Nigerian-American Engineer Builds World’s First Braid-Assist Robot
A 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 save time for salons.
The US Mission in Nigeria disclosed this in a post on X on Friday, saying the innovation had raised $7m and attracted more than 7,000 salons to its waitlist.
“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 wrote.
It hailed Nigerian-American entrepreneur after she raised $7m in seed funding to launch HaloBraid, described as the world’s first patented braid-assist mechanical technology.
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.
The funding will support the market rollout of HaloBraid, which already has more than 7,000 professional hair salons on its waiting list.
The HaloBraid unit then attaches to carry out the repetitive braiding sequence before the stylist removes it to finish, trim and seal the ends according to the client’s preferences.
