Bengaluru-based pre-owned goods marketplace Circle has raised Rs 25 crore in a seed fundinground led by Nexus Venture Partners, with participation from existing investorsTitan Capital and Raveen Sastry, co-founder of Myntra.
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Ajith Pai, COO of logistics company Delhivery, also participated in the round as an angel investor.
The startup plans to use the fresh capital to expand beyond Bengaluru, invest in AI-powered pricing, product discovery and verification, and strengthen its logistics infrastructure and product verification facilities, known as Trust Hubs.
Founded in 2025 by Chirag Kataruka and Ankit Misra, Circle operates a managed C2C marketplace that enables individuals to buy and sell pre-owned goods without the startup owning the inventory.
Within a year of its launch, Circle claims to have facilitated around Rs 25 crore in pre-owned goods sales, attracted more than one million visitors and generated 100,000 listings in Bengaluru alone.
The startup also said sellers on its platform typically find buyers within three days, compared with the weeks or months that listings can sometimes take to sell on conventional classified platforms.
How does Circle’s pre-owned goods marketplace work?
In India, individuals buy and sell pre-owned goods through classified platforms, neighbourhood groups and informal networks. However, concerns over product quality, limited verification, payment risks and logistical difficulties can complicate transactions between buyers and sellers.
Circle aims to address these challenges by combining AI-based technology, human verification and managed fulfilment to simplify the buying and selling process.
Unlike resellers that purchase and hold second-hand inventory, the startup facilitates transactions between individual users while managing key aspects of the process, including product listings, verification, payments, pickups and deliveries.
Its marketplace covers several categories, including smartphones, gaming consoles, cameras, office chairs, furniture, watches, handbags and sneakers.
For buyers, Circle provides product condition verification, protected payments and its Circle Guarantee, which includes a three-day return policy for eligible orders. It also operates dedicated Trust Hubs to support product verification and order fulfilment.
“Too many Indians have experienced the uncertainty of buying or selling pre-owned goods. At Circle, we’re taking ownership of trust, so buyers and sellers have someone they can count on. That’s why we built dedicated Trust Hubs for verification and fulfilment. Our ambition is to help 100 million Indians buy and sell with confidence on Circle,” said Chirag Kataruka, co-founder of Circle.
Circle has also reported returning users, with nearly 40% of its buyers coming back to the platform within 90 days, while half of its sellers list additional products, according to the startup.
“Nearly 40% of our buyers come back within 90 days, and half our sellers list again. That tells us buying and selling pre-owned can become a regular part of people’s lives. India has an incredible amount of value sitting in its homes. We’re building Circle to make it ridiculously easy to unlock that value, and to make pre-owned a natural first choice for millions of Indians,” said Ankit Misra, co-founder of Circle.
Circle plans expansion beyond Bengaluru
The latest investmentwill support Circle’s plans to enter new cities and further develop its technology and operational infrastructure.
A key focus will be improving its AI-powered tools for pricing, product discovery and verification. The startup expects these improvements to simplify the listing process, reduce manual work and help it handle a larger volume of transactions.
The startup also plans to expand its network of Trust Hubs and logistics partners as it moves into additional markets.
Suvir Sujan, partner at Nexus Venture Partners, said the difficulties associated with buying and selling used goods present an opportunity for platforms seeking to simplify such transactions.
“India’s pre-owned market is large, but selling used goods remains difficult due to costs, trust & scale. Circle has understood this problem deeply and is executing exceptionally well to solve it. We believe they have the potential to fundamentally reshape how India buys and sells pre-owned goods,” Sujan said.
The latest round follows Circle’s Rs 3.4 crore pre-seed fundingin November 2025, which was led by Titan Capital, with participation from Raveen Sastry. The earlier investment was intended to strengthen its AI-based verification systems and expand its offerings across electronics and household goods.
Circle’s expansion beyond Bengaluru will test whether its model of combining AI-based tools, human verification and managed logistics can support a larger customer base while continuing to facilitate transactions without holding inventory.
