Women-Led Startups Become Key Players in TN Startup Ecosystem

By: WE staff | Wednesday, 15 October 2025

• Tamil Nadu's start-up ecosystem garnered Rs 127.09 crore of investment commitments during the Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit (TNGSS) 2025
• 57% startups in TN are women-led, becoming the prime drivers of innovation in the state

The start-up ecosystem in Tamil Nadu is gaining speed, and is attracting more global attention, having received investment commitments of Rs 127.09 crore at the Tamil Nadu Global Startup Summit (TNGSS) 2025. Women led start-ups are becoming key players in the state’s innovation ecosystem.

15 investors connected with 453 start-ups through more than 1200 structured pitches. Among those, additionally, 23 memorandums of understanding (MoUs) were signed with international partners, including Link Innovations (France), AsiaBerlin Forum (Germany), RxN Hub (Canada), River Venture Studio (Singapore), and Lowe’s India, facilitating new opportunities for market access, incubation, and mentorship.

12 central and 15 state government departments provided founders with direct access to funding schemes and policy support.

According to the report by the State Planning Commission, Start-up Ecosystem in TN: Opportunities and Challenges – Findings Report, there is a generation and gender change behind this growth.

Women now constitute 57 percent of founders, starting ventures between the ages of 26 and 30, generally earlier than men, with more than half having previous professional experience.

Most start-ups are still in the early-traction phase and are in IT, healthcare, agriculture, and food and beverages with lean teams often funded by family and friends. The state policies under StartupTN (infrastructure, funding, and mentoring) have contributed to this positive trajectory.

The report goes on to say that the majority of start-up founders are from more privileged socio-economic backgrounds, suggesting access to networks, social capital, and better education.

The most common area of study of founders is engineering with the state-funded institutions being an important pipeline. Nearly two-thirds of participating start-ups were founded in 2021 or later, contributing to the success of StartupTN focused efforts.