Eximius Ventures launches $30M Fund II to invest in early-stage startups

Eximius Ventures, a venture capital (VC) firm focused on pre-seed investments, has launched its second fund (Fund II) with a target corpus of $30 million.

The VC firm said that Fund II aims to invest in 25-30 companies across fintech, artificial intelligence (AI)/software-as-a-service (SaaS), frontier tech, and consumer tech, with an initial $500,000 cheque per company.

It has reserved half of the corpus for follow-on investments to support high-potential portfolio companies.

Fund II has already invested in four companies in consumer tech and AI/SaaS, with Eximius Ventures leading or co-leading these investments alongside institutional investors.

Eximius follows a focused pre-seed investment approach compared to cohort-driven or spray-and-pray strategies. 

“At a time when funding is becoming increasingly selective, Eximius is doubling down on pre-seed startups, with an aim to drive momentum in India’s innovation ecosystem,” Pearl Agarwal, Founder and Managing Partner at Eximius Ventures, said.

“Our goal is to bridge the gap for founders seeking their first institutional capital while enabling them to thrive in a competitive global market,” Agarwal added.

Its inaugural $10 million Fund I, launched in 2021, has invested in 23 companies, with around 60% of firms securing multiple up-rounds from global investors.

Fund II will build on the success of Fund I with a similar strategy, drawing capital from a diverse range of limited partners, including high-net-worth individuals, founder-investors, family offices, and global Japanese corporate venture firms.

Some notable investments by Eximius Ventures include Jar, a micro-savings app; Finarkein, a data analytics platform; Vegapay, a platform enabling financial institutions and fintechs; and Stan, a gamified platform for gamers, creators, and fans.

Agarwal pointed out that the VC firm will look at companies led by seasoned operators and entrepreneurs, solving with a first principle mindset and exceptional execution capacity in a large market.

Eximius Ventures is led by Agarwal and Preeti Sampat, who bring over 25 years of combined global investment experience.