Shaping Indian startups: Top 10 women investors to watch out for in 2024-25

New Delhi [India], April 24 : The world is celebrating 'International Girls in ICT Day 2024' on April 25 this year. Although women now fill 40 per cent of high-skill occupations globally, their participation in ICT-related fields continues to be low.
India, which has the world's 3rd largest startup ecosystem, has seen exponential growth in recent years. In startups also technology is pervasive and is playing a key role in most of the startups irrespective of its service and industry.
The bedrock of a thriving startup ecosystem and community apart from founders are the investors, who play a critical role in building and shaping these startups. There is always a limelight on startup founders, however, investor community is not often talked about, and in that, also women. It is to be noted that there are many talented and committed women investors working on building the Indian startup ecosystem.
Here's a list of 10 women investors working tirelessly in building the Indian startup ecosystem: (Please note the below name order is a random order and doesn't follow any ranking)
Aarti Gupta: She is an investment strategist who has been heading her family office, DM Gupta Family, Jagran Group, for over a decade. She is also the Chief Investment Officer at Anikarth Ventures, an angel-investing firm committed to supporting early-stage startups.
Archana Jahagirdar: She is at the forefront of changing the game for entrepreneurs and the startup ecosystem in India. As the founder and Managing Partner of Rukam Capital, an early-stage consumer-focused VC fund, she is one of the solo general partners, having carved a niche among a handful of women founders of venture capital in India and globally.
Debjani Ghosh: She is the President of the National Association of Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) and the first woman to hold the position in nearly 30 years. She actively engages with the government and industry stakeholders to accelerate growth and strengthen India's position as a hub for innovation and digital talent. Her role was instrumental in developing 'Think Digital, Think India' strategy.
Namita Thapar: She is the Executive Director of Emcure Pharmaceuticals Limited, and is also the India Head of Young Entrepreneurs Academy, Inc. She is also an angel investor and a popular shark from Shark Tank India. She has previously invested in startups like Brandsdaddy, Girgit, STAGE, Very Much Indian, and Skippi Ice Pops to name a few.
Vani Kola: She is the founder and managing director of Kalaari Capital a VC firm that invests in early-stage technology-focused startups, and is also a board member of CXXO. The firm typically invests in e-commerce, gaming, digital content and healthcare brands like Dream11, Myntra, Cure.fit, and Snapdeal.
Kanika Mayar: She is a partner of Vertex Ventures, which invests in companies like Licious, FirstCry, AsianParent, Warung Pintar and Grab, to name a few. The firm typically infuses money in seed to Series B-stage startups in Southeast Asia and India.
Padmaja Ruparel: She is the Co-Founder of the Indian Angel Network and Founding Partner at IAN Fund, which is a SEBI-registered category II venture capital fund, worth Rs 1,000 crore.
Falguni Nayar: She is the founder and CEO of the beauty focused retail brand Nykaa. Today, the business has emerged as one of India's leading beauty retailers playing a critical role in developing the beauty market in India.
Pearl Agarwal: She is the founder and managing director of Eximus Ventures, which invests in pre-seed stage companies with an equity cheque of up to USD 500,000. The firm has invested in startups like Oyela, Flux, Stan, Fleek, Jar, iTribe, Fego, Zorro, KalaGato, Skydo, and Eka.Care.
Renuka Ramnath: She is the Founder, MD and CEO of Multiples Alternate Asset Management. Founded in 2009, Multiples is an independent, India focused private equity firm that manages a USD 2 billion private equity capital. The firm has made investments in businesses like Tata Infomedia, VA TechWabag and Air Deccan.