Amaani Raises $5M to Expand AÏZA Across the GCC

Dubai beauty company Amaani raises $5M in a Series A round led by BECO Capital to expand its flagship brand, AÏZA, into Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.

The round saw participation from Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV’s Surge, bringing Amaani’s total funding to $8 million. The company plans to use the capital for regional expansion, product development, hiring, and technology infrastructure.

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AÏZA is scheduled to launch at Ulta Beauty stores in Jeddah and Riyadh at the end of September. Expansion into Kuwait and Qatar is planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.

Growth and Strategy for Amaani

Founded by Shubham Poddar, Amaani launched AÏZA in December 2024 as a skincare and haircare brand. It is built around ingredients and beauty practices associated with the Arab world.

Its products incorporate ingredients such as dates, black seed, frankincense, rose, and bakhoor. Formulations are developed through laboratories in Korea, Japan, and Italy.

The brand is already available through its own website, Ounass, and Ulta Beauty in the UAE. Amaani reported that 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 retail.

Expanding the AÏZA Brand in the GCC

The Saudi launch gives AÏZA its first major test outside the UAE. It is moving into a larger and more varied consumer market.

Amaani is positioning the brand around regional identity rather than adapting an international beauty concept. At the same time, it uses international laboratories and technology across areas including creative testing, customer analytics, marketing, and operations.

This combination is what attracted BECO Capital. “We examined the beauty and wellness category in the Gulf and broader Middle East for some years, looking for brands built here with the operating discipline to scale beyond the region,” said Abdulaziz Shikh Al Sagha, Managing Partner at BECO Capital.

“Amaani combines that discipline with a deep understanding of what regional consumers want.” For Poddar, the funding is intended to build on the UAE business while testing whether AÏZA can travel beyond its home market.

Why it Matters to MENA Startups

AÏZA’s expansion reflects a bigger challenge for MENA consumer startups. They must prove that a brand that works in one Gulf market can translate to others without losing its identity.

Saudi Arabia is the first major test. If AÏZA can build traction there and then expand into Kuwait and Qatar, it could offer another example of a consumer brand being built in the region for regional and eventually global markets.