Eight Mercatus

Eight Mercatus is a venture builder, not a traditional fund. The firm uses its own balance sheet and strategic partnerships to co-build companies, directly managing Asia market entry, strategic acquisitions, and team-building for mature startups. Its compensation is tied to long-term value creation and founder outcomes, not short-term advisory fees.

Eight Mercatus targets proven founders with consistent revenue and a working product, typically seeking to expand in Asia or grow through acquisition. The firm does not work with pre-revenue or early-stage startups; its model is tailored for companies ready to scale operations regionally.

Eight Mercatus is the venture-builder evolution of Mercatus Capital, an early-stage investment vehicle founded by Ravi S. in 2006. Mercatus Capital backed early-stage ventures and was involved in several IPOs in Singapore and Australia. Eight Mercatus takes that operational and investment track record and applies it through a hands-on, execution-led model.

Ravi S. chairs the advisory board, bringing over four decades of experience across law, property, and capital markets. The board also includes a co-founder of Double Tap Investments who focuses on Nordic-Asia startup ecosystems, a global blockchain platform lawyer specializing in Web3 regulation, and a patent and trademark agent advising on intellectual property across Asia.

Yes, one of Eight Mercatus's core services is Asia market entry. The firm builds local operational setups, establishes partnerships, and navigates regulatory environments for international businesses. The team knows the markets, regulations, and key players required for a compliant and scalable launch across the region.

The firm focuses on software and SaaS, health and wellness, consumer innovations, travel and hospitality, renewable energy, and AI and deep tech. Its portfolio includes an early-stage investment in luxury golf platform Golf Traveller, and it actively seeks later-stage companies within these industries for its venture building and acquisition mandates.

Eight Mercatus structures its compensation to align with the long-term success of the founders it works with. The firm operates on a value-creation model where its returns are tied directly to the outcomes and growth it helps generate, rather than charging hourly consulting fees or retainers for its strategic and operational work.