8i Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm, is intensifying its commitment to early-stage startup funding with the launch of the second edition of its pre-seed initiative, Origami. The inaugural round of the program, introduced in March 2024, saw 8i Ventures invest $600,000 in three startups: Cobalt, a SaaS platform specializing in native integrations; Cautio, a fleet dashcam and video telematics solution; and another pre-launch startup.
The Origami program is designed to streamline the funding process, offering founders swift access to capital. 8i Ventures guarantees an initial response within a week, a term sheet within two weeks, and a deal closure within four weeks, making it an efficient avenue for emerging startups to secure early-stage investments.
Additionally, the firm recently secured a $25 million first close for its second fund, which is targeting a total of $50 million. A significant portion of this capital, $10 million, has been earmarked for the Origami program to further bolster its efforts in nurturing nascent businesses.
8i Ventures is looking for founders who possess a clear vision and a solid understanding of their market’s needs. The firm is particularly focused on teams with diverse skills across technology, product development, and sales, aiming to provide the resources necessary to transform their concepts into thriving companies.
With a strong portfolio of successful early-stage investments, 8i Ventures has demonstrated its ability to identify high-potential startups. For example, its initial $200,000 investment in M2P Technologies delivered impressive 36x returns, with M2P now valued at $800 million following its recent funding round. Other notable investments include Slice, Easebuzz, and Bbetter, all of which have seen substantial growth following their seed rounds.
Over the past decade, 8i Ventures has supported more than 50 startups at the seed and early stages, helping create over $5 billion in value for shareholders both in India and internationally. Their portfolio includes innovative companies like Slice, Kodo, Blue Tokai, and Carwale.com (NSE: CARTRADE), as well as fintech pioneers such as M2P, Signzy, Easebuzz, BharatX, Transbnk, and EzeTap.