CircleRecs is a social recommendation platform where users collect, share, and discover trusted place recommendations within private circles of friends. The app enables users to ask their inner circle for suggestions on restaurants, bars, travel spots, and more, with AI-assisted place capture and search features. It integrates with iOS share sheets and offers both free and premium Exclusive Circles with creator-subscription content.
- Artificial Intelligence
- AI Agents
- Applications
- Commerce & Shopping
- Content & Publishing
- Creator / Creative Economy
- Social Networking
- Software Only
Funding
Funding not disclosed
Founders
Product
Problem
People often rely on public review platforms that feature anonymous or unfamiliar opinions, making it difficult to know which recommendations truly align with their tastes. Generic search results and influencer content can be overwhelming, untrustworthy, or irrelevant to an individual's personal preferences. Users need a way to access reliable, personalized suggestions from people they actually know and trust.
Solution
CircleRecs provides a social platform where users collect, share, and discover place recommendations within private "circles" of friends, ensuring recommendations come from trusted connections. The app allows users to create curated lists, share places via social channels, and maintain Want and Pass lists to track personal interests. AI-assisted features help capture places from external platforms like Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, as well as import public Google Maps lists. Users can ask their circles for real-time advice, generate AI-assisted answers, and share photos, reactions, and chats within private groups.
Target Audience
Primary users are individuals aged 18 and older who want curated, personal recommendations from friends and trusted contacts rather than anonymous reviews. The platform also targets content creators and influencers who can monetize their expertise through Exclusive Circle subscriptions.
Features
- Private and public circles with role-based access, visibility settings, and member-only content
- AI-assisted place capture that drafts place profiles from shared social media links and imported Google Maps lists
- AI-powered place search and ask features that generate answer suggestions from public web sources and visible recommendations
- Want and Pass lists for tracking personal place interest, plus nearby search showing places within 200 meters of a confirmed location
- Comprehensive privacy controls including private profiles, follower management, blocking, and granular visibility settings
- iOS app with Apple sign-in and Google account sign-in options, push notifications, and social profile linking
- Exclusive Circles offering subscription-based premium content, including special lists, polls, and recommendations from approved creators