Funding for women-founded startups in India rose nearly 15% to $1.65 billion in 2025 from $1.43 billion in 2024, according to data compiled by DealStreetAsia for its fifth annual report on the country’s gender funding gap.
The latest figures signal a steady rebound in investor appetite for women-led ventures, even as overall funding remains well below the 2021 peak. The year-on-year gains indicate that capital is gradually flowing back into startups founded or co-founded by women after a period of slowdown.
There were 244 deals recorded last year by startups (co-)founded by women, up around 17.3% from 208 in 2024.
Funding momentum for women-led startups in India outstripped the broader market in 2025, even as overall venture capital activity slowed. Total private funding for Indian startups fell nearly 12.5% to $14.24 billion in 2025, reversing course after a sharp 38% surge in 2024.
Notably, women (co-)founded startups increased their share of total private capital raised in the country to 11.6% in 2025, from 8.8% in 2024. This is, however, still lower than their share in 2022 (13%) and 2021 (14.56%).
Impetus Technologies topped the funding charts in 2025, raising $350 million from Kedaara Capital. Founded by Ritu Bapna and Praveen Kankariya, Impetus provides data, analytics, and AI solutions. GIVA and The Sleep Company were the other two top-funded startups in 2025.
Startups founded solely by women continued to account for a very small fraction of overall capital. They raised $138.3 million in 2025—just 0.97% of the total funding secured by private companies—marginally higher compared with $118.7 million in 2024, when they represented 0.7% of the total.
Growth-stage funding—comprising pre-IPO and private equity rounds—accounted for nearly 50% of the total capital raised by female co-founded startups in 2025, up from 47.4% in 2024. The number of such deals also increased to 26, compared with 20 a year earlier.
Share of funding for India’s female-led startups by sector
E-commerce retained its position as the most funded vertical for female-founded startups in 2025, attracting $541.3 million across 102 deals. The sector also saw its share of overall funding edge up to 32.7%, compared with 30.6% in 2024.
A $350-million investment in Impetus Technologies propelled big data to the second spot, with the entire amount coming from a single deal. Fintech climbed to third place, securing $119 million across 18 transactions.
The Impetus deal helped propel Indore as the most-funded city for women-founded startups in 2025, with six deals collectively raising $369.5 million during the year. The city accounted for 22% of the total funding raised by such startups.
Meanwhile, Bengaluru-based startups climbed to second place, securing $359.7 million across 57 transactions in 2025—marking a nearly 52.6% increase in funding value compared with 2024.
Founders we spoke to noted that women founders in high-risk technology domains face extra scrutiny around scale, execution, and technical expertise. They are asked more about risk management and operational resilience, reflecting persistent structural biases. At the same time, there are encouraging shifts, with more investors consciously broadening their assessment of founders and teams.
“On the question of gender, it would be difficult to say it plays no role. In certain rooms, particularly in technical or capital-intensive discussions, there can be additional layers of scrutiny. These dynamics are not always overt, but they can influence how early conversations unfold,” said Ankita Garg, co-founder and COO, Varaha.
The Women Founders in India: 2025 Funding Review report provides insights on:
- Funds raised by India’s women-led startups in 2025
- Share of women (co-)founded startups in India’s overall venture funding
- Women-led startups that raised the most funds in 2025
- Capital raised by women-founded startups by headquarters, verticals, and funding stages.
- Perspectives from women founders who raised funding in 2025
