PM Modi Praises Women's Role in Startup Growth

By: WE Staff | Monday, 19 January 2026

• The women’s contribution to the startup ecosystem in India on National Startup Day has impressed Prime Minister Modi
• He told the conference, 45% of Indian startups now have at least one woman as a director or founder

On National Startup Day, Prime Minister Modi acknowledged the crucial contribution women have made in the achievement of the successful startup community in India. The Prime Minister said that in India, a remarkable 45 percent of startups have at least one woman in a directorship or founding capacity.

Modi mentioned that it is significant that India is the second-largest destination for funding women start-ups in the world.

In looking back at the occasion of National Startup Day for the 10th time, he mentioned the tremendous increase in the start-up ecosystem in India from less than 500 start-ups in the last decade to over 200,000 in the current decade.

The Prime Minister also spoke of the tremendous growth of unicorn companies that have swelled from four in 2014 to almost 125 now, drawing worldwide acclamation.

He complimented the Startup India initiative that is registering record numbers of new start-ups and pointed out that such start-ups have a huge potential for jobs and innovation and that the opportunities have now extended to tier-2 and tier-3 cities from large cities alone.