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Based in Israel, Circles is a mental health platform that matches individuals facing similar life challenges into private, professionally facilitated emotional support groups. The subscription-based service organizes users dealing with specific issues, such as grief, infertility, or divorce, into intimate cohorts of six to eight people for weekly video meetings. By the end of 2021, the platform had facilitated over 100,000 hours of support, with approximately 75 percent of its members utilizing the service weekly and 30 percent engaging daily. The company has secured $24.5 million in total funding, including an $8 million seed round and a subsequent $16.5 million Series A round led by Zeev Ventures, alongside investments from NFX, Flint Capital, and Uber Freight executive Lior Ron. Circles was founded in 2020 by Irad Eichler and former Google executive Dan Landa.
Circles - Online Group Support has raised $25.0M across 2 funding rounds.
Circles - Online Group Support has raised $25.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Circles - Online Group Support has raised $25.0M in total across 2 funding rounds.
Circles - Online Group Support's investors include Aleph VC, Endure Capital, Flint Capital, Kli Capital, NFX, Vertex Ventures, Zeev Capital, Zinc, Joey Low, Ronald Cohen, Lior Ron.
Circles - Online Group Support has raised $25.0M across 2 funding rounds. Most recently, it raised $17.0M Circles - Series A in May 2022.
| Date | Round | Lead Investors | Other Investors | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May 1, 2022 | $17M Series A | — | Aleph VC, Endure Capital, Flint Capital, KLI Capital, NFX, Vertex Ventures, Zeev Capital, Zinc, Joey LOW, Ronald Cohen | Announced |
| Aug 1, 2021 | $8M Seed | — | Aleph VC, Endure Capital, Flint Capital, KLI Capital, NFX, Zeev Capital, Zinc, Lior RON, Ronald Cohen | Announced |
Circles is a mental health technology company founded in 2020 that builds an online platform for accessible, professionally facilitated group support sessions, matching 6-8 users facing similar life challenges like grief, divorce, parenting stress, anxiety, or toxic relationships.[1][2][3] It serves individuals seeking affordable emotional support outside traditional therapy, offering live 60-minute video or audio-only groups, unlimited messaging, peer forums, self-help content, and 24/7 access via app, with subscription pricing at $30/month, $129/6 months, or $179/year (plus a 7-day free trial; no insurance accepted).[1][2][3][4] The platform solves the gap in mental wellness by fostering peer connections backed by facilitators, addressing rising demand post-COVID, and has shown early growth with thousands matched and over 100,000 support hours shortly after soft launch, fueled by an $8M seed round in 2021 from NFX and Flint Capital.[2][3]
Circles was founded in 2020 in Tel Aviv, Israel, by Irad Eichler (CEO, social entrepreneur inspired by his mother's cancer journey and her peer connections) and Dan Landa (CRO, former Google marketing lead).[2][3][4] The idea emerged from Eichler's recognition that unstructured forums like Facebook groups fail to deliver meaningful, empathetic support for common hardships—prompting a tech-driven alternative with professional moderation.[1][2] Early traction came quickly post-soft launch, matching thousands amid pandemic-driven anxiety spikes, securing $8M seed funding in August 2021 to scale tech and expand categories like LGBTQ issues and caregiver support.[2]
Circles rides the mental health tech boom, amplified by COVID-19's surge in anxiety and emotional distress, where demand for scalable alternatives to costly therapy has exploded amid global awareness of wellness as core health.[2][3] Timing aligns with remote everything—video/audio platforms normalize virtual intimacy—while market forces like therapist shortages and rising subscriptions (e.g., apps like BetterHelp) favor affordable, peer-driven models.[1][3] It influences the ecosystem by pioneering structured online groups, blending AI matching with human facilitation to democratize support, potentially setting standards for community-based mental health tech in a $200B+ industry.[2][4]
Circles is poised to expand its group directory (e.g., deeper into anxiety, depression, chronic illness) and tech for better matching/global reach, capitalizing on hybrid work normalizing audio support and AI personalization trends.[1][2][4] Regulatory tailwinds for digital therapeutics and partnerships could drive user growth beyond millions, evolving from niche grief/divorce aid to comprehensive emotional wellness hub—reinforcing its mission that no one faces hardships alone in an increasingly connected, yet isolated, world.[2][3]
