In this episode of Bright Founders Talk, we sat down with Christian Schulze, Co-Founder and CEO of Cirkular, to discuss his journey of building a company that is transforming the way people sell second-hand goods. Based in Munich, Christian is driven by a passion for solving real-world problems and creating technology that makes everyday tasks simpler. 

He shares how a frustrating personal experience while moving between cities inspired the idea behind Cirkular. The company aims to become the “reverse Amazon,” making selling as easy and seamless as buying. During the conversation, Christian explains how advances in artificial intelligence opened new possibilities for simplifying the resale process. He also reflects on his path as a founder, describing himself as a problem solver first and a leader second. 

From identifying market inefficiencies to leveraging AI-powered image recognition and pricing, his story highlights the intersection of innovation and entrepreneurship. Join us as we explore how Cirkular is reimagining the circular economy and making second-hand commerce more accessible for everyone.

The Reverse Amazon: How a Moving Day Sparked a Startup Idea

For Christian, the inspiration behind Cirkular didn’t come from a boardroom brainstorming session or a market research report. It came from a much more familiar frustration: moving apartments. After relocating from Berlin to Munich, he found himself stuck with furniture, electronics, and other belongings that needed to be sold. What should have been a simple task turned into a time-consuming headache. That experience revealed a gap that millions of people face every day—buying online is incredibly easy, but selling, repairing, or renting out items is often surprisingly difficult. That realization became the foundation for Cirkular’s mission: making selling as effortless as buying.

What makes Christian’s story particularly interesting is that he never set out to become a CEO. He describes himself as a problem solver first and a leader second. The idea of being a founder wasn’t a lifelong dream; it was simply the most effective way to tackle a challenge he cared about. As he explains, companies are vehicles for solving problems at scale, and software is one of the most powerful tools to make that happen. His focus has always been less about titles and more about creating something useful that genuinely improves people's lives.

The breakthrough came when two worlds collided: Christian’s experience building technology products and the rapid evolution of AI. When image-based AI tools became capable of understanding objects from photos, a new opportunity emerged. Cirkular’s technology can identify an item, assess its condition and specifications, compare data from marketplaces, second-hand retailers, and historical sales, and then estimate its value—all from a simple photo. What once required hours of research can now happen in moments, bringing Christian’s vision of a “one-click selling” experience much closer to reality.

Why Three Photos Beat One: Building Trust Into AI Resale

One of Cirkular’s biggest technical lessons came from a deceptively simple question: how many photos does an AI need to understand what something is really worth? At first, Christian and his team tried using just one image. It was fast, convenient, and easy for users, but the results were not accurate enough. So they moved to three photos, with a little guidance along the way: show the front, show the back, and include important details like labels, hallmarks, settings, or anything that helps the AI understand the item better. It’s a small extra step for the user, but a big leap for the system.

Christian is clear that Cirkular is not trying to replace people with AI magic. The real power comes from human-AI collaboration. The AI can recognize the product, check visual clues, study category patterns, consider depreciation curves, and even learn from what else a person sells on the platform. But the user still has control. If the condition is wrong or some information needs adjusting, they can step in and correct it. As Christian puts it, “It’s all about human-AI collaboration.”

Of course, resale only works if people trust the platform. That’s why Cirkular built trust into the product from the beginning, starting as an invite-only community where people could refer others they knew. Each user also has a Cirkular score, which reflects how accurate and honest their item descriptions are. Even referrals matter: if someone invites a friend who misrepresents an item, it can affect their own score too. Add fraud-detection AI and pattern recognition on top, and the system becomes less about policing everyone and more about keeping the marketplace honest, useful, and surprisingly human.

From Marketplace to Lifestyle: Making Second-Hand Selling Effortless

Behind the scenes, Cirkular is doing far more than simply matching buyers and sellers. Christian describes the platform as a giant routing machine, constantly deciding the best path for every item. Some products are picked up directly from a seller’s home and routed through Cirkular’s warehouse before finding a new owner. Others, such as smartphones, can be sent straight to specialized partners. Then there are unique cases—large furniture, artwork, or collectibles—where sellers keep the item until the right buyer appears. It’s a flexible system designed to remove as much friction as possible from the process.

But logistics is only one part of the challenge. The bigger obstacle is changing how people think about selling their belongings. Christian points out that most people don’t actively sell things, not because they don’t want to, but because it feels like too much work. Taking photos, writing descriptions, negotiating prices, and arranging deliveries can quickly turn into a chore. Cirkular’s answer is to make selling feel less like managing a marketplace listing and more like ordering an Uber—fast, simple, and convenient. The goal isn’t just to help people sell one item; it’s to make circular living a natural part of everyday life.

That philosophy also shapes who Cirkular builds for. Rather than targeting a specific generation, the company focuses on what Christian calls “busy professionals”—people with valuable items, packed schedules, and very little spare time. They might be in their twenties, forties, living in a city, or somewhere more rural. What connects them is a desire for simplicity. Cirkular’s vision is not just about resale; it’s about helping people declutter, save time, and live a little lighter in an increasingly busy world.

One Click to a Second Life: Christian’s Vision for the Future of Recommerce

The variety of products moving through Cirkular says a lot about how people live. While electronics dominate the platform—phones, laptops, monitors, headphones, and even internet routers—Christian has seen just about everything pass through the system. Coffee machines, jewelry, branded clothing, camping gear, and household appliances are all part of the mix. Some surprises have appeared too, from unusual collectibles to niche items that most people wouldn’t immediately think of reselling. If it’s sitting in someone’s home and still has value, there’s a good chance it could find a second life through Cirkular.

But Christian’s ambition stretches far beyond simplifying the resale process. In his ideal future, selling an item becomes almost invisible. Instead of taking photos, creating listings, and negotiating with buyers, people would simply decide they no longer need something and let the platform handle the rest. Better yet, products could already be registered in the system from the moment they are purchased. Selling, repairing, sharing, or extending a product’s lifespan would become a natural part of ownership rather than an extra task. As Christian puts it, “Make selling as easy as buying.”

That vision is what drives how Cirkular measures success. Revenue matters, of course, but it’s only part of the story. Christian looks at how many items find a second life, how much unnecessary production is avoided, and how much value is returned to people and communities. For him, building a company is a long game that requires patience, resilience, and belief. Looking back on his own entrepreneurial journey, his advice is refreshingly honest: expect it to take longer than you think. Progress rarely happens overnight, but with enough persistence, those small steps eventually add up to something meaningful.