18% of Indian startups have at least one woman founder: Nasscom report

The Nasscom report reflects on the rising presence of women in Indian start-up ecosystem

A report by National Association of Software and Services Companies (Nasscom), in collaboration with Zinnov on India's start-up ecosystem, said that 18 per cent of companies have at least one woman founder or co-founder. 

At least 36 unicorns and potential unicorns in India have at least one woman founder or co-founder, the report titled Zinnov-Nasscom India tech start-up landscape report 2022 highlighted. 

The Nasscom report reflects on the rising presence of women in the Indian start-up ecosystem. 

According to the report, 17 per cent of all Investment deals between 2019 to 2022 were raised by women-led start-ups in India. 

“The percentage share of women-founded start-ups across stages of growth is in line with their participation in the ecosystem - indicating equal odds of success compared to their male counterparts. Thus, providing evidence of the women's intent and capability to play a role in the nation's economic growth and the crucial need for accelerating DE&I initiatives, " the report read.

39 per cent of Indian start-ups in 2022, were founded in emerging locations. In 2021, this figure stood at 34 per cent 2021. 

With 25,000-27,000 active tech startups, India remains to be the third largest tech start-up ecosystem globally after US and China.

In 2022, India saw the addition of nearly 1,300 fresh startups and the second-highest number of unicorns in the world.

Tech startups are expected to continue increasing innovation and deep-tech adoption, particularly in areas related to SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) that require complex solutions, the report added.

The report highlights that Indian start-ups have shown resilience in 2022 by shifting their business strategies and focusing on operational efficiency instead of laying off employees or shutting down operations.

On concerns around the decline in funding of Indian start-ups the report said, "While the concern around dipping funding is understandable, a deeper analysis of market behavior and investment trends shows that the start-up ecosystem is not only equipped to survive the slowdown but also continue with a renewed focus on investors and customers in 2023."

The report titled Zinnov-Nasscom India tech start-up landscape report 2022, examines the trends that shaped the Indian tech start-up ecosystem in 2022 and analyses their causes and implications. It also takes a look at the sectors critical to India’s holistic development and how they have managed to gain sustained interest.