Kalaari Capital firm CXXO announces $10 mn seed fund for women founders

Between January 2018 and June 2020, startups led by women founder-CEOs received only 1.43 per cent of the total capital raised in India

CXXO, a Kalaari Capital initiative, has launched a programme to level the playing field for women founder-CEOs in India by making it easier for them to access capital, community and coaching. Kalaari Capital has set aside $10 million annually, to invest in startups that have women founders as key decision makers, ideally as CEOs.

India’s startup ecosystem is booming, with 16 new unicorns minted in 2021 alone, taking the total number to 53. However, only one of the unicorns has a woman as its founder-CEO.

To address this, the CXXO program seeks to meet the specific needs of each CEO and her