In a region where businesses have long relied on disconnected enterprise platforms, outdated compliance solutions, and HR tools that rarely integrate with finance, Cercli is introducing an all-in-one AI-powered platform tailored for MENA companies.
The Dubai-based company, established by former Careem team members Akeed Azmi and David Reche, has revealed it closed an oversubscribed $12 million Series A funding round, with European venture capital firm Picus Capital leading the investment.
Cercli has evolved since its $4 million seed round last year. The company is now developing a Rippling-inspired platform for the MENA region, but with AI deeply integrated from the outset.
That strategy has proven successful over the past year. Cercli reports that its revenue has grown more than tenfold, and it now handles payroll exceeding $100 million annually for clients in 50 different countries.
Yet, with the HR-tech sector crowded by startups like Deel and Remote, as well as established players such as SAP and Oracle, all offering solutions for payroll and cross-border payments, what makes Cercli stand out? CEO Azmi believes their AI-first approach is the differentiator.
Azmi launched Cercli to address fundamental HR challenges he and Reche encountered at their previous roles with Careem and Kitopi, two of the region’s most prominent unicorns.
Given that payroll was often managed across disparate systems and compliance requirements varied by location, Cercli’s initial product aimed to unify HR management, payroll, and compliance for MENA-based firms operating internationally.
However, Azmi saw greater potential by embedding AI into the platform. Over the last three months, he says Cercli has completely rebuilt its payroll engine to support multiple countries and agent compatibility, allowing for more efficient scaling across global markets.
“The legacy platforms of the past two decades—like SAP, Oracle, and Workday—were designed for on-premises and cloud environments. Now, we’re moving into an era centered on AI,” Azmi told TechCrunch. “Our goal wasn’t just to add AI, but to reimagine the entire system for collaboration between people and AI agents.”
The company has also revamped its recruitment tools. Cercli now features agent-driven capabilities that can generate candidate lists, leverage internal data sources, and automatically assess candidate suitability.
Cercli also relies on AI for its own internal processes, utilizing custom treasury and reconciliation agents to oversee its finances and accounting. According to Azmi, this approach enabled the 14-person team to secure its Series A while maintaining a 21% monthly revenue growth rate.
Cercli
Image Credits:Cercli
Apart from its AI capabilities, the founder sees Cercli’s strength in its ability to consolidate. While there are many HR platforms with multiple modules—such as Deel, Rippling, and BambooHR—MENA businesses often piece together their back-office functions using separate solutions for expenses, payroll, and hiring.
“Our customers want a single platform for all their needs, and being AI-native lets us deliver this integrated experience much faster,” Azmi said.
Azmi also noted that Cercli’s AI-driven design enables rapid onboarding, with implementation taking just two to three days—far quicker than the months required by older systems. This speed has helped the young HR-tech firm attract a diverse client base, from startups to large enterprises, including Vision Bank, the Global Climate Finance Centre, Huspy, Lean Technologies, and Ziina.
This investment marks Picus Capital’s first foray into the MENA region. The firm has previously invested in global HR companies such as Personio, Multiplier, Deel, Maki, and JetHR.
Other Series A participants include Knollwood Investment Advisory, along with returning investors Y Combinator, Afore Capital, and COTU Ventures.
With this new funding, Cercli intends to develop additional AI-native products and expand its presence in the MENA HR software market, which is valued at $5.8 billion.
“We’ve observed this business model thrive globally within our portfolio, and we’re thrilled to support Cercli as they continue to grow their market share through new customer acquisitions and product innovations,” said Robin Godenrath, founding partner at Picus Capital.
