Accel is making waves again, locking in $650 million for its eighth India fund, per SEC filings. That brings the venture capital giant’s India investment tally to nearly $3 billion. Accel is cashing in big time. Its $20 million bet on Swiggy turned into a 35x return after the food delivery giant went public last November. Blackbuck, another Accel portfolio star, has delivered a 4-5x return following its listing. And if you’re tracking unicorns, Accel has its fingerprints on about 20% of them in India. Accel is diversifying its playbook, targeting non-metro markets and even rural India. Don’t underestimate the countryside, either—the top 20-30% of rural spenders are dropping over $250 billion annually, according to Accel partner Anand Daniel. While competitors like Sequoia and Matrix have spun off their India units, Accel is sticking to its global roots, proving it’s in it for the long haul. For Indian entrepreneurs, especially those outside the metro bubble, that’s a big green light.