By Prosper Mene
Nigerian-born engineer and Harvard alum Yinka Ogunbiyi has won big for reimagining one of the most time-consuming parts of beauty.
Her invention, HaloBraid which is an automated braid-assist device that completes hand-started braids up to five times faster — took home the $75,000 grand prize in the Alumni & Affiliates Open track at the 2025 Harvard President’s Innovation Challenge.
The annual competition, which celebrates high-impact ventures emerging from Harvard’s global network, recognized HaloBraid for its potential to solve a real-world problem in the textured hair industry. The device is designed to slash traditional styling times from hours to minutes, while reducing physical strain such as carpal tunnel and back pain for braiders and allowing salons to double their daily clientele.
Ogunbiyi created HaloBraid alongside co-founder David Afolabi, inspired by her own experience as a braid enthusiast. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she spent four days installing her own knotless braids — an experience that sparked the idea to build smart engineering that handles the repetitive part of braiding while keeping the stylist in full control of the craft.
What started as a personal fix has now become a highly anticipated beauty-tech product. HaloBraid is backed by over $7 million in funding and already has more than 7,000 salons on its waiting list ahead of its commercial launch.
Adding to its creative muscle, world-renowned celebrity hairstylist Vernon François has joined the team as Creative Engineer.
Announcing the partnership, François said:
“I am proud to announce that I have joined Halo as a Creative Engineer. This milestone is the result of unwavering consistency, relentless curiosity, and the understanding that artistry is a form of intelligence… I haven’t been invited just to sit at the table. I’ve been invited to question its structure, influence its design, and define who it serves next… The Art of Afro Hair isn’t standing outside the future asking to be included — it’s helping to engineer it.”
HaloBraid is set to make its official commercial debut in Autumn 2026, launching first across select professional salons.
