Dubai Startup Revolutionizes Regional HR Technology with AI-Native Approach
Cercli, a Dubai-based HR technology platform founded by former Careem executives, has announced an oversubscribed $12 million Series A funding round. The investment was led by European venture capital firm Picus Capital, with participation from Knollwood Investment Advisory and existing investors including Y Combinator, Afore Capital, and COTU Ventures.
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The funding marks a significant milestone for the young company, which has experienced remarkable growth since its $4 million seed round last year. According to CEO Akeed Azmi, Cercli has scaled revenue more than 10x and now processes over $100 million in payroll annually for businesses across 50 countries.
From Regional Challenge to Global Opportunity
Cercli was born from the founders’ firsthand experience with fragmented enterprise systems at two of MENA’s most prominent unicorns: Careem and Kitopi. Azmi and co-founder David Reche recognized that regional businesses were struggling with disconnected HR, payroll, and compliance systems that rarely communicated with each other., as previous analysis, according to according to reports
“The legacy systems of the last 20 years – your SAPs, Oracles, Workdays – they were built for on-prem and the cloud. Now we’re entering an AI-native world,” Azmi explained in an interview. “We didn’t want to just integrate AI; we wanted to rethink the whole stack for how people and agents work together.”, according to industry news
AI-Native Architecture: The Competitive Edge
What sets Cercli apart in the crowded HR-tech market is its fundamental commitment to artificial intelligence. Over the past three months, the company has completely rewritten its payroll engine to be multi-country and agent-compatible, enabling more efficient scaling across global jurisdictions.
The platform’s recruitment module now features agent-driven capabilities that can surface candidate lists, source from internal datasets, and run background logic on hiring fit. Perhaps most impressively, Cercli uses its own technology to manage internal operations, with custom-built treasury and reconciliation agents handling the company’s finances and accounting.
This AI-first approach has yielded tangible benefits: Cercli can onboard customers in just two to three days, compared to the several months typically required by legacy systems. This rapid implementation has helped the startup attract clients ranging from emerging businesses to established multinationals, including Vision Bank, the Global Climate Finance Centre, Huspy, Lean Technologies, and Ziina., according to industry news
Consolidation Meets Innovation in MENA Market
While global competitors like Deel, Rippling, and BambooHR offer multi-module HR solutions, Cercli has identified a unique opportunity in the MENA region. Many companies in the area still patch together their back-office operations using multiple point solutions for expense management, payroll, and recruiting.
“Customers are asking for everything in one place, and being AI-native allows us to build that unified experience far more quickly,” Azmi noted. The platform consolidates human resources management, payroll, and compliance specifically designed for MENA-based companies operating globally.
Strategic Growth and Market Expansion
The Series A funding represents Picus Capital’s first investment in the MENA region, signaling confidence in Cercli’s approach and the regional market potential. The venture firm has previously backed successful global HR companies including Personio, Multiplier, Deel, Maki, and JetHR.
Robin Godenrath, founding partner at Picus Capital, expressed enthusiasm for the investment: “We’ve seen this business model succeed globally within our portfolio, and we are excited to back Cercli as they continue to grow market share through new customers and product launches.”
Cercli plans to use the fresh capital to develop new AI-native products and capture more of the $5.8 billion HR software opportunity in MENA. With a lean 14-person team maintaining a 21% month-to-month revenue growth rate, the company demonstrates how AI-driven automation can enable efficient scaling even with limited resources.
As businesses throughout the Middle East and North Africa continue to digitalize their operations, Cercli’s timing appears strategic. By addressing regional compliance variations while leveraging cutting-edge AI technology, the startup is positioned to become a dominant player in transforming how MENA companies manage their most valuable asset: their people.
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For more information about Cercli’s platform and services, visit their official website.
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