In a region where enterprise systems often work in silos, Dubai-based Cercli is redefining how businesses manage people, payroll, and compliance. The company has raised an oversubscribed $12 million Series A led by Picus Capital, marking the venture firm’s first investment in the Middle East and North Africa.
Founded by Akeed Azmi and David Reche, both former operators at Careem and Kitopi, Cercli aims to become the “Rippling for MENA”—a unified, AI-powered platform for HR and finance that replaces fragmented legacy systems.
Building the AI-Native HR Stack
Cercli’s goal is to reimagine the HR and payroll experience for companies across MENA and beyond. Over the past year, the company has:
- Scaled revenue more than tenfold.
- Processed over $100 million in payroll for clients across 50 countries.
- Rebuilt its entire payroll engine to be multi-country, agent-compatible, and fully AI-driven.
The result is a system that integrates payroll, compliance, and HR into a single platform. According to CEO Azmi, “The legacy systems of the last 20 years were built for on-prem or cloud. Cercli is built for an AI-native world where people and agents work together.”
How AI Transforms Operations
Cercli uses AI agents across multiple functions:
- Payroll automation that adapts to different jurisdictions.
- Recruitment tools that surface candidates, analyze fit, and manage sourcing logic.
- Internal financial agents that handle treasury, reconciliation, and accounting.
This automation allows the startup’s 14-person team to maintain a 21% month-on-month revenue growth rate while expanding its customer base rapidly.
Addressing Fragmentation in MENA’s HR Systems
Many MENA businesses still rely on disconnected tools for HR, payroll, and expense management. Cercli aims to consolidate these into one seamless experience.
Azmi explains, “Customers are asking for everything in one place, and being AI-native allows us to build that unified experience faster.”
Key advantages include:
- Faster onboarding – setup takes just two to three days, compared to months with legacy systems.
- Comprehensive coverage – integrating HR, payroll, finance, and compliance under one roof.
- Scalable design – suitable for startups and multinational corporations alike.
Its growing list of clients includes Vision Bank, Global Climate Finance Centre, Huspy, Lean Technologies, and Ziina.
Backed by Global Investors
Cercli’s Series A attracted both regional and global investors, including:
- Picus Capital (lead investor)
- Knollwood Investment Advisory
- Y Combinator, Afore Capital, and COTU Ventures (existing backers)
Picus Capital partner Robin Godenrath commented, “We’ve seen this model succeed globally within our portfolio. Cercli is poised to capture significant market share through new AI-native products and customer growth.”
With a vision to serve the $5.8 billion HR software market in MENA, Cercli plans to expand its AI-driven solutions and strengthen its regional footprint.