The second edition of Origami, the pre-seed funding program for early-stage entrepreneurs, has been announced by 8i Ventures. The first edition of the program, launched in March 2024, saw the fund invest $600,000 across three startups: Cobalt, a SaaS platform for native integrations; Cautio, a fleet dashcam and video telematics platform; and another pre- launch startup.

A response within one week, a term sheet in two weeks, and deal closure in just four weeks are some of the benefits of the Origami program, according to 8i Ventures. The first close of its second fund, raising $25 million, was announced by the firm. $10 million have been earmarked for the Origami endeavor.

A clear vision and a deep understanding of their customers are what 8i Ventures is looking for. The firm aims to aid teams with a diverse set of abilities, encompassing tech, product creation, and marketing, by providing them with swift financial assistance and guidance to turn their concepts into profitable enterprises.

Early-stage investments are a strong focus of the venture fund. M2P Technologies recently raised a round at an $800 million valuation after its first investment of $200,000 delivered 36x returns. Slice, Easebuzz, and Bbetter are notable early investments that have grown significantly after receiving seed funding from 8i Ventures.

Over the past decade, 8i Ventures and its partners have backed over 50 seed and early-stage companies, generating over $5 billion in value for stakeholders in India and around the globe. There are challenger brands like Slice, Kodo, Blue Tokai, and Carwale.com in their portfolio, as well as fintech enablers like M2P, Signzy, Easebuzz, BharatX, Transbnk, and EzeTap.

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