Yinka Ogunbiyi, a Nigerian-American biomechanical engineer and Harvard alumna, has raised $7 million in seed funding to launch HaloBraid. This patented robotic tool is built to help professional stylists speed up the braiding process while lowering physical stress. The investment round was spearheaded by Seven Seven Six, the firm established by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, with additional backing from Bling Capital and AlleyCorp.
Currently, over 7,000 salons are on the waiting list for the technology. Ogunbiyi, who earned a dual MS/MBA from Harvard, developed the concept during the pandemic after spending four days braiding her own hair. Partnering with co-founder David Afolabi, she created a collaborative robot, or cobot, meant to assist rather than replace human workers.
The system allows a stylist to set the foundation of the braid before the machine manages the tedious, repetitive weaving. This approach aims to cut appointment times by 50%. By handling the most physically taxing movements, the robot also protects stylists from long-term issues like arthritis and carpal tunnel syndrome. Ogunbiyi emphasizes that the goal is to prolong professional careers and help stylists manage more clients efficiently. Research suggests that 95% of Black women would opt for protective styles more frequently if salon visits were faster, a market need HaloBraid intends to address as it scales for global use.
