Quote from Lydia on July 24, 2026, 8:40 pm

Yinka Ogunbiyi is a Nigerian-American entrepreneur, biomedical engineer and Harvard-trained innovator whose invention, HaloBraid, is poised to transform the global hair-braiding industry.

She is the founder and CEO of Halo, a hair technology startup developing intelligent tools for textured hair care.

The company’s flagship product, HaloBraid, is billed as the world’s first braid-assist robot designed to help professional stylists complete braids significantly faster while reducing the physical strain associated with long braiding sessions.

Ogunbiyi’s breakout moment

Ogunbiyi first gained global attention in 2025 after unveiling the patent-pending device, which combines robotics and engineering to automate the most repetitive parts of the braiding process without replacing the stylist.

• According to the company, HaloBraid can cut braiding time by as much as half, with the long-term goal of enabling stylists to braid up to five times faster, increasing appointment capacity and earnings while improving comfort for both stylists and clients.
• The idea for HaloBraid was born during the COVID-19 pandemic after Ogunbiyi spent four days braiding her own hair. The experience highlighted the physical demands of the process and inspired her to develop a technological solution for an industry that has seen little innovation despite its growing popularity.

She co-invented the device with David Afolabi, a fellow Harvard alumnus, after working closely with professional braiders to ensure the technology complemented rather than replaced their craft.

Ogunbiyi’s educational background

Ogunbiyi holds a bachelor’s degree in engineering from Harvard University and later earned a joint Master of Science and Master of Business Administration (MS/MBA) from Harvard Engineering School and Harvard Business School.

Before launching Halo, she spent four years building a smart kitchen appliance startup, where she helped bring six connected barbecue smokers and indoor grill products to market. She later worked as a chef and recipe developer in London, experiences that further strengthened her product development and consumer innovation expertise.

Originally from London, Ogunbiyi moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, to attend Harvard as an undergraduate before returning to the university for her graduate studies.

Ogunbiyi’s business experience and achievements

Halo’s ambitions received a major boost in 2026 after the startup secured $7 million in seed funding led by Seven Seven Six, the venture capital firm founded by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian. The funding round also attracted participation from AlleyCorp and Bling Capital.

• The capital will support manufacturing, salon partnerships, product testing with professional stylists and preparations for the commercial launch of HaloBraid later in 2026.
• Beyond HaloBraid, Ogunbiyi says her long-term vision is to build category-defining technology that makes textured hair care “faster, easier, more comfortable and more joyful.”

Outside work, she enjoys hosting dinner parties, listening to jazz and watching British reality television. Her journey reflects a growing wave of African innovators applying engineering and artificial intelligence to solve everyday challenges in underserved industries.