India saw 5,000+ new beauty brands in the last 5 years. ~500 of them raised $1.5B+ in venture capital. The Middle East? Almost zero. In 2023, as a VC at Sequoia India helping lead our Middle East expansion, that blew my mind. Because if there’s one place where people love brands — it’s here. The signs were clear — a new-age brand revolution was coming: What started in the US in the early 2010s, What exploded in India in 2018-20, What surged in Indonesia in 2020–22, — was just beginning in the Middle East. So I took the leap. I founded Amaani — to build new-age consumer brands from the Middle East, for the World. It’s time the Middle East had homegrown brands that aren’t just loved here — but celebrated around the world. We just launched our first brand: AÏZA (aiza.co) — modern beauty, rooted in Arabia. #FounderJourney #ConsumerBrands #MiddleEastStartups #BrandBuilding #DTC #VentureCapital #ArabBeauty #Amaani #AIZA #ModernArabia #Startups #Beauty
Smarth Girdhar
5mo
This is such a bold and timely move. What was the biggest gap you saw in the Middle East consumer space, Shubham Poddar
Will Poskett
5mo
i'm seeing huge potential here. the middle east beauty space feels ready for something authentic that can scale globally, much like what happened in india, right?
Kanak Suri
5mo
Many congratulations! So excited to see everything that Aiza does for the Middle East market!
Umang Parikh
5mo
Congrats Shubham! 🎉
Ahmad Radaideh
5mo
Nice good luck!
Ritesh Mohan
5mo
congrats on launch of Aiza. good interactive site. skincare is quite a challenging category however it has growth potential. Best wishes always Shubham Poddar (lets connect and meet in person)
Shilpi Khan
5mo
Congratulations Shubham. So happy for you! Here’s to more success in your endeavors 🎉
Shekhar Bhosale
1mo
Congratulations, Shubham Poddar! It's great to see your vision for AÏZA come to life in the Middle East. Your determination to create homegrown brands that resonate globally is truly commendable. Wishing you immense success on this exciting journey!
What an exciting journey. Building brands that resonate locally yet reach globally is truly remarkable. How do you see consumer preferences evolving?