A Nigerian-American engineer and Harvard University graduate, Yinka Ogunbiyi, has developed HaloBraid, described as the world’s first braid-assist robot designed to reduce the physical strain on hairstylists while significantly cutting the time spent on braiding appointments.
The innovation was spotlighted by the United States Mission in Nigeria in a post on X on Friday, where it revealed that the startup has already raised $7 million in seed funding and attracted more than 7,000 salons to its waiting list.
“Nigerian-American engineer & Harvard grad Yinka Ogunbiyi built HaloBraid, the world’s first braid-assist robot, easing strain on stylists & saving salons time.
“$7M raised, 7,000+ salons waitlisted. American innovation, global impact. #AmericanExcellence in action,” the mission stated.
The funding round was led by Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, with additional investments from AlleyCorp and Bling Capital.
According to the company, the investment will accelerate the commercial rollout of HaloBraid, which has generated strong interest from professional hair salons across the United States.
Ogunbiyi holds a joint Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degree from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and Harvard Business School. Before founding HaloBraid, she worked on developing smart home appliances and consumer electronics.
The inspiration for the innovation came during the COVID-19 pandemic after Ogunbiyi spent four days installing her own protective knotless braids. Realising how labour-intensive and physically demanding the process was, she teamed up with co-founder David Afolabi to create a technological solution.
Rather than replacing hairstylists, HaloBraid is designed to work alongside them by automating the repetitive mid-shaft braiding process, which accounts for a significant portion of a typical braiding session.
Under the process, the stylist prepares the client’s hair by parting the scalp, sectioning the hair and creating the initial anchor knot. The HaloBraid device then performs the repetitive braiding sequence before the stylist completes the hairstyle by trimming and sealing the ends.
Responding to concerns that automation could diminish the cultural significance of traditional hairstyling, Ogunbiyi insisted the technology was created to support, not replace, skilled professionals.
“I don’t think anything will get lost from the experience. If anything, it enriches it. Technology simply assists with the repetitive movements that consume the most time and place the greatest strain on the body,” she said.
The innovation is also aimed at reducing the long-term physical impact of professional braiding, including repetitive stress injuries affecting the hands, wrists, shoulders and back.
By automating the most physically demanding stage of the process, HaloBraid is expected to enable stylists to serve more clients, improve salon productivity and extend their careers.
The development comes as demand for protective hairstyles continues to grow globally, with studies indicating that nearly 95 per cent of Black women surveyed would choose protective styles more frequently if salon appointments were less time-consuming and physically demanding.