8i Ventures launches second edition of pre-seed funding programme Origami

Early-stage venture capital fund 8i Ventures has announced the second edition of its pre-seed funding programme Origami, with the goal of deal closure in four weeks' time.

Origami was first launched in March 2024 and it invested $600,000 in three startups—Cobalt, Cautio and an undisclosed company. As part of this process, the programme offers a response within one week, a term sheet in two weeks, and deal closure in four weeks.

Vishwanath V, General Partner, 8i Ventures, said the biggest challenge that early-stage founders face is whether they should focus on building their product or raising capital. He further added that the idea behind Origami was to enable the founders to solely focus on product building.

8i Ventures has already dedicated $10 million to the Origami programme and this will be done twice a year. In the second edition, it plans to invest in about four to five startups.

Vikram Chachra, Founding Partner, 8i Ventures said, “Continuing our $10 million allocation, we aim to invest in more pre-seed startups 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 startup landscape and drive positive change.”

8i Ventures announced the first close of its $50 million second fund by raising $25 million.

According to Vishwanath, the criteria for investing in startups will be if they have clarity on the problem statement that the market or customers are facing and how they are going to solve them.

Over the last decade, 8i Ventures has funded startups from seed to early stage and its portfolio includes the likes of Slice, M2P Technologies, Blue Tokai, and Easebuzz to name a few.