AÏZA parent Amaani raises $5M Series A led by BECO to expand beauty brand across the GCC

Dubai-based consumer company Amaani, the owner of beauty brand AÏZA, has raised a $5 million Series A led by BECO Capital to expand across the GCC, with Saudi Arabia its next priority market.

Homegrown Ventures and Peak XV’s Surge also participated, bringing Amaani’s total funding to $8 million. The company will use the capital for regional expansion, product development, hiring and the technology supporting its operations.

The round follows the $3 million seed investment led by Surge that we at FWDstart reported in September 2025. Since then, AÏZA has expanded from an online-first business into regional retail, with products now sold through its own website, Ounass and Ulta Beauty in the UAE.

Amaani says AÏZA’s net revenue grew more than ninefold year-on-year in the first half of 2026. The company plans to launch the brand with Ulta Beauty at Red Sea Mall in Jeddah and Riyadh Park in Riyadh at the end of September, with Kuwait and Qatar expected to follow in the fourth quarter.

Founded in 2023 by Shubham Poddar, Amaani aims to build consumer brands around the region’s own beauty culture. Poddar previously worked at Bain & Company and Sequoia Capital India, where he was involved in its Middle East expansion and investments including Tabby, Huspy, Foodics and Lean Technologies.

Its first brand, AÏZA, sells skincare and haircare products using ingredients associated with the Arab world, including dates, black seed, frankincense, rose and bakhoor. Formulations are developed with laboratories in Korea, Japan and Italy, combining those ingredients with modern skincare and haircare actives.

“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 Poddar.

The round also marks another disclosed investment from Homegrown Ventures, who closed a $22.8 million debut fund in April focused on consumer packaged goods, including beauty, personal care, food and wellness. Founded by Nader Amiri and Ahmad Shamieh, it supports brands with manufacturing, supply chains and access to retailers and distributors.

“In consumer brands, a compelling story may drive the first purchase, but great products and execution are what bring customers back,” said Amiri, Homegrown’s co-founder and managing partner.

BECO managing partner Abdulaziz Shikh Al Sagha said the firm had spent several years examining the regional beauty and wellness category, looking for locally built brands with the ability to scale internationally.

Amaani says it uses technology and AI for creative testing, customer analytics, performance marketing and operational planning. Its immediate expansion plans remain centred on the Gulf, with the new funding intended to establish AÏZA across Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar before pursuing its wider international ambitions.