Deeksha Ahuja & Avneet Kohli, Co-Founders, Encubay
How do you wish to contribute towards empowering and strengthening India through your work?
Despite over 6,000 women-led startups in India being left unfunded, and with a total of 8,800+ female-founded startups amassing over $23.3 billion in cumulative funding, only 2,300 have received financial backing to date. Many are still in the Seed and Early stages. Furthermore, venture capital funding for women-led startups in India has plummeted by 75% in the past three years.
At Encubay, we are committed to transforming this landscape. Our mission is to empower women-led startups to raise capital, scale their ventures, and expand globally. As a global network focused on diversity, we aim to collaborate with over 1,000 women-led businesses in the next decade and foster the creation of at least 100 companies valued at approximately $1 billion each.
What message would you like to share with your fellow Indians on Independence Day?
To become a global hub of innovation and capital flow, we must ensure that all segments of our population are contributing equally. Today, it is more crucial than ever to encourage more women to build ventures, join leadership teams, and secure investments across various asset classes. We need to prioritize diversity goals on par with other growth objectives. Increasing the participation of women in the workforce and as entrepreneurs will yield exponential benefits for the Indian economy. It’s time to recognize that achieving gender diversity is not just a goal but a strategic imperative for economic advancement.
