Founded in Cairo last year by Mostafa Talaat and Kareem El-Shaffei and armed with a $12k Seed funding, the Flat6labs alumni, CIRQY.com, a social marketplace for discovering freshly-made local design has launched in the Middle East for lovers of art, home decor, accessories, apparel and handmade stationery and toys.
CIRQY wants to be the number one online destination for design in the Middle East and help inspire people in their everyday lives and connect them by their interests.
According to the founders on their site, “CIRQY brings you the hottest, creative designs that will add something new to your everyday life and allow you to express yourself differently. On CIRQY you can follow your friends and discover things together; buying, sharing, recommending and collecting your favorite items from your favorite independent artists and designers.”
The platform is simple to use.
Bot sellers and buyers have to have an account to access the services. Sellers create a personal virtual store with photos of items they are selling. Buyers on the other hand sign up for an access account to go through stores by category, discover new stuff and proceed to check out, then wait for delivery after stating their payment mode.
Sellers can open a CIRQY store, at no charge, after completing a store application form. The store can begin selling after the application is approved. CIRQY does not charge sellers for listing their items on the site but collects 25 percent of an item’s selling price as commission when it is sold.