Our Story
“Marco Polo has always been about helping you feel close to the people you already know,” says Vlada Bortnik, CEO and co-founder of Marco Polo. “The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 advisory called social connection as essential to survival as food, water, and shelter. But when you need food or water, there’s a store. When you need a friend who’s in your stage of life, going through the same things you are, there hasn’t been anywhere to go. We built Marco Polo Circles to be that place. And it’s working.”
The origin
We didn't dream this up in a boardroom. Over 1,400 women in the Marco Polo community asked for it and tested it with us. A year later, many of those groups are still going strong, so we knew it was time to open it up to more women.
Try it now
What is Circles?
Circles is a paid 4-week program that hand-matches you into a small group of women in your life stage and shared interests.
Real friendship, by video, on your schedule. No forced fun, no group chats that go nowhere, no waiting for plans that never get made.
The proof
In 2026, over 1,000 women signed up and completed the four-week Circles program. Of the 285 who completed our survey:¹
- 1 in 4 made a real friend inside their Circle
- 67% want to do it again
Appendix
¹ Marco Polo Circles participant survey, 2026. 285 respondents of 1,000+ women who completed the four-week Circles program. Data on file. Testimonials used with marketing consent from participants with NPS scores of 9 or 10.