expanding horizons  

The year 2024 also saw 13 new-age companies launch public offerings, collectively raising more than Rs 29,200 crore from the stock market. Of these, 10 were mainboard IPOs and three were SME listings, highlighting the maturing of India’s startup ecosystem.

Companies such as TAC Security, Unicommerce, MobiKwik and TBO Tek joined established brands in taking their growth stories to public markets.

While women-led startups have not yet made a major dent in these IPO listings, experts predict that the surge in female-founded ventures could soon translate into more women entrepreneurs opting for public share sales.