Cercli Raises $12M to Build AI-Native HR Stack in MENA

[etfs]

Dubai-based Cercli has raised a $12M Series A led by Picus Capital to build an AI-native HR, payroll, and compliance platform for MENA enterprises.
Founded by former Careem operators Akeed Azmi and David Reche, Cercli has scaled revenue 10x in the past year, processing $100M+ in payroll annually across 50 countries.
Azmi says Cercli rebuilt its entire payroll engine for multi-country AI automation, cutting onboarding time to just days. Clients include Vision Bank, Lean Technologies, and Ziina.

[Rimon Khan]

Fresh funding will allow Cercli to scale AI-native solutions tailored for MENA’s labor market.

[Abdul Khan]

This investment reinforces regional momentum toward AI-based workforce management.