HYDERABAD: Globally, tech, including work on Artificial Intelligence, is infamously male dominated.

Hyderabad is close to causing a few big cracks in this glass ceiling.Per World Economic Forum data, worldwide, 22% of AI professionals are women.

Hyderabad may soon see women founders for one in every four - 25% - AI startups.

Currently, the figure is 22%.

True, it's not a like for like comparison.

But it makes clear how tech in the Charminar city is breaking the mould.

The story is even better because these women-led startups have either received good private funding or were picked for incubation under the Telangana Artificial Intelligence Mission (T-AIM).Nasscom data shows there are around 3,000 AI startups in India.

"Most are based in Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Mumbai, and Chennai.

Hyderabad has around 140 of them and around 30 of them, working with T-AIM, are founded by women tech entrepreneurs," T-AIM head Praveen Mokkapati said.

Most of these women entrepreneurs have professional experience either in technology or in management and are using AI platforms to offer a wide range of solutions - from retail to food security and self-learning.Sridevi K Reddy, founder, Zithara Technologies, said: "I worked closely with the retail sector in the US...many middle-level retail chains lose customers because they don't have the data tools...

this is exactly what our AI-based solution is working on."Judges on a Telugu TV reality show, who were impressed with her firm's solution, invested Rs 60 lakh.

"After this, we began getting investment offers from other countries too," Sridevi said.Hyderabad is attracting women AI entrepreneurs from other cities.

Sacrolife Digital Health Care Technologies founder, Pooja HS, is working on an AI-based analytical tool for women's reproductive health.

"I have been working in management.

The idea came from my own experience.

I decided to come up with an AI tool mostly for hospitals working in the IVF sector.

We have many agreements lined up.

Though I am from Bengaluru, I'm planning to relocate to Hyderabad soon," she said.L Maruti Shankar, CEO of 7 Seas Entertainment and a digital - emerging technologies expert, makes the point that the number of Hyderabad's AI startups founded by women make the city standout globally.

His take on the future? "The day when women AI entrepreneurs in India receive the same recognition as women scientists of Isro is not far."