What women founders need; Weekly funding roundup

Hello,

SheSparks turned the spotlight on women driving meaningful impact and shaping the future. 

Held at IIT Delhi on Saturday, YourStory’s summit celebrating women featured several founders, policymakers, leaders, and champions of change. 

Danasari Anasuya Seethakka, a minister in the Telangana government, urged women to break barriers and create history. 

Seethakka, Minister for Panchayat Raj & Rural Development, Women & Child Welfare, Government of Telangana, spoke about how she fought against injustice in society and encouraged women to gain economic independence to fight challenges. “I strongly believe when women gain economic power, families become stronger, communities become more resilient, and the entire state progresses,” she said.

Women drivers and instructors from Azad Foundation’s Women with Wheels programme also spoke at the event—on how mobility has become their route to safety and financial independence. 

Hazira, Shashi, and Aarti shared what it means to take control of not just vehicles but their lives as well.

A host of other women trailblazers too graced the event. 

Speaking of trailblazers, meet Geeta Gandbhir, who has not one but two Oscar nominations. 

The American filmmaker is nominated in two separate categories for two different documentaries: best documentary feature for The Perfect Neighbor and best documentary short for The Devil is Busy. Only five, including Walt Disney, have achieved this distinction in the history of the Oscars. 

Lastly, have the recent incidents in West Asia affected Dubai’s glossy image? Not everyone thinks so. 

In today’s newsletter, we will talk about 

• What women founders need
• Weekly funding roundup 

Here’s your trivia for today: What is 13.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds?

SheSparks

What women founders need

Women founders in India are offered endless advice and networking opportunities but they struggle to secure the actual investment needed to scale, and this needs to change, said women leaders at a panel discussion at SheSparks 2026, YourStory’s flagship summit celebrating women.

Many women entrepreneurs are over-mentored and under-funded, and it's time to move beyond the warmth of sisterhood towards the reality of capital access, they reiterated.

Capital, access, agency: 

• Aishwarya Malhi, Co-founder, Rebalance, an accelerator for startups and an angel community, said many women founders already possess the necessary skills and only require the door to be opened. “Many women need no guidance to raise capital. They just needed the right kind of access… Sometimes they come to us and say they just need the capital.”
• Sunali Rohra, Senior EVP & Head – Government & Institutional Business, Startups & Gig Banking, HDFC Bank, said the responsibility to change society lies with women themselves, particularly in how they raise their sons and daughters as equals.
• “It’s also about the agency women have to have. They must believe in their own agency to be able to sit at the cap tables and decide,” said Rohra.

Venture capital

Weekly funding roundup

Venture capital funding into Indian startups continues to remain lacklustre largely due to the ongoing tense macroeconomic environment with the conflict in West Asia affecting economies.

The conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States has affected the stability of the financial markets, slowing the fund flow across economies. Debt funding showed the highest traction during the second week of March but overall the fund inflow into Indian startups continues to remain low. 

Key takeaways: 

• Total VC funding for the second week of March was $143 million across 23 deals. Though it was marginally higher than the comparable previous week of $90 million, VC funding has remained range bound under $200 million on a weekly basis since the last week of January.
• There is nothing much to talk about in the two-and-half-months of the year except for the $600-million transaction of Neysa.
• During the week, debt funding had the highest traction, primarily due to the $31.3-million deal of Captain Fresh. There were deals across all stages of funding starting from pre-Series A to B, but there was not even a single transaction of $50 million and above.

News & updates

• Layoffs: Meta is planning layoffs ​that could impact 20% or more of the company, Reuters reports, citing three sources familiar with the matter.  The move comes as Meta tries to offset costly AI infrastructure bets and prepare for greater efficiency brought about by AI-assisted workers.
• Economic impact: It’s not just oil prices that are soaring due to the ongoing conflict in Iran. Essential crop fertilisers are also affected. US food prices could be next. Increases in cost and tightening of supplies overseas can ripple through the global agricultural supply chain and drive up food costs, NBC News reports.

What is 13.5 inches tall and weighs 8.5 pounds?

Answer: The Oscar statuette

We would love to hear from you! To let us know what you liked and disliked about our newsletter, please mail [email protected]. 

If you don’t already get this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here. For past editions of the YourStory Buzz, you can check our Daily Capsule page here.