Nigerian-American Harvard graduate Yinka Ogunbiyi raises $7m for HaloBraid, the world’s first braid-assist robot, with 7,000 salons on its waitlist.
Nigerian-American engineer and Harvard graduate Yinka Ogunbiyi has developed HaloBraid, described as the world’s first braid-assist robot designed to ease the physical strain on hairstylists and reduce the time required for salon appointments.
The US Mission in Nigeria highlighted the development, following Ogunbiyi’s $7m seed funding raise to launch HaloBraid, which it described as the world’s first patented braid-assist mechanical technology. The mission disclosed this in a post on X on Friday.
Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, led the funding round, with additional investments from AlleyCorp and Bling Capital. The funding will support the market rollout of HaloBraid, which already has more than 7,000 professional hair salons on its waiting list.
“Nigerian-American engineer and Harvard grad Yinka Ogunbiyi built HaloBraid, the world’s first braid-assist robot, easing strain on stylists and saving salons time,” the US Mission wrote. ” $7M raised, 7,000-plus salons waitlisted. American innovation, global impact.”
Ogunbiyi holds joint Master of Science and Master of Business Administration degrees from Harvard Engineering School and Harvard Business School and has a professional background in developing connected smart home appliances and consumer electronics.
The idea for HaloBraid emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, after Ogunbiyi spent four days installing her own protective knotless braids. Recognizing the opportunity to apply technology to the labor-intensive process, she teamed up with co-founder David Afolabi to develop HaloBraid, a collaborative robot designed to work alongside, not replace, professional braiders.
The system divides the braiding process between the human stylist and the machine across three defined stages. Under the workflow, the hairstylist parts the scalp and sections the hair, recognizing the initial anchor knot by hand before engaging the device.
HaloBraid then attaches to the hair and carries out the repetitive mid-shaft braiding sequence, which accounts for the most time-consuming portion of a typical salon appointment. Once that stage is complete, the stylist removes the unit to finish, trim, and hair the ends according to the client’s preferences.
Ogunbiyi addressed concerns that automation could reduce the cultural significance of heritage hairstyling. “I don’t think anything will get lost from the experience,” she stated. “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.”
Beyond speed, the technology targets a documented occupational health problem inside the professional braiding sector. Repetitive hand, trim, and back movements associated with braiding can affect stylists across years of work, reducing their capacity and shortening their careers.
By handling the most physically demanding portion of the process, HaloBraid aims to help stylists see more clients per day, improve salon turnover, and extend their working lives. The company says the waitlist, more than 7,000 salons, reflects strong pre-commercial demand for the product.
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. Her academic background spans both engineering and business, a combination she applied directly to designing and preparing HaloBraid for commercial deployment.
Consumer data included in reporting on the product shows that nearly 95 per cent of surveyed Black women said they would choose protective styling more frequently if salon visits were less exhausting and less time-consuming. That figure anchors the commercial case Ogunbiyi has built around HaloBraid.
Seven Seven Six, which led the seed round, is one of the most visible venture capital firms operating in the consumer technology space in the United States. AlleyCorp and Bling Capital joined as additional investors, completing the $7m raise ahead of the planned market rollout.
With the funding secured and the waitlist exceeding 7,000 professional salons, HaloBraid is now moving from the development phase toward full commercial deployment. The US mission in Nigeria described the product as an example of “American innovation, global impact” in its Friday post on X.
Ogunbiyi’s development of HaloBraid, the world’s first patented braid-assist robot, positions the Nigerian-American engineer at the center of a growing conversation about automation, occupational health, and the future of the global professional hair braiding industry.
