New Delhi: Female entrepreneurs in India are encountering funding biases, securing only $300 million out of $6,646 million raised in nine months, as per a recent report by Encubay.
Out of 799 funding deals between June 2023 and February 2024, only 163 went to ventures with female founders, representing just 4.5% of the total funding. Notable startups securing funding include GIVA, Blue Tokai Coffee Roasters, The Sleep Company, MakeO, Namdev Finvest, INC%, Nat Habit, Wingreens Farms, Freyr Energy, and Slurrp Farm.
In January, ventures with female founders secured $74 million, constituting 16% of the total $461.7 million raised.
Prominent investors like Fireside Ventures, Titan Capital, Rainmatter Capital, She Capital, Better Capital, Stride Ventures, Whiteboard Capital, Google for Startups, Mumbai Angels, Lightbox, and All In Capital have contributed to funding women-founded ventures.
VC funds such as AWE Funds, She Capital, Kalaari Capital, Encubay Angel Network, and Arise StrongHer Ventures have also supported women entrepreneurs.
Despite India ranking 135th out of 146 countries in gender parity, with less than 3% of VC funding directed towards women-led ventures, there’s a noticeable increase in female-led and co-led companies seeking capital and building disruptive businesses.
