Bengaluru-based Circle has raised ₹25 crore (about $2.6 million) in a seed funding round led by Nexus Venture Partners. Existing investors Titan Capital and Myntra co-founder Raveen Sastry also participated, while Ajith Pai, chief operating officer of Delhivery, joined as an angel investor.
Founded in 2025 by Chirag Kataruka and Ankit Misra, Circle runs a managed marketplace for pre-owned goods. Unlike conventional classifieds, it handles the whole transaction — product verification, payments, pickups, seller payouts and logistics — without holding inventory itself. The platform combines AI-based tools with human verification and backs purchases with a three-day guarantee.
The company's categories span smartphones, gaming consoles, cameras, furniture, watches, handbags and sneakers. Within a year of launch, Circle says it has facilitated around ₹25 crore in pre-owned sales, drawn more than one million visitors and generated 1,00,000 listings in Bengaluru. Sellers typically find a buyer within three days, compared with the weeks listings can take on classified platforms.
The fresh capital will fund expansion beyond Bengaluru, stronger AI-powered pricing, product discovery and verification, and a bigger network of Trust Hubs — the verification and fulfilment centres at the heart of its managed model. The round follows a ₹3.4 crore pre-seed led by Titan Capital in November 2025.
Why it matters for founders
Pre-owned commerce is moving from chaotic classifieds to managed trust — Circle's growth shows that verification, logistics and AI pricing are what make second-hand mainstream in India.