Indian start-up ecosystem continues to thrive across sectors, but the representation of women in leadership roles still remains debile --- holding just 7% of executive positions across 121 unicorns, according to data shared by the staffing consultancy firm Longhouse. These roles include founders, cofounders, and c-suite leadership like chief product officers, chief technology officers, etc.
Besides c-suite positions, around 79% women leaders occupy c-2 level roles like heads, directors, or equivalent mid-management positions, where they lead teams, drive execution, and contribute to innovation. And only 14% have reached the c-1 level, such as vice presidents, senior VPs who oversee major tech functions and strategic initiatives.
The study focused on 72 women in core technology leadership roles, excluding founders without a technical background.
“Though only 1% of leadership in the youngest firms (formed between 2020 and 2024) is occupied by women, this more reflects the stage of growth than intent; many of these companies are still developing their leadership layers,” said Rohit Srivastava, Senior Partner, Longhouse.
He further stated that the institutional obstacles and the small talent pool in tech leadership still influence the speed of change; a stronger presence of women at mid-senior levels offers a possibility of more representation at the top in the next years.
A closer look at sectoral trend reveals that SaaS (software-as-a-service) and deeptech ventures are leading the way, with 31% of women in top tech roles. E-commerce and D2C start-ups follow the trend, with 28% of leadership positions held by women in tech.
Fintech emerges as the third largest sector with 17% representation of women leaders. However, industries, foodtech (8%), media & entertainment (7%), and travel (5%) have comparatively lower representation.
Despite having weak yet growing representation in the start-up sector, the report throws light on a surprising trend. Of the total women leaders in start-up unicorns, nearly 40% of them come from non-startup backgrounds.
This suggests that start-ups are actively seeking experienced professionals from corporate and other industries, valuing their leadership skills and strategic expertise over prior startup exposure.
“The start-ups could be a differentiator in the career of women, giving them growth path within 1-3 years of their tenure with them. This segment represents emerging talent making early transitions into leadership roles—many of whom experience rapid advancement in the dynamic startup environment,” the report added.
