MENA Payroll Startup Cercli Secures $4 Million to Expand Across the Fast Growing Region

Payroll management has long presented challenges for businesses operating across borders in the Middle East and North Africa region. A new startup called Cercli aims to change that by building localized payroll and HR solutions tailored specifically for the region’s unique compliance requirements.

Cercli, founded earlier this year, helps companies manage hiring, payroll processing and other HR tasks for local and global workforces from a single platform. After validating there was high demand from businesses struggling with outdated and inefficient systems, Cercli launched its services and quickly gained traction.

Impressed with the early growth and potential to solve a significant problem across MENA, Cercli has now secured $4 million in seed funding led by Silicon Valley investor Afore Capital. The funds will be used to accelerate the development of additional products, expand into new markets and grow the team.

Operating across 31 countries and responsible for distributing over $23 million in salaries already, Cercli plans to build out its full suite of HR services to better serve the needs of businesses large and small. The startup’s co-founder and CEO, Akeed Azmi, had previously witnessed firsthand the payroll headaches faced by high-growth startups while at Kitopi and Careem.

By developing localized solutions attuned to specific labor laws and processes in each MENA nation, Cercli aims to provide a unified and fully compliant platform that streamlines what can otherwise be a cumbersome, inefficient and error-prone task for many businesses. Compared to other global players, Cercli’s in-depth regional expertise and focus sets it up well to establish leadership in this promising emerging market for HR tech.