In a region long defined by fragmented enterprise systems, outdated compliance tools, and HR software that rarely talks to finance, Cercli is building a unified alternative for MENA businesses with AI at its core.

The Dubai-based startup, founded by ex-Careem operators Akeed Azmi and David Reche , has announced an oversubscribed $12 million Series A round led by European VC Picus Capital.

Cercli today looks slightly different from the company that raised a $4 million seed round last year. It is rebuilding a Rippling-like stack for the MENA region, but making it AI-native from the ground up.

Over the past year, that bet has paid off. The company says it has scaled revenue more than 10x and now processes over $100 million in payroll annually for multiple businesses across 50 cou

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