Women-Led Green Entrepreneurship: Motivators and Challenges

Women entrepreneurs are spearheading India’s green economy, founding 18% of sustainability-focused startups (WISER Report, 2024). Yet their growth remains hindered by systemic barriers, including limited access to financing, gender biases, market competition, and knowledge gaps in sustainable practices. This qualitative study investigates varied successful women-led green enterprises across renewable energy, waste management, and sustainable agriculture to uncover how they thrive despite these challenges. Through case study analysis and secondary data triangulation, the study reveals how these entrepreneurs convert constraints into competitive advantages such as leveraging alternative financing, community-driven networks, and eco-innovations to bypass institutional roadblocks. Policymakers and investors can harness these insights to accelerate women’s leadership in the green transition, particularly through gender-lens investing, targeted incubation programs, and policy reforms that address structural inequities.