Yinka Ogunbiyi, inventor of the HaloBraid, the world's first braid-assist robot, to make hair braiding faster while reducing the physical strain on hairstylists.
The robot works together with professional braiders, completing repetitive weaving while stylists take care of the creative and technical aspects of the hairstyle.
HaloBraid has raised $7 million and captivated more than 7,000 salons to its waitlist, highlighting increasing interest in technology that could transform the hair-braiding industry.
Yinka Ogunbiyi said while introducing HaloBraid, the world's first braid-assist robot.
She recalled trying to braid her own hair during the COVID-19 lockdown in London. It was her first attempt, and it took four days.
That experience led her to ask a simple question: if cars can drive themselves and robots can perform delicate surgeries, why has one of the world's oldest and most popular hairstyles barely changed over thousands of years?
"I know this firsthand because I've worn braids all my life," Nigerian-American engineer and Harvard graduate Yinka Ogunbiyi said while introducing HaloBraid.
Today, the startup has raised $7 million in seed funding led by venture capital firm Seven Seven Six, founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, with participation from AlleyCorp and Bling Capital.
According to Ogunbiyi, she estimated that people collectively spend around 8 billion hours braiding hair every year.