The invention, which aims to transform professional hairstyling, recently caught the attention of the United States
Mission in Nigeria, which took to social media to celebrate her outstanding achievement.
In a post shared on X on Friday, July 24, 2026, the US Embassy in Nigeria
highlighted Ogunbiyi’s technological breakthrough as a prime example of global innovation:
“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.”
HaloBraid was born out of a real-life personal struggle. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Ogunbiyi decided to install her own knotless braids
at home. The grueling process took her four entire days of sitting, resulting in severe backaches and cramped fingers.
Realizing that hair braiding is one of the most physically demanding, time-consuming, and expensive beauty processes globally, she decided to find a robotic solution.
She later partnered with fellow innovator David Afolabi to co-found the beauty-tech startup. Rather than replacing human hairstylists, HaloBraid is designed to serve as an assistant, working alongside stylists to drastically reduce the time spent on traditional braids from several hours to a fraction of that time.
The mission said urgent travellers will continue to receive priority while regular visa appointments remain available.
