When Avneet Makkkar and A Saraswathy decided to raise fund to scale up their education technology start up Carve Niche last year being a woman appeared to be a liability. Venture capitalists doubted their sales strategy even through they had paying customers. Its took us some time to realize they doubt was not about the strategy but about two woman aging sales “ one potential investor asked us directly how we will manage family and business . this february angel investor Mumbai Angel investor Rs.1 crore in their firm.While woman entrepreneurs say their commitment to their enterprise is still questioned VCs and consultants ET spoke to say woman entrepreneurs do not seem to be breaking self imposed barriers in spite of their being more opportunities.Very few women are even turning the ignition key. “In our experience not even 5% plans come from women. We see great ideas, but most are not even ready for the first round of VC funding,”Managing partner of Kae Capital and co-founder Mumbai Angels “we need to go deeper and ask Are women more risk average? How can you push them over the border.’?India’s best women entrepreneur agrees. There are enough opportunities but many women are content running small boutique business. Says Shaw chairman and managing director of biotechnology firm Biotech if the think big and have a strong business plan the will get funding women can not blame society and others.In the tussle between managing family and business the family often wins say who runs blissInns a resorts management company As a CFO management company Balbir often has been asked to take over as CEO, but say would be happy to hire some one for the post simply because the job requires a 16 hours commitment everyday. “If could reschedule a meeting to attend to a family need I would A man would not,” she says.There are other like Makkar and who are willing to go the extra to build mile business o scale but you are stymied by outdated views on women entrepreneurs especially from the investment community.Overcoming Barriers: it is here that “tangible barriers” come up says anjan vivek founderVenture bean consulting and guest faculty at IIM Bangalore. Question like whether can woman travel whether they would be able to spend their money or commit enough asked. “ this is a lens that belong to the traditional manufacturing business,” today there are intangible like how people use technology to work from  home or what women bring to the business that is different. These need to be looked into as enablers.Many woman are even asked if their husbands or father will be the guarantors where as man are not asked similar questions , programme director of Stree shakti a dedicated platform for women entrepreneurs started by TiE one of the worlds largest entrepreneurs organizations.

Vrinda Rajgarhia has experienced many shades of women entrepreneurs in India in her 10 years as one “ For a women to be taken seriously she had to work harder than the average man,” she says adding it who women set limits and what can or can not do. In 2002, Rajgarhia started sweet world, a china of candy store that has 40 out lets today. They buck stopped with me she says. For the first tow years, I put in over 18 hours a day. Even while on vacation I had to be on cell. “if all those years ago she listened to the people who  discouraged her, I would never have had the business I have now ,she says.Help From Outside: having mentor makes the struggle a little easier. Vidya Nataraj co founder of the company that runs online jewellery retailer bluestone .com, has a strong retail pedigree however she says more than this it was her association with meena ganesh co founder of TutorVista , that  helped her.

A similar programme changed the way Neelam chibber who co founder industree craft in the mid 1990s looked at business here he was small export oriented venture till in 2007 she under took a scale up study program for scale entrepreneurs conducted a non profit and social business focused initiative. Whose future venture holds 53% in the company Besides hands on training women need a supporting ecosystem.And From inside: women entrepreneurs are now coming up solution for their problems Ruche Mittal founder of design consultancy idea perfect started her entrepreneurs network she joined the goldman sachs 10,000 women entrepreneurs certificate progarmee at ISB.

Mumbai Angels say if women persist they will find enough people willing to guide and help them. “because they are very focused on goals and less political they also need to prove a large point,” “ to be successful entrepreneurs you have to be willing to struggle and sacrifice and take risks,”