AbstractOctocam is an 8-channel VIS and NIR imager and spectrograph to be installed at Gemini South in 2022. It provides simultaneous imaging in g’,r’,i’,z,Y,J,H,K_S bands or simultaneous spectroscopy at a resolution of ∼4000, together with high time-resolution options. Additional capabilities such as spectropolarimetry or an Integral Field Unit could be added as an upgrade later. These properties makes it very well suited as a follow-up instrument for transient searches. It is planned as a dedicated follow-up instrument for LSST, and will start operations at the same time as the LSST main survey. Octocam was conceived as a consortium consisting of South-West Research Institute in San Antonio, Texas, IAA-CSIC in Granada, FRACTAL SLNE in Madrid, and George Washington University.