Nigerian-American engineer secures $7m funding for world’s first braid-assist robot

Yinka Ogunbiyi, a Nigerian-American biomechanical
engineer, has secured $7 million in seed funding to commercialise Halobraid, a robotic system designed to assist hairstylists
with braiding.

In a post
on X, the US Mission in Nigeria revealed that the robot,
designed to help stylists complete braids in half the time, has also attracted
more than 7,000 salons to its waitlist.

The funding round was led by Seven Seven Six, the venture
capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, with additional
investment from AlleyCorp.

Ogunbiyi, a Harvard graduate, developed the robot in
partnership with David Afolabi. The idea came during the COVID-19 pandemic
after she spent four days installing her own protective knotless braids,
inspiring her to apply technology to the labour-intensive braiding process and
create HaloBraid.

Described as a “cobot” or collaborative robot, Halobraid is
designed to support stylists rather than replace them. It takes over repetitive
weaving tasks, reducing braiding time while minimising physical strain on
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,” Ogunbiyi said.

She explained that the braiding process begins with a
professional stylist manually parting the hair, creating the sections and
making the foundation knot needed for the braid.

The HaloBraid robot is then attached to handle the
repetitive weaving process, helping reduce the time spent on knotless braids by
about half.

Once the weaving is complete, the stylist removes the device
and finishes the braid by sealing, trimming and styling the ends to the
client’s preference.

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