'The UAE has been an exceptionally enabling environment to build and scale my startup,' says Dubai founder

Dubai: Sahar Karoubi moved to the UAE in 2003 and built her career in marketing after graduating from the American University in Dubai. In 2021, a personal shift pushed her toward entrepreneurship. After becoming a mother of two young children, she began paying closer attention to the everyday products used at home and the ingredients behind them.

“I started becoming much more conscious about what we were bringing into our home,” she said. “I wanted to reduce toxins and make more responsible choices.”

That search soon turned into a practical challenge. Karoubi struggled to find household tissue products in the UAE that combined sustainability with the quality and design she expected from everyday essentials.

“When I looked for better tissue alternatives in the UAE, I struggled to find options that were non-toxin, sustainable and high quality,” she said.

The gap pushed her to build a solution herself. Bambuyu, a sustainable tissue brand, started with the goal of offering cleaner products without compromising on experience.

“With a background in CPG marketing, I felt confident that I could build a brand that was clean, sustainable and exciting at the same time,” Karoubi said. “Something that felt like an upgrade and did good at the same time.”

Launching the business in the UAE was a natural step. Karoubi had already spent two decades living in the country and understood the consumer market well.

“The UAE has been my home for over 20 years, so building Bambuyu here was a natural choice,” she said.

Dubai’s diverse population also created a testing ground for new ideas in sustainability and wellness. Consumers in the city are used to global brands and often respond quickly to new concepts.

“Consumers here are globally minded and highly receptive to new concepts, particularly in wellness and sustainability,” she said.

The country’s location and logistics network also make it easier to expand across the region.

“From infrastructure to access to regional markets, it provides an ideal base to scale across the GCC and beyond.”

Bambuyu began as a self-funded venture. Karoubi focused on building the business step by step, reinvesting revenue into operations and product development.

“Bambuyu was initially self-funded,” she said. “I was intentional about building carefully and ensuring solid foundations before accelerating.”

The brand later raised two rounds of investment, bringing in strategic investors who helped strengthen the company’s capital base and network.

One of the biggest milestones came when Bambuyu products began appearing across major retail and e-commerce platforms in the UAE.

“Our biggest success has been firmly establishing Bambuyu across the UAE’s leading retail and e-commerce platforms,” Karoubi said.

The brand has also gained visibility through hospitality venues and travel locations. Karoubi says hearing from customers who discover the products in hotels or restaurants has been particularly rewarding.

“Seeing customers share where they discovered Bambuyu from restaurants and hotels to their travels has been incredibly rewarding.”

Rapid growth also brought operational challenges. Supply chain planning became more complex as demand increased across multiple channels.

“One of our biggest challenges has been managing supply chain and forecasting while scaling at pace,” Karoubi said.

At times the brand sold out of products while demand continued to grow. The experience pushed the company to improve planning and strengthen supplier relationships.

“We have invested heavily in better systems, tighter planning and stronger supply chain relationships,” she said. “Brand and vision may open doors, but operational excellence sustains growth.”

Karoubi did not grow up in a business family. Her father works as an architect and her mother as an interior designer. Their influence encouraged creativity and building things with purpose.

The business side of entrepreneurship came later through experience.

“My journey has been largely self-taught, shaped by research, mentorship and learning by doing,” she said. “Entrepreneurship has been the MBA I never formally did.”

Karoubi wants Bambuyu to grow beyond the UAE and compete with international brands. Her goal is to build a company that started in the region but reaches global markets.

“We’re used to seeing international brands enter the UAE and succeed,” she said. “I want Bambuyu to be the UAE-born brand that scales globally and is recognised in homes around the world.”

Running a startup has brought difficult moments, but the motivation behind the brand keeps her focused.

“Bambuyu gives me purpose, fuels my creativity and challenges me to keep learning,” she said.

Looking back at the decision to start the company, Karoubi remains certain about the path she chose.

“If I had to do it all again, I’d choose Bambuyu 1,000 times over.”