Yinka Ogunbiyi, a Harvard graduate and Nigerian-American biomechanical engineer, has raised $7 million in seed money to launch her patented robotic braiding assistance, HaloBraid.
The gadget is designed to assist expert braiders in working more quickly and with less physical strain.
More than 7,000 professional salons have joined the startup’s waiting list prior to its formal launch, indicating a high level of early interest in the technology.
Before turning her attention to haircare, Ogunbiyi worked in IoT devices and smart kitchen appliances. She holds a combined MS/MBA from Harvard’s engineering and business schools.
After Ogunbiyi spent four days creating her own knotless braids at home during the COVID-19 lockdown, the idea for HaloBraid began to take shape.
She collaborated with co-founder David Afolabi to create a robotic tool specifically designed for professional braiders as a result of that experience.
HaloBraid serves as a “cobot” that collaborates with stylists rather than taking their place.
While stylists continue to handle the creative and technical aspects of the work, it takes care of the repeated mid-length weaving motions that usually take up the majority of a knotless braiding session.
In actuality, the stylist starts by sectioning and splitting the hair to build the groundwork for each braid.
The stylist then concludes by sealing, clipping, and styling the braids after HaloBraid handles the repetitive weaving, cutting the total appointment time in half.
Ogunbiyi stated that she doesn’t think the experience is diminished in any way and characterized the technology as a support tool rather than a replacement for expert braiders.
Since the technology only handles the repetitive activities that take up the most time and strain the body the most, she thinks it improves it.
In addition to reducing appointment times, HaloBraid is designed to address occupational health concerns that are prevalent among braiders, many of whom experience chronic back pain, arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome as a result of years of repetitive motion.
The company thinks that by taking over the most physically demanding aspect of the procedure, stylists will be able to serve more clients each day and work longer in their professions.
The goal of the current fundraising round is to assist HaloBraid in its efforts to grow commercially and introduce the technology to salons across the globe.
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