More than one lakh startups in India have at least one woman director or partner, reflecting growing gender diversity in the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the government said on Tuesday.
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More than one lakh startups in India have at least one woman director or partner, reflecting growing gender diversity in the country’s entrepreneurial ecosystem, the government said on Tuesday.
As of 31st January 2026, a total of 2,12,283 entities have been recognised as startups by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT). Of these, 1,02,054 entities have at least one woman director or partner, the data showed.
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As of 31st January 2026, a total of 2,12,283 entities have been recognised as startups by DPIIT.
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Data on the status of entities (active, dissolved, struck-off, etc.) is maintained by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) on a cumulative basis.
As per the MCA, 6,789 recognised startups are categorised as closed (i.e., dissolved/struck-off). Of these, 2,950 have at least one woman director or partner.
Under the Startup India initiative, the Government is implementing flagship Schemes such as Fund of Funds for Startups (FFS), Startup India Seed Fund Scheme (SISFS) and Credit Guarantee Scheme for Startups (CGSS) to support startups across categories at various stages of their business cycle.
FFS has been established to catalyse venture capital investments and is operationalised by Small Industries Development Bank of India (SIDBI), which provides capital to Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)-registered Alternative Investment Funds (AIFs), which in turn invest in startups.
According to the data released by the government, as of 31st January 2026, supported AIFs under the scheme have invested around Rs 25,859 crore in selected startups.
Further, since 2020, AIFs under the scheme have invested around Rs 2,995 crore in women-led startups.
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