FoundHER Challenge by Prosus Supports Women Entrepreneurs

Prosus has concluded its inaugural Tech FoundHER Challenge, awarding $100,000 in equity-free grants to four women-led startups, underscoring efforts to address the significant funding disparity in India's startup ecosystem, where women entrepreneurs continue to face substantial capital access barriers.

The initiative's results demonstrate both the quality of women-led innovation and the ongoing challenges in the sector. Lightbulb, an Emotion AI platform that combines visual and conversational AI to analyze digital user engagement, emerged as the top winner with $50,000. RxMen, a digital health platform focused on men's sexual wellness, secured $30,000. Climate technology startups Varaha, which enables smallholder farmers to generate carbon credits, and Digital Paani, an IoT platform for wastewater treatment, shared third place with $20,000 collectively.

The challenge drew 120 applications from startups across 22 cities, spanning 14 sectors including artificial intelligence, climate technology, healthcare, fintech, and agritech. Following technical screening by Vaia, a platform focused on evaluating startup potential and readiness, seven finalists presented to a judging panel.

Winners were selected by judges including Apurva Dixit, Investor at Blume Ventures; Ronak Sandil, Director of Investments and Corporate Development at Amazon; Archana Jahagirdar, Founder and Managing Partner at Rukam Capital; Martin Tshopp, CEO, Prosus Ventures; and Priyanka Chopra, CFO, Prosus Ventures. The panel was joined by Ashutosh Sharma, India Head of Investments and M&A at Prosus Ventures, and Prajna Khanna, VP and Global Head of Sustainability at Prosus. Former Union Minister Smriti Irani participated as Guest of Honor.

The initiative addresses critical market data showing Indian women-led startups received less than 3% of total venture funding in 2023, highlighting persistent gender disparities in startup investment.

"We launched this challenge to spotlight and support women building game-changing solutions in tech. The quality of innovation we've seen is inspiring—and this is just the beginning," said Prajna Khanna, VP and Global Head of Sustainability at Prosus.

"Women entrepreneurs are developing solutions to complex challenges using advanced technology. This partnership with Prosus creates infrastructure to make entrepreneurship truly gender-neutral," said Deeksha Ahuja, Founder of Encubay.

The challenge's outcomes reinforce broader market trends. "Investing in women founders in India's tech sector drives innovation and economic growth. Women-led startups raised $930 million in 2024. Initiatives like the Prosus Tech FoundHer challenge provide crucial financial support and mentorship to women entrepreneurs, fostering inclusion and empowerment. Vaia is proud to support Prosus on this initiative," said Shruthi Iyer, Founder, Vaia.

"It's about merit, not gender — these founders earned their place. Prosus has created a powerful platform to spotlight women-led innovation, and it's clear we need more of this," said Archana Jahagirdar, Founder & Managing Partner, Rukam Capital.

Moving forward, winners will receive ongoing mentorship and access to Encubay's startup accelerator network and Prosus portfolio company resources, ensuring sustained support beyond the initial grants. All seven finalists will continue to receive mentorship and access to Encubay's startup network.