Indian entrepreneurship is quietly undergoing a reset, and women are at the centre of it. Across towns, trades and technologies, which was once considered firmly male territory, it is now ruled by female leaders.
Fresh insights from Tide, a business management platform in the UK, reveal a decisive shift in the business world. Women entrepreneurs, particularly from tier II and tier III cities, are entering skilled, service-led and digitally enabled sectors in growing numbers. From device repair to accounting services, the story has changed from participation to ownership.
This transition reflects a deeper change. Women are not just starting businesses. They are formalising them, digitising them and building them for long-term financial independence.
New sectors, new confidence
For decades, women-led enterprises in India were clustered around familiar categories such as tailoring, beauty services and home-based food businesses. These sectors still matter. But Tide’s data shows women steadily expanding their footprint into areas that demand technical skill, financial literacy and regulatory compliance.
Across states like West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh, women are running mobile, tablet and computer repair businesses. In others, they are offering accounting, tax filing, and compliance services. These roles require precision, credibility and trust. Nursing and personal care services are emerging as structured business models. Micro-manufacturing and sewing-machine-led enterprises are moving from informal setups to registered operations.
What’s striking is where this growth is happening. Towns like Gulharia, Harnul, Bisrakh and Indore are becoming unlikely hubs of women-led enterprise. These are not exceptions. They are early signals of a broader structural shift.
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Women between 27 and 31 years form a significant portion of new business owners on the Tide platform. This age group aligns with India’s largest working-age demographic. It is digitally fluent, aspirational and increasingly unwilling to wait for permission.
As Gurjodhpal Singh, CEO, Tide in India, notes, this is a generational transition. These women are entering entrepreneurship with confidence, not compulsion. And they now have tools that their mothers never had access to.
The real game changer
The real transformation isn’t just about sector choice. It’s about formalisation.
Between March and November 2025, Tide recorded a 111 per cent increase in new women-led businesses. This surge reflects women moving away from cash-only, informal operations towards regulated, digitally managed enterprises.
Digital tools are helping women entrepreneurs maintain cleaner records, accept digital payments, and build credit histories. This matters. Access to finance has long been a bottleneck for women microentrepreneurs. Formalisation changes that equation.
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Tide’s platform data shows women-led businesses emerging as high-engagement users, particularly across three areas: debit services for daily expense management, digital bill payments for structured operations, and QR-based payment acceptance to eliminate cash dependency.
What’s unfolding across these cities isn’t a trend. It is a recalibration. Women entrepreneurs are stepping into spaces once denied to them, armed with skills, smartphones and structured platforms.
They are building businesses that support families, create local employment, and contribute to India’s formal economy. And they’re doing it on their own terms.
As platforms like Tide deepen their commitment to supporting women-owned enterprises, the future of Indian entrepreneurship is bound to be more inclusive and digitally-enabled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which women entrepreneurs are driving this shift?
Primarily women aged 27–31 from tier II and tier III cities.
Which sectors are seeing the most growth?
Device repair, accounting services, nursing care and micro-manufacturing.
Why is digital formalisation important?
It improves financial visibility, credit access and long-term scalability.
Are these businesses mostly solo ventures?
Many start solo but often generate local employment as they grow.
How is Tide supporting women entrepreneurs?
Through digital banking tools, payment solutions and financial education initiatives.
