New Delhi, 05 March 2025: Tide1 in India, the leading business financial platform for SMEs, has recorded a 282% surge in women members over the past year adopting digital business tools. Tide has more than 86,226 women members on its platform (sharply up from 22,584 one year ago, in Feb 2024), of which 96% are from Tier 2, 3, 4, and beyond towns (termed as ‘Bharat’). These cities and towns are emerging as centers of growth for SMEs in India.
Women across India—especially from Tier 2 and 3 cities are launching businesses that both fuel their ambition and make a significant contribution to India’s GDP. About 22 million small businesses in India are owned by women, making up around 20% of such businesses in the country. Digital tools are helping more owners, especially in smaller towns, grow their ventures, according to data from over 600,000 small businesses on the financial platform Tide.
Tide data shows that 30% of women entrepreneurs are from the smaller towns in Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra, representing 16% and 14% respectively. This is followed by 11% from West Bengal, around 9% from Madhya Pradesh and Bihar each, and 5% from Odisha.
General stores, beauty salons, and tailoring businesses lead the way—together making up 31% of all digital enterprises on the platform.
Rise of women solopreneurs
The rise of women solopreneurs is remarkable. Women digital marketers, actors, teachers, bookstore owners, agricultural tool vendors, grocery store owners, and financial consultants, make up over 61% of these ten key sectors.
Gurjodhpal Singh, CEO, of Tide in India, says: “For decades, the entrepreneurship story in India was always about metros and family-run businesses. We are now witnessing a powerful shift in the entrepreneurial landscape of India, driven by ambition, digital access, and a growing support ecosystem. Many of these women are first-generation business owners who are breaking away from traditional legacies, proving that innovation and enterprise are no longer confined to big cities.
Gurjodh adds: “These women are not just using digital tools – they are mastering them to build successful businesses, create jobs, and transform their communities. It’s inspiring to see that 96% of Tide’s women members are from smaller cities.”
Huge changes in culture, technology, and society are leading more young entrepreneurs to use digital business tools. Gen Z (19-25 years) and millennials (26-40 years) make up 78% of the women on the platform.
Tide’s data shows women entrepreneurs from Gen X and Baby Boomers are embracing digital tools, making up to 22% of adopters. A befitting example is, a 89-year-old entrepreneur (bookstore owner) who stands out as a testament to how digital adoption is transcending generations.
The rising number of women entrepreneurs in India highlights a significant shift in societal norms and the expanding opportunities for women in the financial ecosystem.
Out of Tide’s total member base, more than 14% are women. In line with its global Women in Business program to support female entrepreneurs, Tide’s commitment includes policy awareness programs, and partnerships with women-focused incubators such as WE Hub – Telangana’s state-led incubator (India’s first and only state-led incubator), NEHHDC (North Eastern Handicrafts & Handlooms Development Corporation Limited) and Ubuntu Consortium (a Consortium of Women Entrepreneurs Associations) to bring more women under the formal economy through digitization.
Tide is committed to bringing 500,000 women in India onto the platform by the end of 2027, part of a global pledge to support women entrepreneurs.
