“We Got Funded!” Dubai-Based Amaani Raises US$5 Million in Series A to Expand Beauty Brand AÏZA Across the GCC
Led by BECO Capital, the round will support regional expansion, product development, and recruitment, with Saudi Arabia as the next priority market.
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Amaani, a Dubai-headquartered consumer company behind the beauty brand AÏZA, has raised US$5 million in Series A funding to support its expansion across the GCC, particularly Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.
The round was led by BECO Capital, a Gulf-focused institutional venture capital firm, with participation from Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV’s Surge, taking Amaani’s total funding to US$8 million.
Saudi Arabia will be the priority market, with AÏZA scheduled to launch through Ulta Beauty at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah and Riyadh Park in Riyadh at the end of September. Kuwait and Qatar are expected to follow in the fourth quarter of 2026.
The company also plans to use the funding to invest in product development, talent and technology infrastructure.
Launched in December 2024, AÏZA develops skincare and haircare products inspired by the ingredients and beauty rituals of the Arab world. Its formulations incorporate ingredients such as dates, black seed, frankincense, rose and bakhoor, and are developed with laboratories in Korea, Japan and Italy.
“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,” said Shubham Poddar, founder and CEO of Amaani.
“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,” he added.
According to the company, AÏZA’s net revenue grew more than ninefold year over year in the first half of 2026 as it expanded from a digital-first business into regional retail. Amaani also uses technology and artificial intelligence for creative testing, customer analytics, performance marketing and operational planning.
“We examined the beauty and wellness category in the Gulf and broader Middle East for a number of years, looking for brands built here with the operating discipline to scale beyond the region,” Abdulaziz Shikh Al Sagha, Managing Partner, BECO Capital, said. “Amaani combines that discipline with a deep understanding of what regional consumers want. That combination gave us the conviction to back Shubham and the team at this stage of their journey.”
Amaani, a Dubai-headquartered consumer company behind the beauty brand AÏZA, has raised US$5 million in Series A funding to support its expansion across the GCC, particularly Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar.
The round was led by BECO Capital, a Gulf-focused institutional venture capital firm, with participation from Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV’s Surge, taking Amaani’s total funding to US$8 million.
Saudi Arabia will be the priority market, with AÏZA scheduled to launch through Ulta Beauty at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah and Riyadh Park in Riyadh at the end of September. Kuwait and Qatar are expected to follow in the fourth quarter of 2026.
Entrepreneur Middle East Staff
Entrepreneur Staff
