Early-stage venture capital (VC) fund 8i Ventres has launched the second edition of its pre-seed funding program Origami, aimed at supporting early stage founders.

In its first edition, launched in March 2024, the fund invested $600k in three start-ups---Cobalt, a SaaS platform for native integrations, Cautio, a fleet dashcam & video telematics platform, and another pre-launch start-up.

“With Origami V2, we’re doubling down on our mission to provide early-stage start-ups with the resources they need to succeed. Continuing our $10 million allocation, we aim to invest in more pre-seed start-ups this year and potentially double down if the program proves successful. By offering rapid funding and a supportive ecosystem, we aim to accelerate the growth of India’s start-up landscape and drive positive change,” said Vikram Chachra, Founding Partner, 8i Ventures.

In the middle of the funding winter season, 8i Ventures announced the first close of its $50 million second fund by raising $25 million. The firm has allocated $10 million from Fund II, to launch this initiative.

The application window for Origami’s second edition will remain open for two weeks in November, with deal processing continuing through December 2024.

Founded in 2019 by Vikram Chachra and Vishwanath V, 8i Ventures is an India-based early-stage venture capital fund that has backed more than 50 seed to early-stage start-ups,

8i Ventures has a successful experience with early cheques, with the first investment of $200k in M2P Technologies fetching 36 times returns. 8i Ventures has also invested early cheques in companies like Slice, Easebuzz and Bbetter.

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