# Irad Eichler

> Irad Eichler is the founder and CEO of Circles, an app that puts people through the same life challenge - divorce, grief, infertility, caregiving - into small, professionally guided peer support groups they can join from a phone. A serial social entrepreneur who earlier built Shekulo Tov, Israel's largest organization for people with psychiatric disabilities, he was named Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum. The idea for Circles came from watching his mother, in her final months with cancer, light up most not with him but with a friend who had walked the same road.

- **Role:** Founder and CEO at Circles
- **Organizations:** Circles, Shekulo Tov Group
- **From:** Israel
- **Nationality:** Israeli
- **Education:** BA in Anthropology, Bar Ilan University, MBA, Academic College for Management (College of Management), Executive Certificate in Public Leadership, Harvard Business School
- **Known for:** Named Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum, Built Shekulo Tov into Israel's largest organization for people with psychiatric disabilities (450 employees, ~$40M annual revenue, serving ~7,000 people annually), Recognized by the United Nations for work with mental health and developmental disabilities

## Career timeline

- **2005** — Founded The Shekulo Tov Group, an organization helping people with psychiatric disabilities reach goals in employment and independent living.
- **2008** — Named Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum.
- **2017** — Shekulo Tov's integrative model awarded the 'Project Zero' prize for impactful social enterprises.
- **2020** — Co-founded Circles with Dan Landa (former Google senior marketing executive).
- **2021** — Circles raised $8M seed round led by NFX and Flint Capital, with Sir Ronald Cohen and Jeff Swartz participating.
- **2022** — Circles raised $16.5M Series A led by Zeev Ventures, with Lior Ron (Uber Freight) and existing investors participating.
- **2023** — Circles opened parts of its platform for free use amid the loneliness epidemic; surpassed 1,000+ groups and 100,000+ hours of support.

## Achievements

- Named Social Entrepreneur of the Year by the World Economic Forum
- Built Shekulo Tov into Israel's largest organization for people with psychiatric disabilities (450 employees, ~$40M annual revenue, serving ~7,000 people annually)
- Recognized by the United Nations for work with mental health and developmental disabilities
- Awarded the Social Leadership Award by Bar Ilan University
- Named a Social Impact Hero by Authority Magazine
- Raised a total of ~$24.5M for Circles across seed and Series A rounds
- Grew Circles to 160,000+ members and 500+ weekly sessions

## Latest updates

- **2022-05** — Circles raised a $16.5M Series A led by Zeev Ventures to grow R&D and improve its matching algorithm.
- **2023-06** — Circles opened its platform for free use, framing human connection as the most significant relief for mental health.

## Links

- Website: https://circlesup.com
- LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/iradeichler
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/CirclesSupport

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/irad-eichler
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-06-12