Mensa Brands Enters UAE Market, Eyes Entry In Saudi Arabia

House of brands unicorn Mensa Brands has entered the UAE market and introduced some of its brands on digital platforms in the country.

As part of the expansion, Mensa Brands has introduced three brands — Villain, Pebble, and Folkulture — on Amazon and Saudi ecommerce platform Noon. It has also launched MyFitness peanut butter, which falls under its FMCG portfolio, on quick commerce platforms Talabat and Noon Minutes, the startup said in a statement.

Founded by former Myntra CEO Ananth Narayanan, Mensa Brands acquires digital-first brands across verticals and then scales them up. Pebble, Karagiri, MyFitness and Pretty Krafts are among the brands in its portfolio.

The unicorn has acquired more than 20 startups, with its most recent acquisitions being MensXP, iDiva, and Hypp from Times Internet.

“Expanding our footprint to the UAE is more than just a geographical move; it’s about sharing the essence of our brands with the world. Villain, Pebble, Folkulture, and MyFitness are pioneers in their respective domains, and we’re excited to see them flourish in this new digital landscape,” Narayanan, founder and CEO of Mensa Brands, said.

“Looking ahead, we’re setting our sights on introducing our fashion brands to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia across all platforms, embracing new horizons and extending our connection with audiences in diverse markets,” Narayanan added.

Mensa Brands became India’s fastest unicorn in 2021 when it reached a valuation of over $1 Bn in November 2021, six months after it was founded. It has raised over $300 Mn from investors, including Accel Partners, Prosus, Tiger Global, Alpha Wave, Norwest Ventures and CRED’s Kunal Shah, to date.

Mensa Brands competes with GlobalBees, GOAT Brand Labs, UpScalio, and THG in India’s ecommerce rollup market.

Mensa Brands posted a net loss of INR 96.62 Cr in the financial year 2021-22 (FY22), which was the startup’s first-ever year of operations. It recorded a total income of INR 217.89 Cr during the year, of which INR 186.15 Cr was revenue from operations.

Earlier this year, Mensa Brands laid off around 30 employees from India Lifestyle Network (ILN), which it acquired in December last year.

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