About Circle Internet
Circle Internet is a Media & Entertainment company based in Bengaluru (India) founded in 2018 by Gaurav Agrawal, Uchit Kumar, and Shashank Shekhar, and was acquired by ShareChat in August 2020. Local news portal with a focus on Uttar Pradesh. Circle Internet has raised $4.77 million across 2 funding rounds from investors including ShareChat, Venture Highway VC and Rahul Mehta. The company has 6 employees. Circle Internet was last valued at $21.47 million in March 2019. Its chief executive, as recorded, is Shashank Shekhar. Its Indian entity Circle Internet Tech Private Limited reported revenue of ₹30.1 Lakh. The company was acqui-hired. Its focus areas include Consumer, Vernacular Platforms, Digital Media Platforms and Online Publishers. Its competitors include Way2News, Knocksense and PublicVibe; 3 of its 3 listed competitors have raised funding.
Company details
Circle Internet was founded in 2018 in Bengaluru, India, and functions as a digital news platform centered on Uttar Pradesh. Event footage and videos are delivered through its website, with sharing capabilities integrated via WhatsApp. A mobile application is maintained to facilitate user engagement and content access across the region. Operations emphasize local reporting without broader national coverage.
- Headquarters Bengaluru, India
- Employees 6
- Founders Gaurav Agrawal, Uchit Kumar, Shashank Shekhar
- Stage Acquired
- SectorsMedia & Entertainment
- Email••••••••
- Website circle.page
- Social LinkedIn X
- Acquired by ShareChat (Aug 2020)
- Legal Name Circle Internet Tech Private Limited
- Date of Incorporation 03 Jul, 2018
- Jurisdiction Karnataka, India
Associated legal entities of Circle Internet
Circle Internet operates through Circle Internet Tech Private Limited (strike off). Its filings, financials, charges and directors are on the company page.
| Legal entity | Status | Incorporated | Registered in | Revenue (FY 2024) | Employees | Directors | Company page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Circle Internet Tech Private Limited CIN U74999KA2018PTC114455 | Strike Off | 03 Jul 2018 | Bangalore, Karnataka | ₹0.3 Cr | 6 | 2 | View details |
Funding Insights of Circle Internet
Circle Internet has successfully raised a total of $4.77M across 2 strategic funding rounds. The most recent funding activity was a Series A round of $4.27 million completed in March 2019. This substantial capital infusion reflects strong investor confidence in the company's business model, growth potential, and market opportunities. The funding enables strategic expansion, product development, market penetration, and operational scaling to drive long-term value creation and competitive advantage.
- Total Funding $4.77M
- Total Rounds 2
- Last Round Series A — $4.27M
- First Round $498,042
(Aug 2018)
- Investors Count 4
All 2 funding rounds of Circle Internet with amounts and investors; the two latest post-money valuations are shown, the rest are part of the premium plan.
| Date | Amount | Transaction Name | Valuation | Lead Investors | Investors |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2019 | $4.27M | Series A | $21.47M | Venture Highway | |
| Aug 2018 | $498,042 | Seed | $2M | Elevation Capital, SAIF Partners | – |
| Date | Valuation | Stage |
|---|---|---|
| Mar 2019 | $21.47M | •••••••• |
| Aug 2018 | $2M | •••••••• |
Last known valuation $21.47M (Mar 2019). 5 investors in total: 4 institutional and 1 angel.
Investors in Circle Internet
Circle Internet has secured backing from 5 investors, including venture fund, angel, and institutional investors. Prominent investors backing the company include ShareChat, Venture Highway VC and Rahul Mehta.
| Investor | Description | Founded Year | Domain | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Early-stage investments are made in fintech, retail, and healthtech sectors. | 2015 | venturehighway.vc | Delhi, India | |
Elevation Capital is focused on early-stage tech investments in India. | elevationcapital.com | Delhi, India | ||
Multiple sectors in India are invested in by SAIF Partners. | saifpartners.com | Gurugram, India | ||
RM Rahul Mehta | Angel investor, founder of multiple ventures, focused on tech startups | unknown_a5513bf756e74cb7b | ||
Media content is shared on an app-based social network platform. | 2015 | sharechat.com | Bengaluru, India |
Investor details for Circle Internet
The complete investor list, round-by-round participation and investor portfolios require an active premium plan.
