Eximius Ventures

Eximius Ventures Research Investment Thesis Eximius Ventures is India's only sector-differentiated pre-seed fund, launched in March 2021 by Pearl Agarwal. The firm positions itself as the dedicated pre-seed partner for Indian founders, offering "smart capital" backed by deep domain knowledge across select verticals. Their philosophy is built around the "3C approach" — Content, Capital, and Community — designed to support founders at the earliest stages before most institutional investors are active. Beyond capital, Eximius provides bi-weekly newsletters, market insights, pre-seed guides, thesis pieces on key sectors, and hands-on operational support including strategic advice and connections to industry leaders. The firm explicitly targets bold entrepreneurs and seasoned operators building "transformative companies from India for the world." In 2025, Eximius sharpened its AI focus, identifying AI Agents as the next platform shift and backing companies that blend automation with human-in-the-loop oversight ("hybrid autonomy"). Their fintech thesis doubled down on programmable rupees, CBDCs for cross-border payments, and AI-driven compliance infrastructure. Stage Focus Eximius exclusively invests at the pre-seed stage — typically pre-product or early traction. This singular focus is their defining differentiation in the Indian VC market: they enter before other institutional investors and build relationships with founders from day one. Check Size Initial check: Up to $500,000 USD per company Follow-on reserve: 50% of fund corpus reserved for follow-on investments in top performers Fund I: $10M total, invested in 23–24 companies Fund II: $30M target corpus, first close February 2025, targeting 25–30 companies Lead Tendency Eximius leads and co-leads rounds at the pre-seed stage. They led Vegapay's $1.1M round, and participated as lead or co-lead in several other portfolio rounds. For larger pre-seed rounds, they participate alongside other early-stage funds. Recent Activity Fund II ($30M) had its first close in February 2025. As of January 2026, Eximius had invested in 33 companies total, with 10 investments made in 2025. Recent investments include: EarthSync Technologies (January 2026): Participated in $1M pre-seed round led by Theia Ventures. EarthSync is an AI platform for renewable energy planning, procurement, and operations targeting IPPs, C&I consumers, and utilities. CuePilot AI (December 2025): Participated in $1.8M pre-seed round led by Unilazer Ventures (Ronnie Screwvala), alongside Titan Capital. CuePilot is a voice-first AI platform for global preschool management, covering academics, attendance, health records, billing, and parent communication. Currently in 130+ schools across India and Southeast Asia. In October 2025, Eximius opened a new Bengaluru office, where 13 of its portfolio companies are based, deepening commitment to India's tech hub alongside its Gurugram headquarters. Fund Performance Fund I ($10M, ~23–24 companies) delivered strong results: ~60% of portfolio companies secured multiple up-rounds from top global investors 40%+ IRR achieved Notable follow-on investors include Tiger Global, General Catalyst, Elevation Capital, and Hummingbird Portfolio Highlights Standout Fund I companies: Jar — Gold micro-savings app; backed by Tiger Global at $300M+ valuation STAN — Gamified engagement platform for gamers, creators, and fans; backed by General Catalyst Skydo — Cross-border payments platform; backed by Elevation Capital Eka.care — Integrated healthcare platform (health records, doctor visits, pharmacy); backed by Hummingbird Finarkein — Data orchestration/analytics platform for financial services Vegapay — Credit card solutions enabling banks and fintechs to launch cards Fego.ai — Open finance platform (acquihired by Perfios in September 2023, a strong exit) Fleek — Consumer fintech DevAssure — Software QA automation iTribe — Community/gaming platform Fund II early investments: EarthSync Technologies — Clean energy AI platform (Jan 2026) CuePilot AI — Preschool management AI (Dec 2025) DecoverAI — Legal tech AI (enterprise) Team Pearl Agarwal — Founder & Managing Director / General Partner Pearl holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Corporate Finance from UT Austin (McCombs School of Business). She spent nearly a decade across US and UK investment roles: UTIMCO (university endowment fund), Merrill Lynch (investment banking, NYC), and GIP (Global Infrastructure Partners, private equity, London). She also co-founded a fintech startup before launching Eximius Ventures in March 2021 to bridge India's pre-seed funding gap. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pearl-agarwal Preeti Sampat — Co-founder & General Partner (joined November 2023) Preeti is an MIT graduate and former early Flipkart employee. In 2018, she co-founded a micro VC fund in the US investing in pre-seed US and Latin American startups. She brings a US-centric fund management perspective and focuses at Eximius on AI/Gen AI, SaaS, Health, and Commerce verticals. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/preetisampat Together, the two GPs bring 25+ years of global investment experience spanning investment banking, private equity, and startup operations. The broader team numbers 16, including 1 Venture Partner and 2 Principals. Sector Focus Eximius is sector-differentiated (not sector-agnostic) with deep thesis-driven coverage across: FinTech/Payments — Credit infrastructure, cross-border payments, programmable rupees, CBDCs, AI-driven compliance and automation AI/SaaS — Vertical AI companies, functional AI agents, enterprise software, legal tech HealthTech — Integrated digital health platforms, care access, pharmacy Media/Entertainment & Gaming — Fan engagement, gamified platforms, creator economy Consumer Tech — Micro-savings, consumer fintech, daily-habit apps EdTech — Early childhood education AI, global preschool management Geographic Focus India-first with global ambition. Primary offices in Gurugram (Delhi NCR) and Bengaluru. Portfolio companies are encouraged to build products that can scale internationally — Jar, Skydo, CuePilot, and others have explicit global expansion plans. Preeti Sampat's US background adds international LP and co-investor relationships. Decision Process Partnership model with two GPs (Pearl Agarwal and Preeti Sampat) making investment decisions collaboratively. Small team structure allows for fast decision-making, which is appropriate for the competitive pre-seed market. Founder Preferences Bold entrepreneurs and seasoned operators (not necessarily first-time founders) Building "transformative companies from India for the world" Pre-product to early traction stage (before product-market fit) Sector-aligned with Eximius thesis areas Founders in Tier 1 and Tier 2 Indian cities ready to build category-defining companies Anti-Thesis While not explicitly stated, Eximius avoids: pure hardware plays, businesses without a path to global scale, and sectors outside their defined thesis areas (e.g., deep biotech, aerospace, real estate without tech component).