Data-Led Stories

Funding for women-founded startups inches up, but the gap is still vast

Startups founded solely by women accounted for just 0.97% of overall private capital raised in 2025.

There were only 25 equity deals in the month—the lowest on record.

There was strong investor appetite for policy-aligned industries like software and semiconductor.

However, compared with Jan 2025, total funding fell 39.3%, while deal volume dropped 4.8%.

The Dec score was likely cyclical, as investors wrapped up deals ahead of a new year.

Fintech was the most active sector by both value and volume.

The largest transaction of the month was MoEngage’s $180m Series F round.

Five megadeals raised $1.1b in Nov compared to 12 such deals securing $2.8b in Oct.

The funding total was buoyed by a handful of mid-sized rounds.

In Oct 2025, Indian startups collectively secured $1.83b across 100 deals.