Nigerian-American biomechanical engineer and Harvard graduate, Yinka Ogunbiyi, has raised $7 million in seed funding to commercialise HaloBraid, the world’s first patented braid-assist robot designed to help professional hairstylists cut braiding time in half while reducing work-related inj¥ries.
The funding round was led by Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, with backing from AlleyCorp and Bling Capital. The startup is already attracting significant interest, with more than 7,000 professional salons reportedly on its commercial waiting list.
Ogunbiyi, who holds a joint MS/MBA from Harvard Engineering School and Harvard Business School, conceived the idea during the COVID-19 pandemic after spending four days installing her own knotless braids.
She later teamed up with co-founder David Afolabi to develop HaloBraid, a collaborative robot designed to work alongside, not replace, professional braiders.
