Is India ready for more women-founded unicorns?

Post author:Yash A
Post published:May 10, 2022
Post category:Digital Marketing Latest Trends 2021
Post comments:0 Comments
Reading time:8 mins read

Hello Readers,

In 2012, when investment banker-turned entrepreneur Falguni Nayar decided to launch Nykaa, little did she know the long-lasting impact her venture would have on the Indian startup ecosystem.

Eight years later, Nykaa became the first solo woman-founded startup in India to enter the coveted unicorn club. Incidentally, India’s 100th—and latest—unicorn Open has two woman co-founders (alongside two male co-founders).

Last year, Nykaa also became the first profitable unicorn to go public, a company led by a solo woman entrepreneur. Yet, woman entrepreneurs seem to have a long way to go when it comes to impacting the boys’ club that is the Indian startup ecosystem.

To be fair, India now has 15 unicorns that have at least one woman in the founding team. Interestingly, Nykaa remains the only one with a solo woman founder to have achieved this milestone. The other 14 have at least one or more male co-founders as well.

In fact, this year saw five startups—LEAD, Hasura, Amagi, Oxyzo, and Open—with at least one woman co-founder enter the unicorn club. This is one-third of the total 15 unicorns that emerged in 2022 so far, the highest ever.

However, this still means that only 15 percent of India’s 100 unicorns have at least one woman founder. So, has the needle really moved? Read more.

Editor’s Pick: Meet the ePlane Company

Companies across the world are trying to figure out a way to successfully roll out flying taxis, or electric planes, in a commercially viable manner. In India, Ubifly Technologies Pvt Ltd, better known as The ePlane Company (TEC), is planning to launch its own electric flying taxi by 2024.

In an interview with YourStory, Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy, Co-founder of TEC, talks about electric planes, drone regulations affecting the sector, his journey, and more. Read more.

Startup Spotlight

Fighting maths phobia

Mathematics is perhaps one of the scariest subjects for any student. But edtech startup Bhanzu hopes to cure this widespread ‘maths phobia’.

Founded in November 2020 by the ‘world’s fastest human calculator’, Neelakantha Bhanu Prakash, Bhanzu aims to help students build careers in maths and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields through experiential learning. Read more.

YS Design team

News & Updates

One97 Communications, which owns Paytm, has granted 3.97 million stock options to its employees, at an exercise price of Rs 9 apiece. At Rs 556 per share, Paytm’s closing price on Monday, the value of the new grant equals Rs 220.7 crore.