When was Circles founded?

Circles was founded in 1997 and raised its 1st funding round 3 years after it was founded.

Where is Circles located?

Circles is headquartered in Waltham, United States.

How many employees does Circles have?

As of Mar 31, 2026, the latest employee count at Circles is 182.

Is Circles a funded company?

Circles is a funded company, having raised a total of $25.2M across 2 funding rounds to date. The company's 1st funding round was a $***** Series B round, raised on Feb 14, 2000.

When was the latest funding round of Circles?

Circles' latest funding was a $***** Series C round on Jan 02, 2002, with participation from 3 investors.

Where does Circles rank among its competitors?

Circles ranks 4th amongst 698 active competitors, of which 15 are funded. It stands 1st in terms of total funding among its competitors. The most recent competitor to raise funding was Tier 1 Performance, which secured $150K in Jul, 2018.

Who are the top competitors of Circles?

Circles' top competitors include Maritz, Pluxee and ITA Group. Among them, Tier 1 Performance secured the most recent funding round in July, 2018.

Circles - 2026 Company Profile, Team, Funding & Competitors

Circles is an acquired company based in Waltham (United States), founded in 1997. It operates as a Provider of employee support and work-life balance solutions. Circles has raised $25.2M in funding from Hearst. The company has 698 active competitors, including 15 funded and 33 that have exited. Its top competitors include companies like Maritz, Pluxee and ITA Group.

Company Details

Provider of employee support and work-life balance solutions. It provides emotional support, & space for live conversations and sharing thoughts on various life challenges.

Website: www.circles.com/
Email ID: *****@circles.com
Phone Number: +1 **********
Part Of

Key Metrics

Founded Year

1997

Location

Waltham, United States

Stage

Acquired

Total Funding

$25.2M in 2 rounds

Latest Funding Round

Series C, Jan 02, 2002, $*****

Investors

Hearst & 3 more

Ranked

4^th among 698 active competitors

Employee Count

182 as on Mar 31, 2026

Similar Companies

Maritz & 864 more

Exit Details

Acquired by Sodexo (Oct 09, 2007)

View Circles' full profile

Circles got acquired by Sodexo on Oct 09, 2007. It was facilitated by Lazard and JEGI CLARITY.

Click here to take a look at Circles's acquisition in detail

Circles has raised a total funding of $25.2M over 2 rounds. Its first funding round was on Feb 14, 2000. Its latest funding round was a Series C round on Jan 02, 2002 for $*****. 3 investors participated in its latest round. Circles has 4 institutional investors.

Here is the list of recent funding rounds of Circles:

Date of Funding	Funding Amount	Round Name	Post-Money Valuation	Revenue Multiple	Lead Investors	Other Investors
Jan 02, 2002	2695007	Series C	2476416	8407649	9453875	1334229
Feb 14, 2000	1865958	Series B	3931292	3948821	3682010	Trident Capital & 1 more

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View details of Circles's funding rounds and investors

Circles' employee count trend

Circles has 182 employees as of Mar 26. Here is Circles's employee count trend over the years:

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Top competitors of Circles include Maritz, Pluxee and ITA Group. Here is the list of Top 10 competitors of Circles, ranked by Tracxn score:

Rank	Company Details	Short Description	Total Funding	Investors	Tracxn Score
1st	Maritz 1894, Fenton (United States), Unfunded	Provider of employee engagement and event marketing services	-	-	61/100
2nd	Pluxee 1976, Issy-les-Moulineaux (France), Public	Provider of employee engagement services	-	-	58/100
3rd	ITA Group 1963, West Des Moines (United States), Unfunded	Diversified conglomerates operates across multiple industries	-	-	48/100
4th	Circles 1997, Waltham (United States), Acquired	Provider of employee support and work-life balance solutions	$25.2M	Hearst, Trident Capital & 2 others	56/100
5th	Tier 1 Performance 2002, Covington (United States), Acquired	Management consulting firm	$1M	Evermore Investments, Kentucky Science & Technology ... & 5 others	40/100
6th	engage4more 2010, Mumbai (India), Unfunded	Provider of employee engagement services	-	-	40/100
7th	Semos Cloud 2014, Lewisville (United States), Unfunded	Provider of employee engagement services	-	-	39/100
8th	Ello Group 2015, Manchester (United Kingdom), Acquired	Provider of loyalty program services	-	Bridgepoint Group	38/100
9th	Emergenetics 1991, Centennial (United States), Unfunded	Enhancing human connections through understanding thinking and behavioral preferences	-	-	38/100
10th	Strayboots 2009, New York City (United States), Series A	Organizer of corporate team building events & activities	$2.25M	Activate Venture Partners, Milestone Venture Partners ... & 4 others	37/100