CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu has crossed the milestone of 15,000 startups recognised by the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), with the State currently housing 15,037 recognised startups.

The latest data shows a near-even gender distribution among founders, with 7,572 women-led startups marginally outnumbering 7,465 men led startups.

Chennai continues to be the State's startup hub with 5,134 recognised startups, accounting for more than a third of the total.

The capital city is followed by Coimbatore (2,011) and Kancheepuram (1,318). Other districts with significant startup presence include Tiruvallur (916), Chengalpattu (815), Madurai (497), Trichy (446), Salem (403), Erode (350), and Krishnagiri (239).

Sector-wise, IT Services remains the largest segment with 2,002 startups, followed by Healthcare and Lifesciences (1,285), and Agriculture (928).

Other major sectors include Food - Beverages (846), Education (795), Construction (652), Professional - Commercial Services (614), Artificial Intelligence (584), Technology Hardware (543), and Renewable Energy (495).