If you are already posting what you shop, why not get paid for it? That's the idea behind a new UAE start-up aiming to change how social media and shopping intersect.

In an investor pitching session on Wednesday organised by Khaleej Times Events, Vaibhav Agarwal and Ayushee Tyagi, co-founders of FluencePay, unveiled their vision for reshaping commerce in the UAE by turning social media influence into tangible rewards.

"We're building an AI-powered social advocacy platform that incentivises every user to post what they're shopping for on social media." The founders argue that brands are overspending on traditional marketing channels while consumers increasingly trust peer recommendations.

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"Commerce has shifted. A survey shows 88 per cent of people rely on trusted peer recommendations. Friends deliver eight times higher engagement than mega influencers, at lower cost,” Agarwal said.“Gen Z doesn't just want to scroll - they want to earn from social platforms. People love to share what they buy, but mostly don't get rewarded.”

Gen Z can monetise posts as brands cash in on trusted recommendations

FluencePay's platform works simply - users create a profile, link their social media accounts, and receive a“Fluent Score” - an AI-generated rating measuring authentic influence based on following, engagement, and posting behaviour.

Tyagi said,“A fluent score is a proprietary AI-generated rating of your authentic influence based on your social media following, your engagement and your posting behaviour. Now you can shop. You can look at our participating merchants, make a payment, and then post about your experience on social media. Based on your 'fluent score', you get instant cash back in your Fluence pay wall. This cash back can be redeemed all across the UAE in the form of gift vouchers in over 2000 outlets. So, a higher fluent score unlocks higher rewards.”

Tyagi described it as“productised word of mouth, measurable, scalable and instantly working.”

The start-up is already partnering with national banks for co-branded prepaid cards, Y Cube's network of 45,000 GCC merchants, and universities such as SP Jain, IIMA to reach early adopters.

In the next 12 months, we shall onboard 60,000 users and 400 merchants through our direct channels and strategic partnerships and then initiate our global expansion first into the GCC market, and later into the UK and US.”

With backgrounds spanning PayPal, digital marketing, and multiple start-up journeys, the duo has also secured advisory support from seasoned professionals from PepsiCo and the Landmark Group.

Agarwal added,“We are raising $5 million to reach one million users and $70 million in revenue over the next three years, driven by performance-based marketing spend, strong partner support and scalable monetisation through cards and functions.”

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