HaloBraid raises $7 million for robotic hair-braiding device

HaloBraid announced a $7 million seed round led by Seven Seven Six to develop a robotic device that assists professional stylists with braiding. The company said the device is designed to shorten appointments that can last up to 12 hours. The startup was founded by Yinka Ogunbiyi, who holds an MS in engineering from Harvard and an MBA.

She previously started a smart cooking appliance company and began exploring automated braiding after attempting to braid her own hair during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Funding and investors Seven Seven Six led the round.

Other participants include AlleyCorp and Bling Capital. The company will use the proceeds for product development, manufacturing, and salon partnerships. Ogunbiyi said the device lets a stylist begin a braid and then hands the remainder of the process to the machine, which completes the braid in seconds.

She added that the product is intended to be gentle on hair and can handle both knotless and box braids.

Market context Ogunbiyi cited research estimating that people spend 8 billion hours braiding hair annually. In a survey of 2,000 people, 95 percent said they would get their hair braided more often if the process took less time. Stylists have reported health issues such as carpal tunnel and arthritis from repetitive work.

The company has a team of about 15 people. Ogunbiyi said future products could include a device to undo braids, which can take as long as the initial braiding process. "HaloBraid is our first product, but our larger vision is to create breakthrough technology that makes textured haircare faster, easier, more comfortable, and more joyful," she said.