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Women Can Startup

Original research · updated 2026

Women-led startups in India: the data

A live snapshot of where India’s women-led companies are building, what stage they’ve reached and how the picture has changed over time. Every number here is counted from the 894 verified companies in our directory, recomputed each time this page loads.

A note on scope: this is a snapshot of our dataset, built company by company to a strict verification bar. It is a useful sample, not a census of every women-led business in the country.

894

verified companies

27

sectors

31

states & UTs

101

with a founder story

Which sectors women are building in

Share of directory companies by sector. Tap a bar to browse that sector.

Fashion
247 · 28%
Food & Beverages
94 · 11%
Beauty & Personal Care
87 · 10%
D2C / Consumer
78 · 9%
Impact / Social
75 · 8%
HealthTech
65 · 7%
Media
45 · 5%
FinTech
32 · 4%
EdTech
27 · 3%
SaaS
24 · 3%
E-commerce
23 · 3%
Medical / Pharma
21 · 2%
Deep Tech
20 · 2%
HR Tech
15 · 2%
AgriTech
15 · 2%
Travel
15 · 2%
Art & Craft
1 · 0%
Cleantech · Solar
1 · 0%
Craft · Accessories
1 · 0%
Aviation
1 · 0%
Manufacturing · Padma Shri
1 · 0%
Electric Vehicles · Manufacturing
1 · 0%
Circular Economy · Plastic Waste Tech
1 · 0%
Art · Accessories
1 · 0%
Waste-tech · Automated Segregation
1 · 0%
Consumer Tech
1 · 0%
Information Technology & Services
1 · 0%

How far along the funding is

Funding-stage mix across the 848 companies with a reported stage.

Where they’re headquartered

Top founding cities. Tap a city to see its founders.

By state

Directory companies grouped by state and union territory.

Maharashtra
253 · 28%
Karnataka
181 · 20%
Delhi
163 · 18%
Haryana
63 · 7%
Tamil Nadu
31 · 3%
Telangana
31 · 3%
Gujarat
29 · 3%
Uttar Pradesh
26 · 3%
Rajasthan
25 · 3%
West Bengal
24 · 3%

When they were founded

Founding activity by period, among companies where the year is known.

1955–1959
1 · 0%
1965–1969
2 · 0%
1975–1979
3 · 0%
1980–1984
1 · 0%
1985–1989
11 · 1%
1990–1994
15 · 2%
1995–1999
21 · 2%
2000–2004
35 · 4%
2005–2009
65 · 7%
2010–2014
175 · 20%
2015–2019
353 · 40%
2020–2024
200 · 22%
2025–2029
7 · 1%

Frequently asked questions

+ Where does this data come from?

Every figure on this page is counted directly from the 894 verified women-led companies in the Women Can Startup directory. Each company has at least one confirmed woman founder or co-founder. This is a snapshot of our dataset, not a census of every women-led company in India.

+ How often is it updated?

The numbers are recomputed every time the page loads, so they reflect the directory as it stands right now. As we verify and profile more founders, every chart here updates automatically.

+ Can I cite or reference these numbers?

Yes, with attribution to Women Can Startup and a link back to this page. If you need a specific cut of the data for research or a story, get in touch through the contact page.