“The Uttar Pradesh government has launched new startup grants to boost women entrepreneurship, offering financial aid, mentorship, and resources. Aimed at fostering innovation, these grants target women-led startups in diverse sectors. With streamlined application processes and support from Startup India, the initiative seeks to bridge the gender gap in India’s startup ecosystem, empowering women to drive economic growth.”
Uttar Pradesh Bolsters Women-Led Startups with New Grants
The Uttar Pradesh government has rolled out a series of startup grants specifically designed to empower women entrepreneurs, marking a significant step toward gender inclusivity in India’s burgeoning startup ecosystem. Announced in August 2025, these grants are part of the state’s broader mission to foster innovation and economic growth by supporting women-led businesses across diverse sectors, including technology, healthcare, agriculture, and retail.
The initiative, aligned with the Startup India program under the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), offers financial assistance of up to ₹25 lakh for eligible women-led startups. This funding is aimed at covering critical needs such as product development, marketing, and operational costs. Additionally, the program provides access to mentorship, networking opportunities, and incubation support through partnerships with state nodal agencies and private incubators like NSRCEL and WE Hub. The grants are non-repayable, easing the financial burden on early-stage entrepreneurs who often struggle to secure collateral-free loans.
Data from a 2025 NITI Aayog report highlights the need for such initiatives, noting that only 14% of India’s entrepreneurs are women, despite women-owned MSMEs constituting 20% of the sector. In Uttar Pradesh, where women-led startups number over 1,200, the gender funding gap remains stark, with women securing just 5% of total startup funding in 2023, according to Inc42. The new grants aim to address this disparity by prioritizing women-led ventures in both urban and rural areas.
The application process is streamlined through the Startup India portal, requiring applicants to register and submit a detailed business plan. Eligibility criteria include a minimum of 51% ownership by women in the startup and a focus on innovative solutions with commercial potential. The state has also introduced special provisions for women from marginalized communities, offering additional subsidies and relaxed criteria to ensure inclusivity.
Workshops conducted under the ‘Women for Startups’ initiative by Startup India between 2022 and 2023 have already shown success in Uttar Pradesh, with over 300 women entrepreneurs from Varanasi and Lucknow participating in capacity-building sessions. These workshops covered critical areas like pitching, fundraising, and legal compliance, equipping women with the skills needed to navigate the competitive startup landscape. The new grants build on this foundation, offering a dedicated corpus from the state’s Innovation Fund, with ₹100 crore earmarked exclusively for women innovators.
Success stories are emerging as a testament to the initiative’s potential. For instance, Priyanka Sharma, a Lucknow-based entrepreneur, secured a ₹15 lakh grant to scale her agri-tech startup, which develops IoT-based solutions for small-scale farmers. Similarly, Anjali Verma from Kanpur used a ₹10 lakh grant to expand her health-tech venture, focusing on affordable diagnostic tools for rural women. These examples underscore the program’s role in enabling women to turn innovative ideas into viable businesses.
The grants also align with national schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana and Stand-Up India, which have disbursed ₹2.22 lakh crore to 4.24 crore women entrepreneurs nationwide in FY 2023-24, as per NITI Aayog. Uttar Pradesh’s initiative complements these efforts by offering localized support, including mentorship from industry leaders and access to investor networks through platforms like Startup India Investor Connect, launched in March 2023.
Challenges remain, however. A 2022 International Finance Corporation report noted that 72% of women-led businesses in India lacked financial reserves during the 2020 lockdown, compared to 53% of male-led firms. Limited access to professional networks and societal biases continue to hinder women entrepreneurs. The Uttar Pradesh government is addressing these issues by mandating 10% of incubator seats for women-led startups and providing rental reimbursements for ventures with at least 30% women employees.
The state’s focus on women entrepreneurship is also driven by economic imperatives. With India’s startup ecosystem ranking second globally in funding for women-led startups ($26.4 billion as of 2025, per TICE), Uttar Pradesh aims to position itself as a hub for female innovators. Bengaluru may lead in funding, but cities like Lucknow and Noida are emerging as key centers for women-led ventures, with the state government offering incentives like tax breaks and subsidized industrial plots.
By fostering an ecosystem that combines financial support, skill development, and market access, Uttar Pradesh’s new startup grants are poised to reshape the entrepreneurial landscape for women. The initiative not only addresses funding gaps but also inspires a new generation of women to break barriers and lead India’s economic growth.
Disclaimer: This article is based on information sourced from government announcements, Startup India, NITI Aayog reports, and recent industry analyses. Data points are drawn from credible sources like Inc42, TICE, and the International Finance Corporation. Readers are advised to verify eligibility and application details through official government portals before applying for grants.