Founded in 2021 and headquartered at the IIT Madras Research Park in Chennai, 8X Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm built exclusively for deep tech. Led by managing partner Chirag Gupta, the firm was started to close the gap between breakthrough technologies and the capital needed to scale them, beginning with SPV-based investments before raising its own funds.

8X Ventures invests where engineering becomes enterprise. Its stated sweet spot is founders building technologies with the power to transform industries, economies and national capability — and it backs them at a stage when science is proven but commercial validation is still ahead. That makes it a genuinely founder-friendly option for lab-born and research-led teams that generalist early-stage funds often shy away from.

Thesis, sectors and cheque sizes

The firm's second and India-focused fund, 8X Ventures DeepTech Fund, marked a first close at Rs 200 crore with a Rs 100 crore greenshoe option. The fund targets 18-20 early-stage Indian deep-tech startups over three years, writing initial cheques of Rs 2-5 crore and reserving follow-on firepower of up to Rs 20 crore for 8-10 high-potential startups. Commitments of over Rs 60 crore from family offices and HNIs were reported at the first close.

Sector focus is sharp: water sanitation and hygiene (WASH), Industry 4.0, advanced computing, biotech and B2B enterprise SaaS, alongside industrial tech and cybersecurity. The firm says it prefers startups with developed technologies, sustainable competitive advantages and accessible markets, and it scouts innovations from India's top research institutions across the country, not just Chennai.

Portfolio and people

The first fund, launched in 2022 as a global fund, invested in 14 companies and is fully deployed. Notable portfolio companies include Solinas Integrity (robotics for public sanitation), D-Nome (molecular diagnostics), Lightspeed Photonics (next-generation computing), XYMA Analytics (Industrial IoT), Zenpulsar (social-media AI), Pantherun Technologies (real-time AI encryption), Oditly (digital auditing) and Atmax. The firm claims a 2.1X multiple on invested capital and roughly 40% IRR since deployment in 2022 — firm-reported figures. The team also includes Esha Arya, Ajay Singh Rajput and Vinod Agarwal.

Beyond capital, 8X Ventures co-launched a privately managed deep-tech innovation hub with Arctic Invent and SanchiConnect, operating from a Noida campus with labs and shared resources, engaging up to 10 startups in its first year with no equity dilution. Public credits or perk programs are not currently disclosed by the firm.

Why it matters for founders

If you are building deep tech in India — robotics, advanced computing, biotech, industrial IoT — 8X Ventures is one of the few early-stage funds that actually speaks your language. It writes meaningful first cheques, reserves serious follow-on capital, and its research-institution scouting means lab-spinouts get a real hearing. Come prepared with demonstrated technology and a clear path to a market.