Cercli Secures $12 Million Series A to Propel AI-Native Global Workforce Platform

Dubai-based Cercli HQ has successfully closed an oversubscribed $12 million Series A funding round, led by European venture capital firm Picus Capital. The significant investment aims to accelerate the company's expansion, enhance its AI-native offerings, and solidify its position as a leading unified platform for global workforce management in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The announcement comes as the Y Combinator alum reports a remarkable 10x growth over the past year, processing over $100 million in payroll across 50 countries.The funding round saw participation from Knollwood Investment Advisory and existing investors, including Y Combinator, Afore Capital, and COTU Ventures, signaling strong investor confidence in Cercli's vision. Co-founded by Akeed Azmi and David Reche, both former operators at MENA unicorns Careem and Kitopi, Cercli was established in 2023 to address the complexities of managing global workforces, particularly within the MENA market. The company has maintained an impressive 21-22% month-over-month revenue growth.Cercli is set to utilize the new capital to expand its world-class team, primarily in engineering and go-to-market functions, and to broaden its global payroll coverage. A key focus of this investment is the further development and launch of its "AI-native recruitment product," designed to help customers hire more intelligently. This new offering, featuring "Cera" an AI hiring assistant, streamlines job post creation, candidate screening, and provides intelligent insights to identify high-potential matches and skill gaps.The company's business model centers on providing a single platform for enterprises to hire, manage, and pay their global workforce in the AI era, directly challenging fragmented legacy systems prevalent in the MENA region's $5.8 billion HR software market. Cercli's approach involves rebuilding HR infrastructure from the ground up with AI at its core, enabling rapid customer onboarding and ensuring compliance with diverse local regulations. This strategic move positions Cercli to capitalize on the growing demand for unified, AI-powered HR solutions.