Tressfecta wants to make hair braiding a less arduous task for hairstylists

A 24-year-old braider named Aisata Diallo has started a company called Tressfecta. Its first product, Plait Pilot, helps stylists separate hair from packs before braiding begins. She got the idea while studying at Northeastern University, where braiders were hard to find. A single braided style can take eight hours, and many stylists end up with painful, cramped hands. Diallo stopped braiding herself because of the physical strain.

Braiding is done by hand, and building machines for it is expensive and complex. The textured hair market has long been ignored by big companies. Diallo has funded the company with grants and accelerator programmes and is now preparing to raise money. She showed Plait Pilot at TechCrunch's Startup Battlefield 200 in San Francisco. The device separates hair into the size the stylist picks, then feeds the pieces back for braiding.

Hair braiders often get painful hand and wrist injuries. A tool that speeds up the slowest step could reduce that harm and save clients hours.