NewsVoir
New Delhi [India], January 8: India is witnessing a decisive shift in the way women participate in entrepreneurship, with rising numbers of young women from Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities entering sectors traditionally seen as male-dominated -- from device repair to accounting and compliance services, according to new internal data released by Tide1, the UK's leading business management platform. Women between 27 and 31 years old form a significant share of new business owners on the Tide platform, reflecting India's broader working-age population profile. With over 180,000 women entrepreneurs, women currently account for 18.7% of Tide's India member base. This age cohort represents India's largest demographic segment and is increasingly visible on digital business platforms -- as part of a wider formalisation shift among women choosing entrepreneurship as a viable and structured livelihood pathway.
This surge is most visible outside metros. Across smaller towns such as Gulharia in Uttar Pradesh, Harnul in Maharashtra, Bisrakh in Uttar Pradesh, and Indore in Madhya Pradesh, women from India's working-age population are formalising skill-based and service-led enterprises through digital platforms. While women in their late twenties and early thirties are prominently represented -- in line with India's largest demographic cohort -- the growth reflects broader participation across working-age women, pointing to a structural shift towards entrepreneurship for long-term financial independence and flexibility in non-metro India.
Women Expanding Beyond Traditional Sectors - New Categories Gain Momentum
While sectors like tailoring and beauty services have long been dominated by women, Tide's data reveals a notable rise in women-led businesses across skilled services and tech-driven categories. These include:
- Mobile, tablets, and computer repair, led by women in West Bengal and urban clusters of Tier 2 cities
- Accounting and tax services, with young women taking up formal financial and compliance-led business roles
- Nursing and personal care services, emerging strongly from Madhya Pradesh
- Sewing machines and micro-manufacturing now formalising through digital payments and accounting tools
This shift underscores how Indian women are breaking occupational stereotypes, entering previously male-dominated sectors, and adopting digital tools to scale their income.
Gurjodhpal Singh, CEO, Tide in India, said, "What's most inspiring is how women are breaking stereotypes -- whether it's repairing devices, managing accounting services, or running nursing-led service models. This shift represents a generational transition. Women in their late twenties and early thirties enter entrepreneurship with stronger digital familiarity and a clear desire for self-determined growth. For many, this phase has become the launchpad for building businesses that contribute directly to household incomes and local employment."
More Women Are Formalising Their Businesses -- A Post-2025 Trend
The rise of women-led businesses is closely tied to digital adoption. Tide's data shows a sharp jump of 111% in new women-led businesses between March and November 2025, indicating a broader trend of women moving towards formalisation, digital payments, and regulated business practices. This trend is especially strong among women in their early careers (late 20s to early 30s), many of whom are running solo businesses while managing families, caregiving responsibilities, or flexible work arrangements.
These behaviours are strengthening credit visibility and enabling more women to access financial products needed for growth -- a persistent hurdle for women microentrepreneurs in India.
Key Tide Products Driving Growth for Women-Led Businesses
Women-led businesses on Tide are not only growing in number but are also emerging as high-engagement digital users on the platform. The top three products used by women entrepreneurs are:
1. Debit Services
Women entrepreneurs are actively using Tide's debit services to streamline day-to-day business spending. With seamless card management, real-time tracking, and secure transactions, debit usage helps them maintain tighter control on their business finances.
2. Bill Payments
Women are increasingly adopting digital bill payments to manage utility expenses, vendor payments, and recurring business costs. This shift towards structured financial management helps them maintain clean records and improve creditworthiness.
3. Payment Acceptance via QR Codes
QR-based payments are playing a central role in helping women-run microbusinesses -- from sewing shops to repair desks to home-based services -- accepting customer payments instantly and securely has removed cash-dependence and improved business visibility.
Tide will continue to expand its digital tools, financial education initiatives, and on-ground programmes to support women-owned businesses across Tier 2, 3, 4 and 5 India, as part of its commitment to help 500,000 women entrepreneurs start and run their businesses by 2027.
About Tide
Launched in 2017, Tide is the leading business management platform in the UK. Tide helps SMEs save time (and money) in the running of their businesses by not only offering business accounts and related admin services, but also a comprehensive set of highly usable and connected administrative solutions from invoicing to accounting.
Tide has nearly 800,000 SME members in the UK (14% market share) and 1,000,000 SMEs in India. Tide launched in Germany in May 2024 and in France in September 2025. Tide has also been recognised with the Great Place to Work certification three years in a row. Tide has been funded by Anthemis, Apax Digital Funds, Augmentum Fintech, Creandum, Salica Investments, Latitude, LocalGlobe, SBI Group, Speedinvest and TPG, amongst others. It employs more than 2,500 Tideans worldwide. Tide's long-term ambition is to be the leading business management platform globally.
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/tide-banking
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