Q & A

Entrepreneurship has to be ungendered, says coto co-founder Aparna Acharekar

Unconscious bias, lack of representation and structural barriers are some factors behind the gender funding gap, she said.

Northstar has three focus areas: financial services, the digital economy, and consumer businesses.

“Despite study after study showing the challenges faced by female founders, a lot of people think women have it easier.”

More women taking to entrepreneurship will ensure a bigger pool of founders, she added.

Temasek’s portfolio exposure to India is $16b, of which over half are direct investments.

It has become easier for women entrepreneurs to pitch than it was a decade back, she says.

Reefknot raised $50 million for its first fund in 2019.

JIFFY.ai had raised $53m as part of its Series B funding round about a year ago.

Rockstud’s first fund followed a hybrid strategy of investing in listed equities and pre-Series A startups.

LEAD turned unicorn early last year after raising $100m in a Series E round.