Founder Collections
Women-led startups in North East India
Handloom and craft labels, food brands and social enterprises built across Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and the rest of the North East.
The North East rarely shows up on national startup lists, and that says more about the lists than the region. Women here have built handloom and weave labels rooted in Assamese, Naga and Manipuri traditions, food brands trading on bamboo shoot and king chilli, and social enterprises that reach villages the mainstream ignores. Distance from the metros tends to make founders resourceful rather than loud. This page gathers the women-led companies we track across all eight states.
30 companies · 1 with a founder story · Last updated 7 July 2026
30 companies · 1 with a founder story
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- Industry
- Beauty & Personal Care
- Location
- Gangtok, Sikkim
- Founded
- 2019
Daisy Brahma
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Kokrajhar, Assam
- Founded
- 2017
Elizabeth Yambem
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Imphal, Manipur
- Founded
- 2017
- Industry
- Impact / Social
- Location
- Guwahati, Assam
- Founded
- 2014
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Shillong, Meghalaya
- Founded
- 2019
- Industry
- Impact / Social
- Location
- Dimapur, Nagaland
- Founded
- 2008
Zakietsono Jamir
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Medziphema, Nagaland
- Founded
- 2019
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Dimapur, Nagaland
- Founded
- 1993
Zeinorin Stephen
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Ukhrul, Manipur
- Founded
- 2017
Phikaralin Wanshong
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Shillong, Meghalaya
- Founded
- 2007
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Imphal, Manipur
- Founded
- 2014
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Guwahati, Assam
- Founded
- 2022
Zomawii Khiangte
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Aizawl, Mizoram
- Founded
- 2021
Nandita Lyngdoh
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Shillong, Meghalaya
- Founded
- 2025
Hanjabam Shubhra Devi
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Imphal, Manipur
- Founded
- 2004
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh
- Founded
- 2017
- Industry
- Impact / Social
- Location
- Guwahati, Assam
- Founded
- 1995
Dipali Baruah
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Guwahati, Assam
- Founded
- 2015
Nengneithem Hengna
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Dimapur, Nagaland
- Founded
- 2013
Bijayashanti Tongbram
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Bishnupur, Manipur
- Founded
- 2018
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Guwahati, Assam
- Founded
- 2012
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Tura, Meghalaya
- Founded
- 2017
Yangmila Zimik
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Ukhrul, Manipur
- Founded
- 2019
- Industry
- Impact / Social
- Location
- Agartala, Tripura
- Founded
- 2017
Dasumarlin Majaw
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Shillong, Meghalaya
- Founded
- 2015
Sentila Yanger
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Dimapur, Nagaland
- Founded
- 1994
Rupjyoti Saikia Gogoi
- Industry
- Fashion
- Location
- Kaziranga, Assam
- Founded
- 2004
Paulmie Gogoi
- Industry
- Impact / Social
- Location
- Guwahati, Assam
- Founded
- 2020
Supongtola Aier
- Industry
- Food & Beverages
- Location
- Dimapur, Nagaland
- Founded
- 2018
| Beauty & Personal Care | Gangtok, Sikkim | Seed | 2019 | |
DB WeavesDaisy Brahma | Fashion | Kokrajhar, Assam | Bootstrapped | 2017 |
Dweller TeasElizabeth Yambem | Food & Beverages | Imphal, Manipur | Bootstrapped | 2017 |
| Impact / Social | Guwahati, Assam | Bootstrapped | 2014 | |
| Fashion | Shillong, Meghalaya | Seed | 2019 | |
| Impact / Social | Dimapur, Nagaland | Bootstrapped | 2008 | |
Farmer's SquareZakietsono Jamir | Food & Beverages | Medziphema, Nagaland | Bootstrapped | 2019 |
| Fashion | Dimapur, Nagaland | Bootstrapped | 1993 | |
Hill WildZeinorin Stephen | Food & Beverages | Ukhrul, Manipur | Bootstrapped | 2017 |
Kara's Fresh FoodsPhikaralin Wanshong | Food & Beverages | Shillong, Meghalaya | Bootstrapped | 2007 |
| Fashion | Imphal, Manipur | Bootstrapped | 2014 | |
| Fashion | Guwahati, Assam | Seed | 2022 | |
Local All NaturalZomawii Khiangte | Food & Beverages | Aizawl, Mizoram | Bootstrapped | 2021 |
MeghyraNandita Lyngdoh | Food & Beverages | Shillong, Meghalaya | Bootstrapped | 2025 |
Meira FoodsHanjabam Shubhra Devi | Food & Beverages | Imphal, Manipur | Bootstrapped | 2004 |
| Food & Beverages | Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh | Bootstrapped | 2017 | |
| Impact / Social | Guwahati, Assam | Bootstrapped | 1995 | |
PrakrityDipali Baruah | Food & Beverages | Guwahati, Assam | Bootstrapped | 2015 |
Runway NagalandNengneithem Hengna | Fashion | Dimapur, Nagaland | Bootstrapped | 2013 |
Sanajing Sana ThambalBijayashanti Tongbram | Fashion | Bishnupur, Manipur | Bootstrapped | 2018 |
| Fashion | Guwahati, Assam | Bootstrapped | 2012 | |
| Fashion | Tura, Meghalaya | Bootstrapped | 2017 | |
Shirin ProductsYangmila Zimik | Food & Beverages | Ukhrul, Manipur | Bootstrapped | 2019 |
| Impact / Social | Agartala, Tripura | Bootstrapped | 2017 | |
Smoky Falls Tribe CoffeeDasumarlin Majaw | Food & Beverages | Shillong, Meghalaya | Bootstrapped | 2015 |
Tribal WeaveSentila Yanger | Fashion | Dimapur, Nagaland | Bootstrapped | 1994 |
Village WeavesRupjyoti Saikia Gogoi | Fashion | Kaziranga, Assam | Bootstrapped | 2004 |
Woven Tales of North EastPaulmie Gogoi | Impact / Social | Guwahati, Assam | Bootstrapped | 2020 |
 YOBO CollectiveVerifiedSujata GoswamiRead our story → | Media | Guwahati, Assam | — | — |
Zonee Food ProductsSupongtola Aier | Food & Beverages | Dimapur, Nagaland | Bootstrapped | 2018 |
“Read our story →” opens the in-depth founder profile where we’ve published one. Know a company that belongs here? Pitch us the story.
What the data shows
Companies tracked
30
With a full founder story
1
Leading sectors
Food & Beverages, Fashion, Impact / Social
Most-represented cities
Guwahati, Dimapur, Shillong
Common funding stages
Bootstrapped, Seed
How we choose what’s on this list
This collection is built straight from our verified startup directory. Every women-led company that matches this theme appears automatically, and any founder we've profiled also gets the in-depth "Read our story" link. We confirm a woman founder or co-founder, and corroborate each company's details across multiple independent sources, before it is counted — and we never pad the list to make it look fuller.
See our editorial & verification policy for how every entry is checked.
Frequently asked questions
+ – How many companies are in "North East India"?
30 women-led companies right now, 1 of them with a full founder story on Women Can Startup. The list grows as we verify and profile more founders.
+ – How is this collection put together?
This collection is built straight from our verified startup directory. Every women-led company that matches this theme appears automatically, and any founder we've profiled also gets the in-depth "Read our story" link. We confirm a woman founder or co-founder, and corroborate each company's details across multiple independent sources, before it is counted — and we never pad the list to make it look fuller.
+ – Can I get my company added to this collection?
If your company has a woman founder or co-founder and fits this theme, pitch us your story. Curated collections only include companies whose published profile supports the claim, so a full founder story is the way in.