Women-led technology startups struggle to overcome funding winter

Women VCs, including Jahagirdar and Chaturvedi, believe that more women investors can make the fundraising process less intimidating for women founders

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