Circle, a new platform for trading pre-owned goods, has closed its pre-seed funding round led by Titan Capital, with participation from Myntra co-founder Raveen Sastry. Founded earlier this year by Ankit Misra and Chirag Kataruka, Circle aims to transform India’s resale market through a technology-driven, trust-first approach.
The platform leverages artificial intelligence to verify product listings, grade conditions, suggest pricing, and manage catalog matching, while providing doorstep logistics and secure payment flows. This model is designed to address long-standing challenges in the resale ecosystem, such as fraudulent listings, incomplete product information, and inconsistent transaction experiences.
According to Titan Capital, India’s pre-owned market, a key component of the circular economy, is estimated at around Rs 1.6 lakh crore. Despite over 70 million Indians participating in used-goods transactions each month, resale remains fragmented, with convenience and reliability lagging behind primary e-commerce. Titan Capital said Circle’s full-stack model could unlock one of the largest consumer opportunities of the decade by making transactions more transparent and trustworthy.
Since its soft launch in August, Circle has onboarded over 17,000 users in Bengaluru, with early traction in electronics, furniture, appliances, and home goods. The Rs 3.4 crore raised will primarily be used to enhance the AI verification system and deepen category coverage, particularly in electronics and household items. The startup plans to focus on these core segments over the next year, with expansion into additional cities slated for the following year.
“Our goal is simple,” said Chirag Kataruka, Co-founder of Circle. “We want buying pre-owned to feel as safe and seamless as purchasing new products, while unlocking savings for buyers and income for sellers.”
With a growing emphasis on circular economy solutions and AI-enabled verification, Circle positions itself as a credible player aiming to redefine trust and convenience in India’s resale market.
