Amaani is building the next generation of beauty and wellness brands from the Middle East. Its first brand, AÏZA, is a Dubai-based masstige beauty brand, combining prestige positioning with a mass market price point. Its “Past Forward” philosophy pairs regional ingredients, including dates, black seed, and bakhoor, with clinically proven actives, developed in specialist laboratories across Korea, Japan, and Italy.

We met Shubham Poddar early on, when he was raising Amaani’s pre-seed round, and stayed close to the business from there. What stood out over time was Shubham’s ability to build and adapt quickly, while the business itself began showing clear signs of pull from both customers and retailers. His perspective was shaped by his years at Peak XV, formerly Sequoia India, working on D2C beauty investments including Mamaearth and Minimalist, paired with a team bringing deep operating experience from L’Oréal, Huda Beauty, Elizabeth Arden, and Careem.

That combination gave us the conviction to partner with him, and in September 2026, we led Amaani’s $5M Series A. AÏZA has since grown across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and the wider GCC, become one of Ulta Beauty’s top-performing UAE brands, and been named the first Middle Eastern brand on BeautyMatter’s NEXT50.

We are now backing the team as it expands into Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and Qatar.

Visit AÏZA’s Website