Cercli: Eliminating HR Bottlenecks, Solving Payroll and Compliance Challenges in MENA
Updated 9/14/2025 9:00:00 AM
Arab Finance: The Human Resources (HR) technology sector is undergoing a rapid transformation, becoming a crucial driver of efficiency and growth in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) region.
The HR software market in MENA is projected to reach an impressive $3.33 billion by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 12.5% from 2024 to 2030, according to Grand View Research. This growth is fueled by companies seeking to streamline operations, enhance employee experiences, and navigate complex, evolving labor laws.
In a region where a significant number of businesses still rely on fragmented systems or manual processes, the adoption of modern, integrated platforms is a top priority. In this interview, we speak to Akeed Azmi and David Reche, co-founders of Cercli, to discuss how their all-in-one HR platform addresses these challenges and helps companies manage their workforce more effectively.
1-You both have a strong background at Careem. How did your experience there inspire you to create Cercli, and what specific gaps in the market did you identify?
Working at the region’s first unicorn deeply shaped our entrepreneurial mindset. We identified significant gaps in managing employee data, payroll, and HR systems. In enterprises with hundreds of employees, payroll processing was painfully slow. HR tools were fragmented across multiple systems, or companies relied on outdated ERP systems that simply didn’t meet their needs.
We searched extensively for a solution but could not find one that addressed these challenges. That is why we founded Cercli: to solve the problem of days wasted on manual tasks, the inefficiency of juggling four or five separate tools to complete HR processes, and, most importantly, to establish a single source of truth for the workforce.
We believed this pain was unnecessary and unsustainable.
2-Many startups use disconnected HR systems or spreadsheets. How does Cercli's "single, modern platform" approach fundamentally change the way companies manage their workforce?
Our goal with Cercli is to eliminate the need for multiple disconnected HR systems. By removing manual processes and reducing errors, we help companies stay compliant while saving hundreds of hours that can be redirected toward business growth.
Cercli offers a unified platform covering the entire employee lifecycle, from onboarding to offboarding, including a one-click payroll solution that works regardless of location or employment type.
With Cercli, companies no longer need multiple tools. They have one platform that also integrates seamlessly with other software in their stack, such as accounting systems and communication tools like Slack.
3-Cercli is described as a global company built for the MENA region. How do you balance the need for a scalable, international product with the hyper-specific localization required for each country's labor laws and regulations?
We are building for the MENA region first, which means staying closely aligned with local labor laws and their evolution. The gap we identified is that while many global HR companies expand into MENA, they rarely localize for the region’s unique practices. Cercli is built around these local nuances.
Moreover, our dedicated team of payroll and compliance experts works closely with customers to ensure they remain up to date and comply with regulations.
4-Cercli has been called the "Rippling for MENA." What does this mean to you, and what unique challenges and opportunities exist in the MENA market that make this vision so compelling?
For us, the “for MENA” part underscores our commitment to solving regional challenges first. The opportunity is enormous: no platform currently addresses the full spectrum of end-to-end HR challenges in MENA, from payroll to workforce management to remote work.
The challenge lies in navigating the unique regulations of each country. In a progressive region like ours, labor laws are constantly evolving.
Keeping pace with these changes and building solutions around them is both a challenge and an opportunity.
5-Egypt has a thriving startup ecosystem. What specific challenges and opportunities do you see for Cercli in this market? How will your platform adapt to the unique needs of Egyptian startups?
Egypt stands out as one of the region’s most dynamic markets. Its expanding startup ecosystem introduces new challenges related to compliance, payroll, and HR operations. Many startups still rely on outsourced providers or disconnected tools, which become a bottleneck as they scale.
Our opportunity is to engage with these startups early by providing a system that grows alongside them.
We are tailoring Cercli specifically for Egypt by supporting local payroll rules and compliance requirements, so companies do not have to stitch together multiple solutions as they expand.
6-What makes Cercli a better choice for an Egyptian or North African startup than other global or regional HR solutions?
The key difference is that Cercli is built with the region at its core, not as an afterthought. Global HR tools often fail to address the nuances of Egyptian and North African labor laws, payroll processes, and compliance demands. They lack expertise in specific areas like Form 1s and 6s or changes in social security regulations.
Cercli is fully localized from day one while providing the modern, global-standard experience today's companies expect. For startups here, this means a platform that manages local compliance and payroll complexity, yet is scalable enough to support expansion into other markets.
Additionally, we enable companies to hire and pay remote teams anywhere in the world, from Europe to Asia and beyond.
7-What are your mid-to-long-term goals for Cercli's presence in Egypt, in terms of both customer acquisition and potential product development?
We are already working with customers in Egypt, including one of the fastest-growing investment startups, Thndr. We see enormous potential as the market evolves.
Our goal is to grow alongside it by supporting more startups and larger enterprises, while continuously developing features that adapt to Egypt’s regulatory and business landscape.
8-Your recent $4 million seed round and rapid growth are impressive. Can you share the key metrics you focused on that convinced investors like Y Combinator and Afore Capital to back you?
We just focused on addressing the problems faced by our customers, as our seed round was pre-revenue. Our findings were backed by listening closely to our customers and direct conversations with companies, including some of the biggest in the region, such as Saudi Aramco.
Our findings were clear. Even the largest enterprises face the same issues with fragmented HR systems and slow, layered payroll processes. We also shared our roadmap and vision.
Pleasingly, the confidence of our investors has been borne out by our performance. Since the seed round, we have grown revenue by over 22% month-on-month and tripled our client base, showing the size of the problem and the strength of our solution.
9-Finally, with the rise of remote work and AI, what do you see as the biggest trends shaping the future of HR and payroll management in the MENA region?
We are seeing three big shifts. First, distributed teams are becoming the norm. Companies are hiring across borders, which makes payroll and compliance more complex but also more critical to get right.
Second, governments in the region are rapidly digitizing labor laws and compliance frameworks, so systems need to keep up with constant changes.
Third, AI is starting to transform how HR operates, from automating repetitive administrative tasks to providing insights on workforce planning.
In MENA, companies embracing these shifts early will be the ones that scale faster and attract stronger talent.
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