Fast Growing Chicago Startup CircleIt Lands $5.1M in Funding for Groundbreaking Generational Platform
This app lets you send messages, flowers and gifts to loved ones long after you're gone.
CHICAGO, Sept. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- CircleIt®, a futuristic technology that gives users the ability to send cards, media and gifts to loved ones across time, announced today it has secured $5.1M in series A funding. This series A round is driven by CircleIt founder Art Shaikh with participation from TeleSoft Partners, a Silicon Valley venture capital firm led by Arjun Gupta, and private investor Connor Crown. To date, TeleSoft has raised over $1 billion in capital and invested in 100+ technology companies and is eager to help CircleIt soar to new heights.
Art Shaikh, CircleIt Founder, shares "Today is truly a day for celebration; the technology that was inspired by my father's gift of handmade cards left behind after his passing is destined to change the lives of families around the world." Shaikh's father passed away in 2012 and left letters, cards and gifts for him to deliver to family members on future holidays and occasions. It's this unique sentiment that inspired Shaikh to build CircleIt.
With this series A funding, Shaikh plans to expand CircleIt aggressively. "We've been working together as a team remotely for about a year and a half," shares Shaikh, "and we're excited to get our CircleIt family together under one roof." The new global headquarters is located in the bustling river north area of downtown Chicago and already buzzing with excitement as Shaikh and his team prepare for the release of some new features in the near future.
The CircleIt app has been downloaded more than 3 million times in 167 countries. With the much-anticipated Q3 release of their patented child accounts and SmartCards, they expect to reach 10 million members by Q1 of 2022.
CircleIt's upcoming child accounts will let family and friends send children advice, memories, accolades and more in the form of cards, photos, videos and voice recordings – all to be stored and preserved for when they're ready. Also in the pipeline are first-of-its-kind SmartCards that enable members to send cards and gifts to future events without ever knowing the date. With cutting edge AI technology, grandparent's can schedule the delivery of a sentimental card for their young granddaughter's wedding day – 20 years (or more) down the road. But that's just the tip of the iceberg.
Since the release of their platform's physical gift delivery feature, CircleIt has seen a rapid increase in demand for flower and gift orders. "We recently released a physical gift store within our platform," shares Shaikh, "so members can order gifts to be delivered to any future date – even years down the road." With 2,700+ orders since its launch in July of 2021, this new feature is sure to be a game-changer. Currently, ordering gifts within CircleIt is only available within the United States with a global launch planned for the near future. Shaikh adds, "we want our members to grow with us. Our goal is to become the global go-to platform for legacy planning, preservation and fulfillment."
ABOUT CIRCLEIT
CircleIt, available in App Store and Google Play was inspired by the story of a unique gift left from beyond the grave. The family of CircleIt founder, Art Shaikh, was left with gifts from his father to be delivered after he passed. "My father left us a box full of handmade cards, treasured memories, meaningful trinkets, candid stories and cultivated wisdom – meant to be shared among family and stored for future generations."
CircleIt was built to replicate this unique gift he left behind for his family – a gift that continually reminds his family of his love and allows him to be there to celebrate milestones and inspire future generations even after he was gone. Shaikh shares that "CircleIt was built for my mother to help carry on his legacy. Built so that others can experience the joy it has given all of us. Built in memory of my father, Arif Shaikh."
CircleIt, founded in 2018, is a Chicago-based startup with 21 employees. Shaikh previously worked at Salesforce, leaving the company mid 2020, to dedicate his life to delivering CircleIt to the world.
For more information, visit https://circleit.com/
Media Reference:
https://www.facebook.com/justcircleit/
https://www.instagram.com/justcircleit/?hl=en
Featured Video: https://youtu.be/Tx6aYt0sCR8
Valuable Website Links:
Features Page: https://circleit.com/features/
Home Page: https://circleit.com/
Contact Information:
Samantha Ruffolo
CircleIt Inc.
312.838.4948
[email protected]
Video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tx6aYt0sCR8
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