Professional Role and Expertise
Lekhansh Ruprela serves as a Founding Software Engineer at Cercli (YC S23), a Dubai-based AI-powered HR and payroll platform. His role focuses on backend development, where he builds reliable and scalable software infrastructure critical to Cercli’s product offerings. He is integral in constructing the platform’s core codebase and plays a leading technical role in enabling Cercli’s AI-driven automation capabilities.
Company Overview: Cercli (YC S23)
Cercli is a technology startup specializing in AI-native HR and payroll solutions tailored primarily for the MENA region, with expansion across more than 50 countries. The platform enables enterprises to hire, manage, and pay employees seamlessly, automating complex workflows including payroll administration, compliance, treasury reconciliation, and recruitment. Cercli demonstrates rapid scaling with reported 21% month-on-month revenue growth and a 10x revenue increase within a year after its seed funding round.
Cercli recently secured an oversubscribed $12 million Series A funding round, led by Picus Capital, reflecting strong investor confidence and market traction. The company processes over $100 million in payroll annually, positioning itself as a significant player in HR SaaS for the MENA market. Founded by former executives from Careem and Kitopi, Cercli leverages AI agents to dramatically reduce operational turnaround times—cutting employee onboarding and payroll migration from months to 48–72 hours.
Technical Contributions and Interests
Lekhansh is primarily responsible for backend development at Cercli, delivering foundational components that facilitate the platform’s AI-powered services. His public technical activity reflects a strong engagement with vector databases and AI-related engineering topics, suggesting a deep involvement in implementing cutting-edge data technologies to enhance query efficiency and data retrieval sophistication in Cercli’s software stack.
He actively shares insights on backend engineering methods and AI integration, supporting Cercli’s positioning as an "AI-native" product. His GitHub profile shows significant contributions (891 code commits over the past year), indicating robust and continuous software development engagement.
Career and Education
- Education: Bachelor of Technology (BTech) from Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology, Bhubaneswar.
- Professional Experience: Founding Software Engineer at Cercli since at least two years ago, contributing since the company's YC S23 accelerator batch acceptance.
- Additional Credentials: Completed relevant technical certifications such as Mitacs GRI; actively involved in developer communities and hackathons.
Team and Organizational Context
Lekhansh works alongside a lean core technical team, including product and design lead Roman Yurchenko and software engineers such as Ahmed Elsaeed. Cercli’s leadership team combines operational expertise from successful MENA tech ventures and is supported by a focused group of roughly 14 employees, all executing rapid product development cycles fueled by AI and automation.
Strategic and Operational Impact
Lekhansh’s role is crucial in delivering Cercli’s promise of automating complex HR and payroll functions with AI efficiency. His backend engineering leadership underpins the platform’s ability to scale operations internationally and maintain compliance across diverse jurisdictions. The acceleration in revenue and successful Series A round strongly indicate the effectiveness of the technical platform he helps to build.
In summary, Lekhansh Ruprela is a key technical leader at Cercli, shaping the backend systems of a fast-growing AI-powered HR SaaS platform with proven rapid revenue growth and market expansion. His expertise in backend engineering and AI application aligns directly with Cercli’s positioning as a transformative force in payroll and workforce management for the MENA region and beyond.
