UAE-based Tern Group, an AI-powered workforce infrastructure management company, is challenging the traditional startup growth narrative. After securing a total of $33 million in funding since its 2023 launch, the company is focusing on turning strategic innovation into scalable solutions that address critical market challenges, particularly within the healthcare sector.
Quick Facts
- Total Funding: $33 million raised to date
- Founded: 2023, headquartered in the UAE
- Platform Reach: Over 650,000 registered professionals
From Vision to Execution
Tern Group’s funding journey, which includes an oversubscribed pre-seed round followed by a Series A, signals strong investor confidence in its model. However, founder and CEO Avinav Nigam emphasizes a significant shift in the investment climate. He argues that the focus has moved from rapid, often unsustainable growth to efficient and durable value creation.
“The question for startups today is not what it was years ago; the focus is no longer just on speed of growth,” said Avinav Nigam, Founder and CEO of Tern Group. “It’s about the company’s ability to create value efficiently and sustainably, relying on the resources it has. These are the standards investors are looking for today—clear proof that innovation translates into real operational value.”
Nigam added, “Investors are no longer funding just visions; they are focusing on execution. They want to ensure the foundations are strong, that unit economics improve with scale, and that companies can achieve profitability without constant reliance on capital injections.”
Going Deep, Not Wide
While navigating early-stage uncertainty, Nigam warns against the temptation of rapid diversification, which can dilute a startup’s core value proposition. He advocates for a more disciplined approach focused on dominating a specific vertical before expanding.
“Uncertainty drives some companies to chase new opportunities quickly, which often leads to value dilution,” Nigam explained. “The real advantage lies in going deep, not wide, by maximizing value in what already works and building a competitive advantage based on execution.”
This philosophy is central to Tern’s strategy. The company first proved its model within the UAE’s healthcare sector, a complex environment requiring management of cross-border recruitment, intricate regulatory frameworks, and urgent hiring needs.
“The roadmap is clear: deep focus, prove value in a specific market, and then expand after cementing operational strength,” Nigam stated.
Tangible Impact on Healthcare
Tern’s AI-powered platform integrates talent acquisition, credentialing, assessment, and deployment into a single system. For UAE hospitals and healthcare facilities, this has delivered measurable results by tackling workforce fragmentation and reducing the complexities of scaling.
The company has successfully reduced manual recruitment efforts by 94%, saving over 80 hours per hire. By streamlining processes, Tern has cut hiring timelines from several months down to just a few weeks, significantly easing the burden on internal recruitment teams. This demonstrates how applied AI can drive productivity at scale.
Building on the UAE’s Digital Bedrock
Tern Group views the UAE’s advanced digital infrastructure, clear regulatory frameworks, and pro-business environment as key enablers for startups aiming to align with national priorities. The country’s focus on digital transformation and economic diversification creates an ideal setting for disciplined, sustainable growth.
“Startups in the UAE have a unique advantage, as they can build on strong foundations that include digital governance and an advanced regulatory environment,” said Nigam. “The opportunity is not in reinventing what exists, but in building the connections that enable sectors to operate faster, more efficiently, and scale with confidence.”
About Tern Group
Tern Group is a UAE-based company specializing in AI-driven workforce infrastructure management. Its integrated platform automates the entire talent lifecycle, from recruitment and licensing to employee assessment and skills development, with an initial focus on the global healthcare industry.
Source: Fintech Gate
