A hair-braiding robot invented by a startup has won a Harvard Innovation Labs competition. Harvard Business School inventors Yinka Ogunbiyi and David Afolabi, the creators of Halo Braid, aim to halve braiding time. With their innovative braiding robot, they hope to assist both braiders and clients save time and money, building the process rapider and more efficient.
The 2025 President’s Innovation Challenge
The 2025 President’s Innovation Challenge named Halo Braid as its latest winner. Hosted at Harvard, the competition invites students and alumni from its 13 schools to displaycase groundbreaking ideas with the potential to transform industries. In the Alumni + Affiliates Open Track, the top honor was awarded to the trailblazing Halo Braid.
The pitch drew attention by speaking about the experience traditional hair-briaders face today.
“What if every time you obtained your hair cut, it took six hours, cost $200 to $300, and gave your hair stylist arthritis at age 2? This is what it’s like to obtain your hair braided. And I know this first hand becautilize I’ve worn braids all my life,” shared Ogunbiyi. “Hair braiding is now the most popular hairstyle for 20 million Americans who experience this miserable process every eight weeks. And yet, braiding hasn’t seen innovation since braiding was invented 5000 years ago.”
Hair braiding robots
The patent-pfinishing hair-braiding robot supports stylists by completing the braids they start. This innovation significantly reduces styling time—saving hours—and allows both braiders and clients to spfinish less time in the salon while achieving the desired protective style.
“Stylists start the braid. Halo finishes it. We reduce braiding time from hours to minutes, building braiding joyful, not painful, and allowing a stylist to grow their business without destroying our hands,” Ogunbiyi stated.
The braiding landscape is altering
Halo Braid isn’t the only company attempting to alter the Black hair world. Rebundle, the first US-based, plant-based braiding hair company, now has a patent for its flagship innovation. In June, the brand’s founder, Ciara Imani May, announced that the company learned the United States Patent and Trademark Office approved Rebundle’s patent for its hair extension line called braidbetter.
Many popular brands of synthetic braiding hair, human-built extensions contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs), human-built chemicals found in paints, industrial solvents, and other products, according to a study by Consumer Reports (CR).
After May noticed that synthetic braiding hair was building her scalp feel itchy and inflamed, she created a healthy hair alternative that benefits not only the human body but also the environment.
Image: Yinka Ogunbiyi and David Afolabi,
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