- Complete investor list
- Round participation
- Investor portfolios
- Co-investor network
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Board of directors of Circle Internet Tech Private Limited (Circle Internet)
Circle Internet Tech Private Limited is the primary company behind Circle Internet. The board of Circle Internet Tech Private Limited currently have 2 directors; the longest-serving is Gaurav Agrawal, appointed in 2018. 5 earlier directors have ceased.
| Director | Designation | Appointed | Tenure | Entity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gaurav Agrawal DIN 08171680 | Whole-time director | 03 Jul 2018 | 8 yrs 4 mo | Circle Internet Tech Private Limited |
| Shashank Shekhar DIN 06926443 | Director | 15 Sep 2021 | 5 yrs 1 mo | Circle Internet Tech Private Limited |
People of Circle Internet
3 people are tracked at Circle Internet (3 in leadership); the tracked headcount is 6.
| Name | Role | Group |
|---|---|---|
| Co-Founder | Leadership | |
Uchit Kumar | Co-Founder & CTO | Leadership |
| Co-Founder & CEO | Leadership |
Complete people profiles for Circle Internet
Full employee and board profiles, team structure, tenure and professional contact details require an active premium plan.
- Full employee list
- Team structure
- Board tenure
- Professional contacts
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Financials of Circle Internet
Figures of Circle Internet Tech Private Limited, the primary company behind Circle Internet, for FY 2024. Revenue was ₹30.1 Lakh (+8411% year on year). Net loss was -₹41.9 Lakh (-139% margin). EBITDA was -₹41.9 Lakh (-139% margin). Revenue has grown at a compounded annual rate of -68% over three years and +14% over five years.
- ₹30.1 LakhRevenue · FY 2024 · +8411% YoY
- -₹41.9 LakhNet loss · -139% margin
- -₹41.9 LakhEBITDA · -139% margin
- ₹1.6 LakhPaid-up capital
- 6Employees (provident fund records)
- -68%Revenue CAGR, 3 years
- +14%Revenue CAGR, 5 years
Balance sheet, profit and loss, cash flow and ratios of Circle Internet Tech Private Limited are on its company page.
Detailed financial statements for Circle Internet
Statement rows, ratios, five-year trends and downloadable financials of the group companies require an active premium plan.
- Statement rows
- Financial ratios
- Five-year trends
- Downloads
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Timeline of Circle Internet
5 dated milestones of Circle Internet across 2 years, from founding to its latest funding, stage changes and deals.
- Founded Circle Internet is founded.
- Funding First funding round of $498K.
- Milestone Reaches Minicorn status.
- Funding Latest funding round, Series A, of $4.3M.
- Exit Acquired by ShareChat.
Competitors of Circle Internet
Circle Internet has 3 listed competitors in our database, 3 of them funded. They include Way2News, Knocksense and PublicVibe.
| Company Name | Domain | Founded | HQ Location | Total funding | Employees | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| way2news.com | 2014 | Hyderabad, India | $30.77M | 419 | Hyperlocal short news app is provided in multiple languages. | |
| knocksense.com | 2016 | Lucknow, India | $9.32M | 12 | Provider of multi category news portal | |
| publicvibe.com | 2015 | Hyderabad, India | $2.13M | 37 | An app-based platform is operated for multi-category news delivery. |
Detailed competitors of Circle Internet
The full competitor set, operating metrics and side-by-side benchmarks require an active premium plan.
- Full competitor set
- Operating metrics
- Benchmarks
- Competitive positioning
Verified entity values are shown only after access is granted.
Top companies in Vernacular Platforms
3 companies that operate in the same segment as Circle Internet (Vernacular Platforms) in India, ranked by their profile score on The Company Check.
| Company | Description | Founded | Location | Total funding | Revenue | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Platform connecting readers and writers, offering digital literature in multiple languages | 2014 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 92.65 M | USD 6.84 M | 162 | |
Customizable smart lock screen experiences are developed for mobile devices. | 2019 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 390 M | USD 73.11 M | 493 | |
App-based bookkeeping solutions are offered for small business management. | 2018 | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India | USD 186.62 M | USD 165.88 K |
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Frequently Asked Questions about Circle Internet
Circle Internet was founded in 2018.
Circle Internet is headquartered in Bengaluru, India. It is registered at Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.
Shashank Shekhar is the CEO of Circle Internet, as recorded in our data. They have also founded this company.
Circle Internet is a funded company, having raised a total of $4.77M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a Seed of $498.04K, raised on Aug 2018.
Circle Internet has 6 employees.
The primary company behind Circle Internet, Circle Internet Tech Private Limited, reported revenue of ₹30.1 Lakh for FY 2024, up 8411% year on year.
Circle Internet was founded in 2018 in Bengaluru, India, and functions as a digital news platform centered on Uttar Pradesh. Event footage and videos are delivered through its website, with sharing capabilities integrated via WhatsApp. A mobile application is maintained to facilitate user engagement and content access across the region. Operations emphasize local reporting without broader national coverage.
Circle Internet's top competitors include Way2News, Knocksense and PublicVibe.
Circle Internet has 5 investors. Key investors include ShareChat, Venture Highway VC, Rahul Mehta, Elevation Capital, and Elevation Capital.
The valuation of Circle Internet is $21.47M as of Mar 2019.
Circle Internet operates through Circle Internet Tech Private Limited.
Yes. Circle Internet was acquired by ShareChat in August 2020.