Amaani Raises $5M Series A as AÏZA Expands Across GCC

National, September 28, 2026: Amaani, the company behind Middle Eastern beauty brand AÏZA, has raised $5 million in Series A funding to accelerate expansion across the GCC and beyond. The round was led by BECO Capital, with participation from Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV’s Surge, bringing Amaani’s total funding to $8 million.

Founded in Dubai in December 2024, AÏZA is inspired by the ingredients, rituals, and culture of the Arab world, developed to compete with leading global brands. In H1 2026, AÏZA’s net revenue grew 9x year-on-year, expanding from digital-first into regional retail. Today, it is available via aiza.co, Ounass, and Ulta Beauty in the UAE, ranking among the top 10 brands across 300+ global and regional competitors. AÏZA was also named to BeautyMatter’s NEXT50, the first and only Middle Eastern brand included in the global list of 50 emerging beauty and wellness companies to watch.

Founder’s Vision: Shubham Poddar, Founder & CEO of Amaani, said: “Three years ago I left Sequoia Capital India with one conviction: the Middle East had become one of the world’s most sophisticated consumers of global beauty, but too few globally ambitious brands were built around the region’s own beauty culture. AÏZA was created to change that. This funding allows us to deepen what we have built in the UAE, expand across the GCC, and begin proving that a brand born here can travel far beyond it.”

Product Innovation
AÏZA reinterprets regional ingredients — dates, black seed, frankincense, rose, and bakhoor — through modern skincare and haircare formulations developed with laboratories in Korea, Japan, and Italy. The company applies a digital-first operating model, using AI and technology for creative testing, customer analytics, performance marketing, and operational planning, bringing tech discipline to the beauty category.

Abdulaziz Shikh Al Sagha, Managing Partner, BECO Capital, said: “Amaani combines operating discipline with a deep understanding of regional consumers. That gave us conviction to back Shubham and the team.”

Nader Amiri, Co-Founder, Homegrown Ventures, added: “AÏZA is showing that a brand can be authentically rooted in the Arab world and still compete globally. The team is building original products with rare execution discipline.”

Expansion Plans
The new capital will support AÏZA’s expansion into Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar, alongside investment in product development, talent, and technology infrastructure. Saudi Arabia is the priority market, with launches at Ulta Beauty in Red Sea Mall (Jeddah) and Riyadh Park (Riyadh) at the end of September. Kuwait and Qatar will follow in Q4.

About Amaani & AÏZA
Amaani is a Dubai-headquartered consumer company founded by Shubham Poddar in 2023 to build globally ambitious brands from the Middle East. Poddar previously worked at Bain & Company and Sequoia Capital India, contributing to investments in Tabby, Huspy, Foodics, and Lean Technologies, and was named to Forbes Middle East 30 Under 30 (2025).

AÏZA combines culturally relevant ingredients with science-backed actives, formulated to global clean beauty standards. Products are alcohol-free, cruelty-free, and vegan (except where honey or milk-derived ingredients are used). Available at aiza.co, Ulta Beauty, and Ounass. Instagram: @aiza.global.