Over 1 lakh Women-led Indian Startups Strengthen Ecosystem

By: Women Entrepreneurs Review Team | Thursday, 21 May 2026

Data shared in Parliament shows that the innovation ecosystem in India is seeing increasing participation from women, with over one lakh startups having at least one female director or partner.

A total of 2,12,283 entities are recognized as start-up by the Department of Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) till January 31, 2026 as per information provided by the Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Jitin Prasada in the Lok Sabha on February 27, 2026. Of the above, 1, 02,054 of startups have a minimum of one woman director or partner.

The Startup India initiative, which was launched in January 2016, is designed to create a favorable environment to foster innovation and investment in start-ups all over the country.

Data from the Ministry of Corporate Affairs shows that 6,789 recognized startups have been categorized as closed. Of these, 2,950 were start-ups with at least one female director or partner.

To cater to startups in different stages, the government has introduced multiple flagship schemes such as Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS).

The Fund of Funds for Startups (FoFS), a SEBI registered Alternative Investment Fund (AIF), is designed to facilitate the venture capital investments via AIFs. The AIFs have invested approximately 25,859 crore in the startups, and in the last six years since 2020, they have invested around 2,995 crore in women-led startups.

Key Highlights:

• 1.02 lakh startups have at least one woman director or partner
• Government schemes are boosting funding support for women-led startups
• Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, UP and Gujarat lead in women-led startups

The Startup India Seed Fund Scheme was introduced in April 2021, and has already approved over 592 crore to startups, including women-led startups, having raised nearly 294 crore.

The Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups, which began in April 2023 with the operationalization of the National Credit Guarantee Trustee Company (NCGTC), has helped to guarantee loans of approximately ₹925 crore to startup borrowers. Out of this, approximately 39 crore has been extended to start-ups by women.

In addition, the data suggests that startup companies that took assistance under these schemes had relatively low closure rates. Out of the 1,382 startups supported so far, 17 have been classified as closed due to FFS. Likewise, 26 out of 3,311 startups under SISFS have been termed closed and one out of 281 startups under CGSS have been termed closed.

The data by state reveals that startups with women participation are focused in Maharashtra, Karnataka, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Gujarat, with these regions being home to a substantial portion of such startups.

The government highlighted these efforts as measures to ensure greater equity, better access to capital and enhance the startup ecosystem, emphasizing inclusion and sustained growth.