Amaani, a pioneering company reimagining beauty and wellness from the Middle East, has successfully closed a $3 million Seed round led by Surge, Peak XV Partners’ scale-up program—marking their first consumer and seed investment in the MENA region.
Founded by Shubham Poddar, a former Sequoia India investor who helped drive its expansion into the Middle East across fintech, foodtech, and proptech, Amaani is on a bold mission to build global beauty brands rooted in Arabia. Poddar explained: “Amaani means ‘wishes and aspirations’ in Arabic, and that’s exactly what we’re building: brands that capture the spirit of a rising region and speak to the world.”
The investment will primarily support AÏZA, Amaani’s debut brand launched in May 2025. AÏZA fuses Arab heritage ingredients such as dates, black seed, and bakhoor with clinically proven actives crafted in world-class labs in Korea, Japan, and Italy. The products are vegan, cruelty-free, alcohol-free, and meet Clean at Sephora standards. Within just three months of its launch, AÏZA surpassed $2M in annualised revenue, driven by strong traction in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
The GCC beauty and personal care market is valued at $12 billion, growing at over 12% annually, and ranks among the world’s highest in per capita beauty spend. Commenting on this, GV Ravishankar, Managing Director at Peak XV, stated: “We believe the region is now primed to produce the next wave of culturally resonant, globally admired consumer brands. Amaani is well positioned to lead this movement.”
Backed by a team with experience at Huda Beauty, Lenskart, Giving Movement, and Careem, AÏZA has already gained significant recognition, including a pop-up in Dubai Mall and features in Vogue, Elle, Cosmopolitan, Hia, and Laha.
Looking ahead, Amaani aims to scale AÏZA both regionally and globally through digital channels and retail outlets, while building a portfolio of future beauty brands that reimagine Modern Arabia for the world.
